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At the plate, Bartels feels right at home The ex-Phoenix player leads Willamette's hitters but is a gypsy in the field By TIM PYLE Mail Tribune Have bat, will hit. Andrew Bartels may not have a firm field position with the Willamette University baseball team, but the sophomore from Medford has a concrete spot in the thick of the Bearcat batting order. As the clean-up hitter, Bartels is leading the team in hitting at .392 (29-for-74) following a 6-for-12 weekend. The 2000 graduate of Phoenix High also has three home runs and 16 RBIs for Willamette (7-15 overall, 7-10 Northwest Conference), an NCAA Division III school in Salem. Bartels' batting average is the fourth best in the conference. "I'm feeling really good right now," says the 6-foot-2, 190-pounder who alternates between first base, third base and designated hitter for the Bearcats. "My swing is feeling great." A two-time all-Skyline Conference performer and a third-team all-state selection with the Pirates, Bartels has taken his game up another level thanks to a rigorous weight-lifting program and an insatiable work ethic in the batting cage. Bartels estimates he has added 30 pounds to his frame since high school, lifting weights year-round at least five times a week. He couples his enhanced strength with a redefined approach at the plate. "My hitting mechanics have improved a lot," says Bartels, who played little as a freshman at Willamette before starring for the amateur Southern Oregon RiverDogs last summer. "John White, the coach for the Riverdogs, has helped me a lot with my mechanics the last few years." White, also head coach at Rogue River High, has helped Bartels, a right-handed batter, become a more complete hitter. "I've been thinking more about hitting the ball the other way instead of trying pull everything like I used to," says Bartels. "I try to hit the ball where it's pitched. "And I've done a lot better job recognizing the breaking ball. I used to have a hard time with the curve. ... Basically, I'm just being more patient at the plate." David Wong, the Bearcats' 12th-year head coach, has seen Bartels make significant strides from a season ago. "He's having a great year," says Wong, whose roster also includes North Medford product Ken Halpin, a freshman catcher, and Ashland alumnus Zach Allen, a senior left-handed pitcher. "He's much-improved. Strengthwise and confidencewise, he's really gotten better. "He's the guy who can hit for average and power. He's got some speed and has the leverage and strength to do both." Bartels, an economics major who says he "love(s)" Willamette, believes he has the ability to eventually make a living in professional baseball. Wong concurs. "I definitely think he's got the talent to do that," Wong says. "He's got the body type and the work ethic to move on." Bartels, who went 1-for-4 with an RBI and run scored in front of a scout on Sunday, aims to continue making a positive impression. "I hope to get drafted in the next few years here," he says. "I think I can (make it to the professional level). I continue to improve every year." Have bat, will travel. Reach reporter Tim Pyle at 776-4483 or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.