Tinley Park's Zimmerman: One Huskie Slugger

It didn’t take Jeff Zimmerman very long to recognize he had some special athletic gifts. The Tinley Park native--who now calls DeKalb home as he stars for the Northern Illinois University baseball team--can pinpoint the exact game when he thought he might have something going for him.

“I remember it vividly," Zimmerman said. "I was 13 and playing with the Tinley Park Bobcats. Someone threw me a fastball down the middle. As soon as it hit my bat, I knew it was gone. It went over the 300-foot fence and past the parking lot. It ended up landing in a playground park. That's when I realized I might have some special talents.”

It’s not surprising, really. While most 3-year-olds watch Sesame Street and practice riding their tricycle, Zimmerman was in his backyard playing baseball with his dad. Now 16 years later, he has become one of the top collegiate freshman in the nation. He was named to the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Freshman All-American Team and recently selected to the Rawlings All-Mideast Region Team, which is voted on by the coaches in each region.

“Baseball always has been fun," Zimmerman said. "My dad never pushed me to play. It was always my choice to keep playing and try to get better."

Zimmerman was a two-time all-conference selection for Andrew High School and earned all-state honors during his senior year as captain of the team. It was during the summer after his junior year that his college recruitment started heating up.

“A lot of state schools started showing interest in me that summer, asking me to visit their campus and check out their programs," Zimmerman said. "It was a little nerve-racking at first, not knowing what I was getting into or what to expect, but after I while I got used to it. I tried to pick out what was best for me."

He chose wisely. In his first year at Northern, Zimmerman kept up the hefty offensive production he displayed on the field at Andrew. He batted .326, with 11 home runs and 47 RBIs. His home run and RBI totals were both NIU records for a freshman.

Zimmerman is currently playing in a summer wooden bat league in Mark Twain Country--Hannibal, Missouri. With two other Huskies on the team, Zimmerman has enjoyed working on his golf swing in his time away from the field.

“There really isn’t much of a break away from baseball," he said. "When there is, I’m trying to relax and not do too much. I’m trying to get my golf score down, but I always seem to lose some balls.”

For a power hitter such as Zimmerman, it’s not surprising he has enjoyed the the faster pace of collegiate baseball compared to high school ball. But astonishingly, Zimmerman appreciates the rowdy opposing fans the collegiate ball brings to the table.

“Playing at Texas Tech was my favorite place I’ve visited so far," he said. "There were 4,000 people in the stands, and it was the biggest crowd I’ve ever played in front of. It also was the first time I’ve ever seen real hecklers at one of my games. I think the hecklers are really funny. It doesn’t bother me (hearing them) and it makes the whole game more fun.”

Next year, Zimmerman hopes his Huskies can compete for the Mid-American Conference title. The Huskies won 30 games last year, and, with most of the team returning, Zimmerman seems confident Northern can be in contention. Thus far into his career, Zimmerman’s baseball intuition seems right.