Bronco Talk | One-on-one with Scott Dierks
By Josh Griffin
After starting the season as a bench player, senior left fielder Scott Dierks exploded onto the national baseball scene as an explosive bat in the leadoff spot for the Santa Clara baseball team. After Tuesday's 6-0 win over Sacramento State, Dierks leads the team in nearly every statistical category. He is batting .411 with 18 homeruns and 37 RBIs. He has amassed an astounding 122 total bases in just 141 at bats. Dierks took a few minutes out of his time to discuss his offensive explosion, the team's chances at the postseason and his post-graduate expectations with Josh Griffin.
What did you do differently this off-season to prepare for the regular season?
I just got back to the basics. The reason why I've gotten this far has been because of my work ethic, not my talent, and this past summer I was really disciplined and dedicated to what I needed to do for the upcoming season.
Did you ever think that you would be an All-America candidate after playing so little in the first ten games?
Not really. Everyday I try to play as hard as I can for as long as I can and pretty much roll the dice. After not playing much the first few games of course I was angry, mainly with myself, because if I wasn't in the order there was a reason why I wasn't there. And when you have but one shot at an opportunity you have to make it count and honestly I've just been glad to help the team get to where we are now.
Do you enjoy leading off in the order?
Yeah, when you lead off a game you have a chance to be the offensive spark plug and get the momentum on your team's side right off the bat.
What do you do to prepare yourself mentally for games and at-bats?
Mentally I try to just relax and see myself succeeding in all kinds of situations, visualizing just getting the pitch that I want and hitting hard.
What approach do you take to leadership on the team?
I just try to lead by example. If I do things right on a daily basis with excitement and intensity then I believe that that kind of attitude is contagious. I think that to be a leader you have to have confidence and not let ups and downs of the game overwhelm you because they're going to happen no matter what do.
How much has Mark O'Brien and staff helped in the turn around of the program?
That goes right along with leadership and our staff consists of leaders. There is nothing better than a staff that works together and I believe that they work harder than any other staff in the country. Recruiting the kind of talent that you see in our freshmen this season and their dedication to winning provides a great framework.
What are your plans for after graduation?
Well, I'd love to play professional ball but that's out of my control, if it happens it happens though it has always been a dream of mine. However if that doesn't work out I'll probably pursue something in law enforcement.
Have you talked with interested professional teams and scouts?
Yeah, I've talked to a few teams and scouts, but realistically I just have to concentrate on the rest of the season and try to help our team get to a regional. I believe that the rest will fall into place after the season.
What do you think are the team's chances to make a run at the division title?
I think that we are in a good spot. We are two games back with six games to go. We have six at home and Pepperdine has six on the road, but we control our own destiny.
We have to concentrate on what we have to do for the rest of the season to give ourselves a chance to be successful.