TrueBlue82 Posted August 14, 2007 Share Posted August 14, 2007 Chad Rothford and Jeremy Hefner were both the subjects of feature photo articles this week at northwestleague.com. I'll copy portions of the articles below. Rothford is hitting .309 with seven homers and 44 RBIs. Salem-Keizer Volcanoes (San Francisco Giants) SO FAR THIS SEASON: The Volcanoes are 42-10 and in first place in the East Division. WHO'S HOT: OF Shane Jordan is hitting .485 through 33 at-bats in August. The native of Sarasota, Fla., has a pair of doubles, a triple and five RBIs so far this month, giving him 11 extra-base hits on the year. He is hitting .327 with 20 RBIs. HOT HAND: RHP Thomas Brewer has been automatic so far this season for the Volcanoes. In 10 starts, Brewer is 6-0 with a 2.56 ERA, the best in the Northwest League. He has 32 strikeouts in 45 2/3 innings. RBI TWINS: A pair of Volcanoes are leading the Northwest League in RBIs. OF Garret Baker (.293, 18 2B, 4 3B, 4 HR) and IF Chad Rothford (.309, 11 2B, 7 HR) have 46 and 44 RBIs, respectively. Jeremy Hefner is learning he can't let up if he's going to be a successful professional pitcher. Hefner (2-2) allowed one hit and struck out a career-high nine over five innings as Eugene blanked visiting Spokane, 5-0, on Thursday. After retiring the first five hitters, the 21-year-old right-hander gave up a bloop single to Eric Fry before plunking Timothy Rodriguez in the second inning. But Hefner quickly regained his focus, striking out Kenneth Smith to end the frame and setting down the next nine batters in order before exiting after the fifth. "It's the best I've felt all year," said Hefner, who attended Oral Roberts University. Hefner opened his pro career by allowing just one earned run over 20 1/3 innings, earning the Northwest Pitcher of the Week award along the way. But before Thursday's outing, he had given up 11 runs over his previous 6 2/3 frames, pushing his ERA from 1.37 to 4.09. A fifth-round pick in the 2007 First-Year Player Draft, Hefner admits his early season success may have gone to his head. "I was having so much success that I got a little more lax [in preparing] before my starts," he said. "I was kind of going through the motions. You can't do that when you're facing some of the best hitters in the world." Humbled by the difficulties he's faced of late, Hefner has learned a valuable lesson about preparation. "I came to the park more focused," he said. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tmh8286 Posted August 15, 2007 Share Posted August 15, 2007 Two lucky guys spending their summers in OREGON . . . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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