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COLLEGE BASEBALL Patience pays off for Ducks' Heineman Comment By Steve Mims The Register-Guard MailTribune.com By Steve Mims The Register-Guard Posted May. 28, 2015 at 8:13 PM By Steve Mims The Register-Guard Posted May. 28, 2015 at 8:13 PM » Social News After debating the most important decision of his baseball career, Scott Heineman went against his usual thought process. Heineman was drafted in the 19th round of the major league baseball draft last June by Kansas City after his redshirt sophomore season at Oregon, giving him a chance to join his brother in pro baseball. Being drafted with the 573rd overall pick was earlier than many projected after Heineman missed all but eight games last season with a shoulder injury, but he turned down the Royals to return to the Ducks for his junior year. “You’ve got to be patient,” Heineman said. “Any time you get an opportunity to live out your dream and put that on hold, it’s because this is my dream, to win a national championship.” Heineman, a medical redshirt last season, was still on the sideline at the start of this year because of a concussion that forced him to miss the first 12 games. He finally took the field on March 6 against St. John’s, but he had three hits in his first 21 at-bats as coach George Horton batted him sixth, eighth, second and seventh in the order to try and find a good fit. “The shoulder injury was tough,” Heineman said. “The doctor said you’re cleared to play, but when you come back, it doesn’t all come back at one time. I’m an impatient person, so I want it all back at once. That was a tough obstacle to face.” Heineman eventually became comfortable at the plate and has settled into the fifth spot in the lineup over the past two months. He ranks third on the team with a .289 batting average to go with four home runs, 20 RBIs and a team-best 13 stolen bases. Heineman was named Pac-12 player of the week on Monday after going 9-for-16 with two home runs last week as the Ducks (37-23) defeated No. 23 Oregon State and took two of three games from No. 2 UCLA to sneak into an NCAA Regional. Third-seeded Oregon will play second-seeded Iowa (39-16) in the opening game of the Springfield (Mo.) Regional at 11 a.m. today. “I’m thankful to the Pac-12 for honoring me, but at this time of year it is really about grinding out wins,” Heineman said. “It doesn’t matter who the hero is as long as it gets done.” That’s always been the motto at Oregon for Heineman, who has battled injuries and switched positions regularly. He was Oregon’s starting third baseman as a freshman, but a foot injury cost him the final 34 games. He batted .278 with four homers and 38 RBIs as a sophomore playing mainly in right field. He played catcher and in center field last season, but he was back at third base before his shoulder injury. Heineman played right field and center field this season before moving mostly to first base, and the Ducks are 14-4 with him at that position. “I’ll play wherever the team needs me the most,” said Heineman, who is tied for third in school history with 35 stolen bases and sixth with 29 doubles. After his performance against UCLA, Horton said “Heineman looked like a big leaguer last weekend in the batter’s box.” That remains the ultimate goal, although Heineman has no regrets about delaying the start of his pro career. “It was a very tough decision,” Heineman said. “Obviously, going down last year after eight games was not the way I envisioned my season going, so that made the decision lean toward coming back to college. It’s always tough because my dream is to play pro ball, but to come back here and get another opportunity to play college baseball and see how far we can take this thing is awesome.” Heineman’s brother, Tyler, drafted in the eighth round by Houston in 2012, is on the brink of the majors in just his fourth season as a catcher in the minor leagues after being promoted to Triple A Fresno last week. Scott Heineman’s next step could come next month when he probably will be drafted again and have to choose between signing a pro contract or returning for his senior season. “I’ll think about that when the time comes,” said Heineman, who projects as a middle infielder or outfielder in the pros. “Right now my sole focus is to get a national championship.” By Steve Mims The Register-Guard MailTribune.com By Steve Mims The Register-Guard Posted May. 28, 2015 at 8:13 PM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. fantasy football Fantasy Football Outlook for Cowboys Stars May. 29, 2015 at 2:26 am Fantasy Breakdown of Top Quarterbacks May. 24, 2015 at 2:51 am Fantasy Football Outlook for Patriots' Stars May. 22, 2015 at 6:05 am Fantasy Football Outlook for Eagles Stars May. 18, 2015 at 12:35 am Early Fantasy Football Rankings May. 17, 2015 at 4:22 am Fantasy Football Stars Likely to Disappoint May. 15, 2015 at 2:02 am Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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