Ingram accepted the assignments, telling The Fayetteville Observer his focus remained on playing.
"I like starting," Ingram told The Observer. "But just as long as I get the chance to pitch."
By that point, Ingram had already gotten a chance to pitch in the College World Series with Arizona State. He'd also pitched in two pro seasons.
He ended up pitching professionally in five seasons. He saw AAA briefly, but he never saw the majors.
Ingram's career began in 1988, taken by the Tigers in the 14th round of the draft out of Arizona State. He went to Arizona State out of Hallsville High School in Texas.
At Arizona State, Ingram led the country in regular-season wins in 1988 on his way to Pacific-10 Southern Division Player of the Year honors. He also helped his team to the College World Series.
Ingram showed durability in an April contest, throwing 175 pitches in a win to save his bullpen.
"My legs were dead," Ingram told The Stanford Daily. "But Coach said, 'You're gonna have to suck it up because we don't want to have to use any more pitchers,' so I just said, 'I guess I just won't walk anybody.'"
Ingram started his pro career at single-A Fresno. He went 4-4, with a 5.97 ERA over 13 outings, 11 starts.
He moved to Fayetteville for 1989, returning there for 1990. He went 8-7 there his second season, still starting 21 games after his look at relief. His ERA came in at 3.97.
Ingram played 1991 between single-A Waterloo and Charleston, then 1992 at high-A High Desert and AAA Las Vegas. He got into two games in relief at Las Vegas, giving up six earned in six innings of work. That 1992 season marked the end of his career.
Ingram has since returned to his native Texas and become a youth coach. In 2007, he served as a coach for the Dallas Tigers. In summer 2015, he served as a coach with the Academy Select Sun Devils in Dallas, a position he continues in 2016.
"I try to teach these guys to take care of what they can control; to take care of the little things and show maturity on the field," Ingram told PerfectGame.org of his approach in June 2015. "We expect that from them and demand that from them, and they're dedicated to playing winning baseball."
- Stanford Daily, April 25, 1988: Card splits, first place on the line today
- Fayetteville Observer, April 4, 1990: Generals unpack, settle in for 1990
- PerfectGame.org, June 15, 2015: Sun Devils demolish competition
Players/Coaches Featured: 2,284
Made the Majors: 949-41.5%
Never Made Majors:1,335-58.5%-X
5+ Seasons in the Majors: 398
10+ Seasons in the Minors:240
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