There's no place like home
Former Bulldog pitcher can always find support and comfort back home with baseball program
David Stanley/AMR
With 477 stikeouts, including a Western Athletic Conferene record 21 in one game, former Bulldogs All-American pitcher Jeff Weaver has become one of the major leagues best pitchers. Weaver also hit over .300 his senior year. |
By Maggie Thach
The Collegian
Jeff Weaver doesn’t know exactly where he’s going, but he knows where he’s been. Weaver, who was inducted into the Fresno State Baseball Hall of Fame in 2004, can always find a homeat Beiden Field and he found solace there Saturday at the annual baseball Alumni game.
“It’s always fun. I haven’t missed a game yet,” Weaver said. “I always looked forward to it as player. This is the best alumni program around for baseball. I had to come out and show support.”
Weaver has reason to be loyal to the Bulldog program. It gave him a chance as a walk-on pitcher for a team that reached the NCAA Regionals. And it proved beneficial for the program as well, as he was a huge factor in the team’s post-season run. As an All-America pitcher, he led Fresno State to a 20-10 record in the Western Athletic Conference Western Division in 1996.
No one would have guessed that the walk-on would earn Western DivisionFreshman of the Year accolades, not even Weaver himself.
“I don’t take it for granted. I was just happy to put on a Fresno uniform,” Weaver said. “Right now, there’s always someone trying to take your job.”
After three seasons in a Bulldog uniform, Weaver, who was a three-time All-American pitcher and was an Olympic Bronze medalist, was selected in the first round by the Detroit Tigers in 1998. Weaver also made stops in Los Angeles to play with the Dodgers and New York to play for the Yankees before he ended up in the position he is in now.
For the first time in his seven-year career, Weaver doesn’t know where he’ll be playing next season. For the time being, he’s talking with a few teams, including Anaheim, Seattle and Baltimore, and said he should be making a decision within the next week.
“It’s my first time going through free agency,” Weaver said. “It’s been a long off-season. I’ve never been a position where I didn’t have a contract.”
Weaver’s ideal situation is playing with the Anaheim Angels where his brother Jered plays. He would also be close to his parents, who live in Simi Valley. Being able to have a support system has always been important to Weaver.
“My parents are definitely people I go to, to try to figure things out,” Weaver said. “I continue to talk to people. I know I have to be involved with the process so that I can be happy with the final say.”
So while waiting to see what unfolds in his future, he makes sure to show support for the program that allowed him to be where he is today.
“It [playing for Fresno State] was an experience we all had,” Weaver said. “I never would have dreamed to be in this position. I feel like I was meant to do this. The desire to do well and the desire to compete never goes away.”
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