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Ex-Land O'Lakes catcher to continue pro career
By STEVE LEE, Times Staff Writer
LAND O'LAKES -- Just when catcher Erik Shafer believed he had exhausted all possibilities of playing professional baseball, he landed a spot with an independent team. The former Land O'Lakes and Saint Leo standout reports to the Joliet (Ill.) Jackhammers, a Northern League ballclub, on May 1. "I was talking to my dad, and I said, 'I'm tired of putting forth the effort and getting rejected,"' Shafer said after failed tryouts in March with the Tigers, Marlins and Red Sox. The trips to Lakeland, Jupiter and Fort Myers, respectively, left Shafer doubtful of pursuing his lifelong dream of a big-league career. "It was the same thing everywhere. 'We like you, but we don't have any open spaces right now,"' Shafer said. "You spend the money and travel. It's just day after day trying to get picked up. You're out there with 300 people, and it's so hard to get one look." Joliet manager Matt Nokes, a 10-year major-league veteran, liked what he saw in a Northern League tryout at South Florida on March 10. He invited Shafer back for another look the next day. "They kept 12 catchers, and I wasn't one of them. But (former Land O'Lakes teammate Adam Shorts, who remains unsigned) called on my cell phone and said I was one of the catchers added to the list." Several solid swings and good throws from behind the plate later, and Shafer was told the paperwork would be mailed to his Land O'Lakes home. "Hey, I get to play ball," he said. "It's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity." Shafer signed a $750 per month contract March 19. But at this point, money is not an issue for the 23-year-old. "Like I always said, all I need is a plane ticket and a bag of peanuts, and that's about what they gave me," he said. Shafer, 6 feet 3, 220 pounds, is the second minor-league ballplayer in the family. His 21-year-old brother, Kurt, is a left-handed pitcher in the Pirates organization at Class A Hickory (N.C.) After a senior season at Saint Leo in which he hit .387 with 11 home runs and 74 RBIs, Shafer was bypassed in the 2001 draft. He had right shoulder surgery last spring but has fully recovered. Since his final year of eligibility in 2001, Shafer has been the Lions' strength and conditioning coach while working toward a degree in physical education and interning at Pine View Middle School in Land O'Lakes. He will not attend his May 10 graduation. A 1997 Land O'Lakes graduate, Shafer signed a scholarship with Central Florida, where he played baseball for two seasons and football for one before transferring to Saint Leo. For now, Shafer practices with the Lions when he can, taking batting practice and catching in the bullpen. "I feel very fortunate that I've taken the time to keep myself in shape," he said.
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