Throughout his baseball career, Stephen Richards has felt he's had a little something extra to prove.

The Plano East pitcher stood 5-10 and weighed a mere 140 pounds coming out of high school. Now he's 35 pounds heavier, a major league draftee – chosen in the eighth round by the Florida Marlins – and the top reliever for Arkansas.

The Razorbacks play Cal State Fullerton today in the College World Series.

"It's been an obstacle my whole life," Richards said of being undersized. "But it's not really all about size."

Richards' coaches through the years point to his work ethic as a key to his success.

Randy LeBlanc, general manager of the Texas Collegiate League's McKinney Marshals, said his first impression of Richards was "nothing," but that didn't stop the Arkansas freshman.

"He didn't wow you by any stretch, but he was always willing to listen and learn," LeBlanc said. "I think his work ethic from his freshman year to his junior year [this year] is what got him drafted."

At 5-11, Richards is the shortest pitcher for Arkansas, and his collegiate career started slowly.

As a sophomore, he battled through arm soreness and was used sparingly as a reliever, pitching in 17 games. In more than 25 innings, Richards went 2-4, struck out 36 batters and walked 13.

"It was nothing I couldn't throw with," Richards said of the soreness. "Just something you get used to. I wasn't 100 percent."

Richards went on to pitch two perfect innings in Arkansas' 5-1 regional loss against Stanford, striking out three.

This year has been a different story. Richards is 6-1 with a 1.82 ERA in 34 innings.

Richards' work ethic paid off at Plano East, where he began on the junior varsity.

"I was trying to earn a spot on varsity all fall," Richards said. "I went out there trying to prove to the coaches and even myself that I could play varsity."

After Richards struck out 17 hitters in a tournament game, coach Travis Collins moved him up to varsity.

Looking back at Richards' JV stint, Collins said, "I think we put him in the wrong spot."

Richards didn't draw a lot of interest from colleges. But he ended up a Razorback thanks to a strong performance at a fall camp in Arkansas.

This week, Richards has tasted the fruits of his labor – with a trip to Omaha and a selection in the draft.

"It's an amazing feeling to get drafted," Richards said. "But that gets put on hold right now for the CWS."

School: Arkansas

Position: Pitcher

Class: Junior

Ht., Wt: 5-11, 175

High School: Plano East

Notable: Born in Dallas. ... Started playing baseball at age 4 and moved to more competitive select leagues at 10. ... Wasn't scouted by any colleges while at Plano East. Richards said a few junior colleges were interested, but it wasn't until he went to a camp at Arkansas that pitching coach Dave Jorn took notice and offered him a scholarship.