Daniel Aldrich loves to hit the long ball. And he should, he’s pretty good at it. “It’s the ultimate game changer,” the outfielder says. “It’s like the touchdown of baseball.”
Then, by using Aldrich’s own sports-mixing metaphor, we can count him as one of the nation’s ultimate collegiate touchdown makers. Not bad for a school without football.
Last season, the country’s Freshman Player of the Year and All-American blasted 22 home runs, which led all Division I freshmen. He then followed that up by winning last summer’s 2011 TD Ameritrade Home Run Derby in Omaha, Neb.
His secret as a premier hitter?
“Learning to have a short memory,” he confides. “Baseball is a tough game, and it can be very humbling. So, for me, keeping a good, even-keel mentality is very important.”
Although Aldrich may cultivate a short-term memory, his explosive performances will stay in the minds of Cougar fans for a long time to come.
Photos by Mike Ledford
