Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, May 25, 1995 TAG: 9505250088
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JACK BOGACZYK
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Jorgensen has 37 homers in 39 games. Yes, he uses an aluminum bat. No, he doesn't play T-ball.
His NCAA Division III home run record doesn't really hammer home the damage he's done with his 33 1/2-inch, 30 1/2-ounce Easton for defending champion Wisconsin-Oshkosh. The senior shortstop has other impressive ballpark figures from the left side of the plate, too.
He has 113 RBI and a .486 average for the top-ranked Titans. They meet Carthage (Wis.) in a matchup of ``cheeseheads'' today as the Division III World Series begins with four games at Salem Municipal Field, where the word ``short'' might be too long the describe the power alleys.
May 14 was the mother of all days for Jorgensen. He finished the regular season by going 6-for-11 with 16 RBI in a doubleheader sweep of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. All six hits were homers. He had a two-run shot and a grand slam in the opener, then went for a different sort of cycle in the nightcap - solo, grand slam, three-run, two-run.
When the Titans went south - geographically only - to start the season, Jorgensen had 14 homers, 45 RBI and a .620 average in 12 games. This season, he has one four-homer and one three-homer game and 10 two-homer games.
So, why pitch to Jorgensen?
``The guy batting cleanup behind him, Craig Lieder, is bigger, stronger, has 18 homers [second in Division III] and 57 RBI,'' said Oshkosh coach Tom Lechnir, whose 33-3 team has a 23-game winning streak.
Lechnir's program has played in the World Series in 11 of the past 12 years, has national titles in 1985 and '94 and three runner-up finishes.
The program's alumni include several big-league names - Jim Gantner, Gary Varsho and Terry Jorgensen, Tim's older brother and a former Minnesota Twin who is now playing for Class AAA Charlotte. Bruce Schreiber and Oshkosh assistant coach Don Garvey, Salem Buccaneers of recent vintage, are former Titans, too.
So, when Lechnir speaks as he does about this season's performance by Jorgensen - who had 23 homers, 64 RBI and a .455 average as Division III national player of the year in 1994 - his words go even farther than Jorgensen's homers.
``He's a once-in-a-lifetime athlete,'' Lechnir said of his shortstop, who was named Division III player of the year again Wednesday night. ``He's not just matching the standard. He's created the standard.''
Jorgensen, from Luxemburg, Wis., was a 28th-round pick in last year's draft by San Diego. ``I felt I was better than that,'' said the sandy-haired shortstop, an accounting and finance major who knew his worth.
He not only has proven his point, but also has revised his personal goals four times this season. A dinger a day keeps the scouts in the seats, and Jorgensen's hitting could get him as high as the top 12 rounds of the June draft, although scouts say the Titans likely have two hotter prospects in pitchers Jarrod Washburn and Kevin Mlodik.
However, Jorgensen's season that ends in Salem still is one of the most astounding in the sport's history.
``My goal was just to get better every year,'' said the 6-foot-3 infielder, who spurned Division I offers from Minnesota and Arkansas to play for his home state's most prominent program. ``If you get in a zone, then you know what you can do.''
As Jorgensen has been in the twilight zone for a team averaging 10.9 runs per game, the expectations have soared, too. That hasn't fazed a player who admits his tendency to struggle is more an at-bat funk than a game- or week-long slump.
``If I get in one of those lulls, I just sort of try to blank out what I did,'' Jorgensen said. ``I try to work on every at-bat, every count and every situation. They're all different. ... I guess I'd say the 37 homers is a little amazing, but it's really just about going out and being successful.''
Jorgensen also has found what every baseball player is seeking. Not homers and headlines. Whether he's left the park or not, he's located consistency.
Keywords:
BASEBALL
by CNB