Former pitcher finds success for Oakland
By Adam Colmone
IV Leader Sports Writer
Most kids growing up playing baseball always had the dream of
playing professionally in the major leagues and Jimmy Heuser was no different.
Heuser, a pitcher for the 2003 IVCC baseball team, had it all
— a 6’5” frame, left handed, and a fastball that was clocked in the low 90’s
(mph). Pro scouts attended most of Heuser’s games his freshman year in college
with hopes of drafting him.
However, Heuser almost never even made it to the college
level. Off the field problems in high school for disobeying the school athletic
code left the promising pitcher with only one game of action in two years.
Heuser regrets the mistakes that he made in high school, but
he is aware good things can come from bad situations.
“I saved my arm a lot by not pitching in high school,” Heuser
recalls.
High school teammate Nick Balestri would have loved playing
along side Heuser.
Balestri said, “Jimmy had a lot of talent. He would have
helped our team a lot; he was left handed and threw hard. Opposing teams would
have feared him.”
It was not until Heuser’s second semester of his senior year
in high school when he got a second chance to play.
Heuser signed up for a night class at IVCC so that he could
be able to practice with the baseball team. Former IVCC head baseball coach Bob
Koopmann gave Heuser just the opportunity he needed.
Heuser got his feet wet at the collegiate level. “Practicing
with the team helped me set the groundwork for the college atmosphere,” Heuser
says.
Entering IVCC as a freshman, Heuser had doubters from his high school days and
was out to prove a point.
“Many people were looking for me to fold under the pressure,”
he said. “I just wanted to go out and prove them wrong.”
Heuser did not disappoint as he set two records in leading
the Eagles to an impressive season. He posted a record of 4-2, a single season
ERA record of 1.27, and a career record of 14 pickoffs.
Even though the team fell short of its goal to reach the
Junior College World Series, Heuser claims his freshman year of baseball as his
most memorable.
“We played so well together and that’s why we were
successful,” he said. “We were like a family on and off the field.”
The scouts saw what Heuser could offer, and in the 27th round
of the Baseball Amateur Draft the Oakland Athletics selected Heuser.
“At first I was shocked. My scout called me and told me they
might draft me. Then a little while later he called and told me I was an Oakland
A,” Heuser recalls.
Heuser praises Koopmann for his success: “He was the first
coach to teach me about the mental and physical aspects on the game.”
In Heuser’s first full season of professional baseball for
the Oakland Athletics rookie team he posted a 3-2 record with a 3.11 ERA. In the
second half alone Heuser went 3-0 and only allowed one earned run.
Heuser’s team plays its games in Arizona.
It’s a long road to pitching in the major leagues and Heuser
knows that. “It’s going to take a lot of work, and I just want to make the best
out of the opportunity I was given,” he said.
Former IVCC teammate Luke Carls knows Heuser has a chance to
be pitching in front of millions of fans. He said, “He has the best work ethic
out of anyone I’ve ever met, and he deserves everything he has achieved and much
more.”
Heuser reports to spring training in Arizona on March 10 with
goals of pitching at the next level for the organization.