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Eric Larsen
Magic Valley Times-News
Belief is as valuable a baseball commodity as any measure of arm strength or hitting power for a developing team.
For the College of Southern Idaho squad, the belief that this team can be competitive come postseason play kept the Golden Eagles from wavering after a 0-4 start to the season.
For his part, CSI outfielder and catcher Jed Hanson has become the personification of belief in one’s ability to triumph in the face of overwhelming odds. Few players in the Scenic West Athletic Conference started the 2008 season as poorly as the sophomore from Ham Lake, Minn. Even fewer have played as well in the clutch conference situations that ultimately matter most to a team’s success.
Hanson’s .255 batting average is such a poor indication of the type of season he is putting together that it almost seems untrue.
No player in the SWAC has tallied more RBIs than Hanson’s 26, of which 20 have come in conference play. He’s hitting at a .328 clip in SWAC games, and has become possibly the best clutch hitter in the region.
With a runner on third and two outs recorded, Hanson is 11-for-18 (.611). Eleven of his conference-high 20 RBIs have come with two outs.
(Photo courtesy of Magicvalley.com)
Mmm BOP: For the first time in years, Hanson has been hitting from the right side of the plate. Against left-handed pitching he’s putting up a .435 batting average.
“He wants to be up when guys are on base,” CSI head coach Boomer Walker said. “I think that’s just half the battle: Not fearing what people presume to be pressure situations in a game.”
Hanson’s best attribute in the batter’s box is his ability to consistently put the ball in play, regardless of the outcome of the at bat. In 110 at bats, he’s struck out 19 times and has walked or been hit 10 times. The other 81 attempts, he’s forced the opposition to make a play, including on one of his team-high three sacrifice flies and the 38 times he’s been successful in advancing runners with an at bat.
“As the year’s gone on, I’ve just been attacking, trying to get in hitter’s counts, not letting the pitcher get ahead of me,” Hanson said. “But yeah, I’ve always been a pretty aggressive hitter.”
On a team bereft of much vocal leadership and experience at the collegiate level, Hanson’s on-field actions have been a boon for a CSI team with a 10-10 SWAC record that is still learning to play with exuberance for the game while competing at a high level.
“I think Jed’s just one of those guys who tries to be an example,” Walker said. “He’s not a real vocal guy but when it’s a big game and something happens, he’s not afraid to show some emotion and be excited. You know what, guys can learn from that, too.”
The sophomore has also been an example as an everyday player, as he’s played through the last four weeks after suffering a strained oblique muscle. The injury kept Hanson from serving time behind the plate, as he couldn’t get any zip on throws to second without the muscle flaring up. Still, he played, and has hit .372 during that span.
“Boomer asked me every day how it was doing, and I would tell him, ‘Good,’ because I wanted to play,” Hanson said. “It’s not that I’m being selfish at all. It’s just that when you get to be a guy that’s in the lineup consistently, and a guy that has that experience, you want to be out there for your team.”
Hanson hasn’t been an easy out lately, amassing seven multi-hit games after a series against the Salt Lake Community College. That may be just enough for an improving squad to believe in its chances, this weekend and beyond.
“All the guys really care,” Hanson said. “They’re concerned, obviously, and I believe we are moving forward.”
(This story originally ran on www.magicvalley.com on April 4. Eric Larsen may be reached at 1-800-658-3883, Ext. 220 or
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