Fresno State Athletics
Enjoying the Moment
4/30/2008 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
April 30, 2008
FRESNO, Calif, - After helping lead the Fresno State baseball team to back-to-back WAC championships Steve Susdorf was faced with a decision of coming back for his senior season or turning pro and beginning his professional baseball career after being drafted by the Detroit Tigers in the 27th round last June.
For some athletes the decision to stay in school would be difficult but for the Bulldog senior, coming back to school was a no-brainer.
"The fact that we had such a good team coming back really made it easy for me to come back," Susdorf said. "A lot of guys won't come back because they don't think there team is going to be that great. And I am an academic guy so getting another year of education done was a good idea. It wasn't too hard."
Susdorf currently boasts a 3.7 GPA and he is set to graduate with a degree in Civil Engineering. Susdorf hopes to get licensed as a professional engineer and get his Masters Degree in Structural Engineering.
"I came in really academically based," Susdorf said. "I wasn't just here to play baseball. I came here to get a degree too."
For now the Fresno State left fielder is enjoying the ride he has been on since his freshman year where he has helped transform the Bulldogs into a perennial WAC power. The Dogs have won the WAC championship the last two years and are in the middle of making a push for their third straight conference title
"Winning conference the last two years has been amazing," Susdorf said. "It was a really big deal when we won the conference my sophomore year and being able to repeat it last year was a lot of fun, too. Hopefully we can make the next step and go a little farther than a regional this year. That would be great to keep this program moving in the right direction. To be a part of the class that turned this program around would be really memorable."
As a freshman, Susdorf played in 37 games and hit .283 in 113 at bats. Then in between his freshman and sophomore season Susdorf put on some weight and spent time hitting with Bulldog baseball coach Mike Batesole.
The results were noticeable on the field as Susdorf hit .329 with 14 homeruns and 49 RBIs as a sophomore and .340 with 12 homeruns and 68 RBI last season.
"When I came here my freshman year I was about 170 pounds, smaller guy and didn't hit for to much power," Susdorf said. "Coach Batesole recruited me and saw something in my swing and that it would have some potential. I came in and put on a little bit of weight over the summer time and started hitting for a little more power."
That power has continued to his senior year as he is hitting .319 with four homeruns and 31 RBIs through 30 games. As of April 8, he was tied for sixth on the schools All-Time list with 30.
Susdorf can't believe that he is nearing the end of his Fresno State career. The Bulldog leftfielder as enjoyed every minute of his four years in Fresno.
"It's just a great program here," Susdorf said. "It's really cool how you get so much support from the fans. My brother played for UCLA and they don't get too many out at their games. It's a lot different here. It's just a great college baseball atmosphere to play in here."
The chance of Susdorf being drafted again in the upcoming Major League Baseball draft is likely to happen. But for right now that is the last thing on his mind.
"Right now I am just focused on how we do this season and I will let all the other stuff after college work itself out," Susdorf said.
Susdorf said he learned to focus on the present because before his junior year he had thoughts of performing well for the draft and it didn't help his team get off to a good start.
"All that is important is playing college baseball and enjoying it while you still have it," he said.
