The two-day draft took place in Florida, but Brooks Lindsley followed the picks on the Internet from Longview.

As if on cue, Lindsley’s computer crashed right before the 537th name appeared — his name.

While the 2005 Mountain View graduate waited for his computer to reboot, he received a phone call from a San Francisco Giants scout.

“He said, ‘Congratulations. You got picked in the 18th round,’ ” Lindsley said. “I was like, ‘Really? Really? I did not know that.’ It was a shock to me.”

Since the draft, the shortstop out of Lower Columbia Community College spent a few days in Arizona at the Giants’ spring training facility to fill out paperwork and take a physical examination. Lindsley then bypassed the Arizona Rookie League and is playing Class A short-season ball with the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes of the Northwest League.

“I went from playing in front of 20 people everyday (at LCC), and those were parents, to close to 3,000 a night in less than two years,” Lindsley said.

For the time being, Lindsley is the only true shortstop on the Volcanoes’ roster. He is batting .243 (9 for 37) with five RBI and four stolen bases in 12 games.

The short season features 74 games in 79 days. Lindsley is conditioned to play the demanding schedule since he was playing 60 games a season in college.

Lindsley’s junior college career in the Northwest also gave him an advantage at the plate, since he has been swinging wood bats in the Northwest Athletic Association of Community Colleges. Lindsley’s collegiate career started at Mt. Hood CC and ended at LCC, both NWAACC schools.

“We kind of have a little more edge knowing how to swing with a wood bat,” Lindsley said.

After graduating from Mountain View, Lindsley played a season at Mt. Hood where he hit .427 with two home runs and 31 RBI. In 2006, the Southern Division and NWAACC MVP was drafted by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in the 33rd round (979th) as a draft-and-follow, but Lindsley became academically ineligible his sophomore season with the Saints.

“I was in a bad time in my life where I was hanging out with the wrong crowd,” Lindsley said. “I would have been here last year if I hadn’t been hanging out with the wrong crowd. Everybody makes mistakes in their life and I’m here trying to do my best with my second chance.”

Lindsley took a year off and then went to LCC, where the standout led the Red Devils with a .434 batting average and 39 RBI. He was selected the NWAACC Western Division MVP.

If the draft had not gone well for Lindsley this year, he was planning on transferring to Lewis-Clark State College in Lewiston, Idaho. But the shortstop was pleasantly surprised going in the 18th round, and knew this was his chance.

“The opportunity was right, my situation and home life was right. It was the best time for me to go right now,” Lindsley said.

In his debut with the Volcanoes on June 17, Lindsley went 2 for 4 with a double and three RBI. Since the opener though, Lindsley is still trying to find his niche in a sport that has become his profession. He has gone hitless in five of his last 11 appearances at the plate, and also has five errors at shortstop.

“The hard part is repetition,” Lindsley said. “I still haven’t figured out everything there is to know about shortstop yet. I’m still figuring things out. I’m still trying to figure out that this is a faster-paced game the higher you get. I’m just trying to learn from experience now.”

Salem-Keizer manager Tom Trebelhorn said polishing and performing consistently will get a player to the next level. If all goes well, Lindsley’s journey could include Double-A ball in Norwich, Conn., and Triple A in Fresno. The Giants also have Single-A teams in Augusta, Ga., and San Jose, Calif.

“There’s always an excitement and there’s always this added self-imposed pressure that comes from every level,” Trebelhorn said. “I think he’s handled it all well. He came here as a real fine player. He’s now settling down and becoming more of himself.”

Since the season started Lindsley has been living with a host family, but by next week he will be reunited with his wife Lindsey of two years, who is moving down from Longview.

With his family nearby in Vancouver and Longview, Lindsley said it feels like he is still playing at home.

In just a few short weeks, Lindsley has taken big steps in his career. Despite all the changes, he still can’t think of one complaint.

“I love my life,” he said. “I love everything about what’s going on in my situation.”