AIR FORCE ACADEMY - When Tony Gwynn sits in the dugout, watching his team take batting practice, one thing gets him slightly annoyed.

"It drives you crazy, doesn't it?" he said, smiling, through the steady "Ping! Ping! Ping!" of a metal bat hitting a baseball before his San Diego State team's game against Air Force on Thursday.

"It's the one part of the game you never get used to. Unless you're hitting with wood, there's nothing like it - nothing like it - no purer form of hitting than squaring up a baseball with a bat, being consistent, hitting it in the same spot every time. That's the best."

Gwynn knows about consistency. Through a 20-year career with the San Diego Padres that spanned 1982 to 2001, he played in 2,440 games. His career batting average of .338 ranks 17th in major league history.

Gwynn had 19 consecutive seasons with a .300-plus batting average, second best behind Ty Cobb, and amassed 3,141 hits, 17th all time, en route to eight batting titles. He had 33 hitting streaks of at least 10 games and eight five-hit games.

In January, he was voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame, the first year he was eligible, and will be inducted in July.

"The Hall of Fame is the highest honor you can get as a baseball player, and I'm honored to be one of the few guys selected," Gwynn said, noting he will begin working on an induction speech at the end of the college season.

That means some reflection on his career and accomplishments.

"For me, just being pretty consistent," Gwynn said when asked about his greatest career satisfaction. "I didn't hit a whole lot of home runs and drive in a lot of runs, but I put the bat on the ball. Day in, day out, year in, year out, you kind of knew what I was going to give you, without too much fluctuation in the numbers.

"My career's been over for five years, and you have to compare my numbers with whoever your favorite guy is. That's what I love about baseball. You don't have to take a backseat to someone who hit 500 home runs. The Hall of Fame moniker applies to all those guys who got in."

As game time in the rarefied air of Falcon Field approaches, Gwynn changes hats. He began coaching at San Diego State, his alma mater, shortly after his retirement as a player.

Gwynn is in his fifth season with the Aztecs. His teams have a 129-143 record, including 16-11 this season after a 12-9 win Thursday in a Mountain West Conference game.

None would confuse the setting with baseball's major leagues. The day is sunny, but the breeze blowing from right field to left has a sting. A couple of dozen fans brave the wind in the bleachers, while perhaps 30 more watch from cars parked along the roadway.

Though Gwynn had numerous post-retirement options in professional baseball, he chose the college game.

"The biggest consideration was that I wanted to stay in baseball, but I didn't want to deal with the kind of scrutiny you had at the big-league level," he said. "I thought college would be a nice change of pace. It's been all I thought it would be and more.

"It's been fun. I feel like I'm again exactly where I'm supposed to be. I felt like that with the Padres for 20 years, and now I feel like that at San Diego State."

Instant recognition among fans and media followed Gwynn when he began coaching. The attention ebbed somewhat during the past couple of years, but with the upcoming trip to Cooperstown, N.Y., Gwynn is back in the spotlight.

He believes he offers something beyond his notoriety.

"Five years into it, you bring some knowledge to the game," Gwynn said. "You bring some, I think, integrity to the game. I made good decisions, didn't get into trouble, tried to do the right thing, tried to play the game the right way, and that's what we try to instill in our guys here.

"There's more to baseball than just what happens between the white lines, especially at the college level. They're students first and baseball players second. Some of the things I've gone through in my career can serve these young guys in preparing them for what's out there after college baseball."

In the meantime, the pinging of aluminum bats on baseballs continues as the Aztecs come from behind in the first of a three-game series.

"At this level, if guys didn't use aluminum bats, games would last about an hour and a half," Gwynn said. "Pitchers would dominate. Aluminum bats kind of level the field and have given a lot of kids an opportunity to play college baseball. Mechanically, this game will drive you crazy because there aren't a lot of guys who can consistently do it (hitting) right. And those guys who do are getting drafted."

Gwynn speaks from experience.

"Hey, I used an aluminum bat in college," he said. "But once you've hit with wood, there's nothing like it."

They said it

Air Force players and officials talk about Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn.

• Josh Meents, catcher: "He's famous for baseball, and it's an honor to come out here, play against him and have him kind of know your name. We're aware of who he is before and after the game, but while we're playing, he's like any other coach and we're trying to beat him."

• Mike Hutcheon, coach: "We have some great coaches in this conference with Tony and Vance Law at BYU - two guys who played in the big leagues. Any time you can get that kind of person to come and represent college baseball like he's done and represent our game, it's neat for our profession, and it's great to see someone of his caliber giving back to the game."

• Hans Mueh, athletic director: "It's an honor and a privilege to have a Hall of Famer in our league. It gives our league added credibility and prestige. My boss (academy superintendent Lt. Gen. John Regni) is a big baseball fan, and he has a ball autographed by Warren Spahn, Henry Aaron and another Hall of Fame player. He'll probably get Tony to sign it before this series is over."

• Karl Bolt, first baseman: "He's just another coach. Obviously, he's very well-respected in baseball, but during the game, we look at him like any other opponent."

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