Hall of Fame
Steve Jeffers, 2005 - The Leathernecks all-time hits leader for 10 seasons, Steve Jeffers compiled one of the most successful all-around baseball career in school history before being drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in 1986.Â
From 1983 to 1986, Jeffers collected 181 base hits - a school record that stood for 10 years and still ranks among the top marks in Western’s record book. He also ended his all-conference career with school records of 152 runs and 14 triples, setting single-season records along the way of six triples in both 1984 and 1985 and 46 runs in 1985. Each of those marks, along with his 95 career runs batted in, 67 career stolen bases and 85 career bases on balls appear in Leatherneck 'Top 10' lists.Â
Jeffers was an all-around player, seeing time at left field, second base and shortstop, and appearing in all 150 of the team’s games during his career. He helped the Leathernecks to an 88-58-4 record under head coach Dick Pawlow, including a 28-8 record in 1984, which still ranks as the highest winning percentage (.778) in school history. As a junior, Jeffers batted a career-best .412 and recorded a fielding percentage of .992. As a senior, he was named the Mid-Continent Conference Tournament MVP.Â
Jeffers spent two years as an infielder in the Cardinals’ organization, then, as a second baseman, led the 1987 New York-Penn League with 217 assists and a fielding percentage of .985.
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