By Chris Jackson Arizona Daily Wildcat April 29, 1998 The Last Hurrah Matt Heistand Arizona Daily Wildcat Designated hitter Rob Shabansky (19) steals home plate after a Grand Canyon University pitcher threw a wild pitch last night at Frank Sancet Field. The Wildcats pummeled the Antelopes by a final score of 20-6. Teammates can often do the best job when asked to sum up each other's season. For UA senior left fielder Jason Hendricks, his season was best described by senior first baseman Kenny Corley. "I think it inspires a little surprise," he said. "Not that he's not a great player, but because he's never had such a great year compared to anything he's done in the past." Hendricks has certainly left his mark on the 1998 edition of the UA baseball team, breaking out early and then staying consistent all year. He is the team leader in batting (.367) and co-leader in home runs (14) with right fielder Colin Porter. "Coming into the season I wasn't thinking about personal goals," Hendricks said. "I just wanted to go to regionals." Hendricks' other numbers include 61 RBI (third on the team), 68 hits (fourth), 58 runs scored (fourth) and 134 total bases (second). "It's awesome," Porter said. "He's making a lot better contact with the ball, waiting better on the off-speed stuff." For a guy who entered the season with a career average of .252 and only four home runs and 46 RBI over three years, this campaign has been a surprising one, even to him. Hendricks said his surge in offensive numbers can be credited to an offseason spent in the weight room and UA head coach Jerry Stitt. Stitt said one thing they worked at was "getting off (swinging at) the breaking ball in the dirt. "That's one of the things we talked about," Stitt said. "If he wanted to do something good, he had to be more patient." Hendricks has been more patient, as he's drawn 25 walks this year after only having seven last season. Hendricks said working with Stitt and "hitting the weight room hard" helped him gain more confidence in his swing. "Every year I've gained more and more experience and confidence in myself," he said. "And that's been the key this year." Stitt said "the potential for it has always been there. "He's had streaks where he's had good numbers before. This season he's just stayed consistent," Stitt said. Hendricks said his most memorable moment as an individual came earlier this year when he hit six home runs in six straight games. The final home run in the streak was a grand slam in his last at-bat. "It was something that I didn't think about," Hendricks said. "I was going to get up and try to put the ball in play and score us some runs. But then the pitcher left the pitch up in the zone, and at that time anything I saw I hit. It was exciting, that was for sure." The streak was the second longest in UA history behind George Arias' seven in a row in 1993. Hendricks also worked on his defense over the offseason. A third baseman at Tempe's Corona Del Sol High School, he made the switch upon coming to UA. "I enjoy it out there," he said. "I worked really hard in the fall. That and the overall experience that I gained last year has helped me in learning to play the position a lot better. I've been more focused this year." Hendricks has only made two errors this season, compared to four last year, while also increasing his assist total from four to six. And, the numbers Hendricks have put up have not gone unnoticed outside of Tucson. He was twice named Collegiate Baseball's co-national player of the week (Feb. 9 and March 16) and was the Pacific 10 Conference Southern Division player of the week twice as well (Feb. 3 and 10). All of this has culminated in Hendricks being named a semifinalist for the Rotary Smith National Player of the Year Award. Mark Sanderson, a committee member for the award, said Hendricks "had a real good start, and though he's slowed of late, he's stayed pretty consistent all year." Hendricks is one of 12 players to make the semifinal list. Arizona has never had a finalist since the award's inception in 1988. "I'm honored to be mentioned with the other 12 semifinalists," Hendricks said. The group includes Southern Cal pitcher Seth Etherton, Stanford pitcher Jeff Austin, Miami third baseman Pat Burrell and Louisiana State first baseman Eddy Furniss, all of whom are projected to be first round draft picks this summer. "Anytime you're in a finalist position for any national award it's a great accomplishment," Stitt said. Hendricks said he plans to return to UA in the fall to finish his two degrees in finance and economics, even if he gets drafted by a Major League team in this summer's amateur draft. "I'd like to get the chance to play at another level," he said. "But whether I go any further or not isn't really up to me. I've done all I can." One big season Jason Hendricks' 1998 numbers compared to his first three seasons at UA: Year Avg. AB H R HR RBI 1995 .000 2 0 2 0 0 1996 .250 52 13 6 0 9 1997 .257 152 39 21 4 37 Totals: .252 206 52 29 4 46 1998 .374 182 68 58 15 61