Weaver Making Name For Himself
by Dennis Waszak, Jr., Associated Press
April 15, 2004
Jered Weaver grew up in his older brother's shadow, dreaming of
also becoming a baseball star.
With one dominant performance after another, the days of being
known only as Jeff Weaver's little brother are gone for the Long
Beach State junior. He is having one of the best seasons ever by a
college pitcher.
"I can't even put it into words," Jered Weaver said. "This is
definitely a little more than I expected."
Entering this weekend's series against UC Irvine, the 6-foot-7
right-hander was 10-0 with a 1.13 ERA, a Division I-leading 106
strikeouts and just 11 walks in 71 2-3 innings. He was 38 strikeouts
away from breaking Rocky Biddle's school record of 361, and one win
from tying Andy Croghan's school career record of 33.
Weaver struck out a career-high 16 _ including the first 11 outs
_ against Wichita State in just six innings on March 24. He also had
consecutive 15-strikeout games against BYU and UCLA earlier this
season, and fanned 14 against Southern California.
"I was hoping to have a winning season, but what's happening
right now is unbelievable," he said. "Who could expect this?"
Jeff Weaver, in his first season with the Los Angeles Dodgers,
was also a collegiate strikeout artist. He set Fresno State's career
record with 477 strikeouts before he was drafted by Detroit with the
14th pick in 1998.
"Strikeouts are definitely fun," Jered Weaver said. "You get
caught in the moment and you get hyped up, but I don't really try for
strikeouts. Strikeouts happen. That's not what my game plan is _ to
see how many people I can strike out in one game. But it's fun to get
them."
Jered and Jeff are six years apart, and both acknowledge that
they weren't very close while they were growing up.
"People always used to say, 'That's Jeff Weaver's little
brother,'" Jered said. "I've been trying to flush that out and create
a name for myself, and at the same time follow in his footsteps."
Baseball has brought them closer today than ever before.
"I was out of the house when I was 17, he was 11 years old," Jeff
said. "It was one of those things where the little brother was on the
big brother's nerves, wanting to hang around with him. Now, we're in
constant contact."
Jered watched Jeff make his Dodgers debut on April 7, a
no-decision in Los Angeles' win over San Diego. The following night,
Jeff saw Jered beat Cal State Northridge.
"He looked like a man against boys," Jeff said. "He looks sharp
mechanically. He's got all the attributes to achieve success."
Jered has certainly come a long way since playing catcher at Simi
Valley High School in California until the middle of his junior year.
Weaver concentrated on pitching and earned a spot in the 49ers'
rotation as a freshman, going 8-4 with a 4.37 ERA. He was 14-4 with a
1.96 ERA and 144 strikeouts last year, and shared Big West pitcher of
the year honors with former teammate Abe Alvarez.
Weaver spent last summer with the U.S. National team, and set a
team record with 45 2-3 consecutive scoreless innings. He went 4-1
with a Team USA-record 0.38 ERA and helped lead the team to the
silver medal at the Pan Am Games.
"When they selected me as one of their starters, it definitely
was a dream come true," he said. "I mean, not too many people can say
they've worn USA across their chest and played against other
countries."
Not many can say they've been a No. 1 draft pick, either. Weaver
has put himself in prime position to be the first name called at the
major league draft in June.
"I've been having a great season so far and hopefully I can keep
it going and help our team get to Omaha," Weaver said. "As long as I
can keep our team in ballgames, I can help lead us to victories _ and
that's what's most important." |
