SportsMay 3, 2015
Southeast Missouri State second baseman Jason Blum sets standard of excellence
Southeast Missouri State senior second baseman Jason Blum and teammate Dalton Hewitt were taking at-bats up until 5:17 p.m. on Monday, April 20, despite the fact that they were scheduled to attend a dinner with St. Louis Cardinals legend and Hall of Fame shortstop Ozzie Smith prior to his speech at the university just 13 short minutes later...
Southeast Missouri State senior second baseman Jason Blum and teammate Dalton Hewitt were taking at-bats up until 5:17 p.m. on Monday, April 20, despite the fact that they were scheduled to attend a dinner with St. Louis Cardinals legend and Hall of Fame shortstop Ozzie Smith prior to his speech at the university just 13 short minutes later.
Cutting a workout or hitting session short, or even ending it at its scheduled time, is not something that Blum ever does.
"Just trying to get that last extra in before we had to go," Hewitt said with a smile, noting that they made it right on time. "That's something he does all the time. Whether it's class or anything -- he's always pushing it to the limit and trying to get better every day on the field and in the classroom."
Ask any of Blum's teammates or coaches and they'll tell you something similar about how much time and effort the 6-foot, 180-pound, Ste. Genevieve, Missouri, native puts into improving himself.
The Redhawks starting second-baseman and a top-of-the-lineup hitter doesn't just improve himself, though. Each of those teammates are watching him and listening to him. Many even emulate him.
Southeast coach Steve Bieser said before his club played its first game this year that "when Jason goes, the team goes extremely well," and he had no qualms about that statement last week.
The defending Ohio Valley Conference champion Redhawks, who are perched atop the standings this season with a record of 39-16 overall and 20-6 in the conference, have relied on Blum as a staple on the base paths, a dynamic defender and perhaps most importantly a guide in their journey to back-to-back titles and potentially more.
"He ignites the club by the way that he plays," Bieser said. "There's not a person on this team that would say that he ever gives less than a hundred percent and that he's always prepared for everything that happens and that's just the preparation that he puts in it from day to day."
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Blum, one of 13 seniors that will be honored 30 minutes prior to today's series finale against Tennessee Tech that starts at 1 p.m. at Capaha Field, is driven by a desire to make the people he's closest to proud.
Bieser, his first cousin and coach nearly every step of the way since he started a traveling team that Blum and his son and former Southeast outfielder Cole Bieser played on from around the time they were 8 years old, is one of those people, along with his parents, Dave and Joann Blum, who always made sure at least one of them was available to take him to practices and games.
"I came from a small town, so I guess I've always kind of had that chip on my shoulder to prove something because there's been a lot of people in my life that have backed me and I kind of want to make them proud and make them happy," Blum said. "That's kind of what motivates me in life. My parents, my family, my friends -- they've all made the sacrifices necessary for me to be where I am today. That's kind of what has propelled me to where I am."
It's evident that Blum's work ethic has also helped him become a key to the Redhawks sustaining success.
"If anything's worth doing you might as well do it your best, and I think that's the greatest point my parents taught me," Blum said. "Just working hard in every aspect of your life and you can't let up and coach preaches this as well."
He was a three-year starter and four-year varsity baseball player for Valle Catholic High School in Ste. Genevieve, where he was part of a state championship team his junior season.
He came to Southeast and redshirted during the 2011 season.
"I think baseball in itself has done more than anything anyone could ever imagine for me as an individual just because of the life lessons you learn from it," Blum said. "But more importantly coming into a program where you're not the best player is probably the best thing because it forces you to bear down and work a little harder. Baseball has given me that opportunity to realize that nothing comes easy in life if you truly want it. I believe that's the greatest point I've got from it."
Blum was named to the conference's all-freshman team after his first season in which he batted .248 and started 40 games in the outfield.
He became the Redhawks' primary second baseman as a sophomore, starting 46 of the 59 games in 2013 at second and all 57 games during his junior campaign last season.
The transition back to the middle infield, where he'd played in high school, was a smooth one, according to Southeast assistant Dillon Lawson, who has served as the Redhawks hitting coach and defensive instructor since 2013.
Blum spent time adapting to the different angles of throws and timing of turning double plays, which has become second nature.
"He's a self-made player," Lawson said. "He is who he is today because of the work that he's put in."
Blum moved to third base for a handful of games this season while Andy Lennington was out with a hamstring injury, but the adjustment didn't last after he committed a couple of errors.
He has six on the season and a .966 fielding percentage. Bieser believes that the majority of his errors at second have come when he's tried to make a spectacular play in a moment when he shouldn't. He's also routinely come up with diving catches on line drives and turned double plays with shortstop Branden Boggetto and first baseman Ryan Rippee at the drop of a hat.
"I think from a defensive standpoint there's not a better second baseman in the league," Bieser said. "I wouldn't trade his defense for anybody in the league and he's saved us a lot of runs this year and probably gave us some wins this year because of his defense at second base."
Blum batted .323 as a sophomore and led Southeast with a .496 slugging percentage, .452 on base percentage as well as with 53 runs, 73 hits, 21 doubles, 30 walks and 23 hit-by-pitch.
Last year he hit .272 but drew a team-high 38 walks, which cracked Southeast's record books as tied for ninth in a season. He also broke the school record for being hit by a pitch with 50 in his career -- he's currently up to 63. His 60 runs scored ranked 14th in the nation and he had a team-high 23 stolen bases.
He's still constantly on the base paths this season and has the eighth best on-base percentage in the conference at .462.
He's scored 44 runs, drawn 31 walks and has been hit by a pitch 13 times. He's hitting .309 and has 21 RBIs.
Lawson said that the reason opponents have a difficult time recording outs against Blum is because rather than just focusing on what his strengths are at the plate he knows what weaknesses that the pitcher will try to exploit.
"He understands what the opponents are trying to do to him and he can adjust pitch to pitch probably better than anybody we have on the team, anybody that we've had in this program in the three years that I've been here," Lawson said.
That's not something that comes naturally. It's Blum's ability to power through several repetitions of drills where his flaws are highlighted that has led to him reaching base consistently.
He'll also have his eye on the opposing pitcher from the dugout during his teammates' at-bats to figure out any wrinkles in their game.
"If you look at the way he works, he'll sit there and takes 10 reps," Lawson said. "Six of those reps are to close up the holes that he has within his swing and four reps are to keep his strengths his strengths. That's a very mature way to go about it because doing what you're not good at is not fun. Everyone wants to do what they're good at. Guys that are good defensively and maybe not so good offensively, they always want to play defense, they're always getting extra ground balls. Rarely do you see those guys in the cage. He has no problem doing the things that aren't fun but are necessary to being an elite performer at this level."
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Bieser said Blum's willingness to trust himself, his coaches and the approach they've taught him, and to not vary from it, is what has shaped him into the person Bieser wants next in the lineup in a critical situation.
"He wasn't the best player on his high school team, he would probably still say he's not the best player on his college team, and those are things that I agree [with] but he's one of the most important players on the team," Bieser said. "When there's a big at-bat to be taken there's nobody that I'd rather have at the plate. I think we've got a lot of guys that can handle that, but I know what we're going to get from Jason is that he's prepared and he's going to give his best effort. And I can live with that. If it's success, great; if it's a failure, I can live with that because I know he's prepared and I know he's accomplished. He's just a good hitter."
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He was moved out of the confines of his No. 2 spot in the lineup to the eight hole for four games, starting with the second game of the Redhawks' series against Jacksonville State on April 18, after he went 3 for 20 during a five-game stretch.
Bieser knew the slump wouldn't last long and didn't say a word about it to Blum, who likewise didn't bring it up to his coach.
"It's just sometimes when you see that senior that's trying to do so much it affects their game and that really was the only point, just 'Hey, there's other guys on the team. You don't have to do it all,'" Bieser said, "and that's just a little message of go down there and compete in that part of the lineup and everything's going to be fine and get in a rhythm right back up where he belongs."
He's gone 10 for 18 with eight runs and four RBIs since moving back to his usual home behind leadoff batter and OVC freshman of the year candidate Trevor Ezell. Blum batted leadoff every game as a junior and several games at the beginning of this year.
"I've hit around him in the lineup all year and whether I've been in front of him or he's been in front of me he's always done something to help me out and put me in a good situation," Ezell said.
Ezell has benefited from having a veteran player like Blum to learn from in his first season with the Redhawks and has thrived off Blum's positive attitude and ability to move on after mistakes.
"He points things out to me, but the thing that helps me the most is just pushing to work harder than him," Ezell said.
The feeling is mutual for Blum, who was sincerely appreciative when told that his coach said he was an excellent leader that was looked up to by most of his teammates.
"That's a great compliment from him [Bieser] and the guys, but I just use that as a way to keep on track," Blum said, "because someone's looking at me so I'm never letting any time off. It keeps me on the straight and narrow."
Blum broke his pinky during a game against Illinois State on Feb. 21.
He missed the next six games -- the first time he sat out since his freshman season -- including a doubleheader against Eastern Kentucky to start the conference season.
His return came much sooner than Bieser believed it probably would've in many situations, but Blum insisted on getting back to his team as soon as possible and has not missed a game since.
"Watching him swing I know it affected his swing, I know that it wasn't easy for him," Bieser said. "Then within that he pulls a muscle high in his leg towards his glutes and that was hampering him and bothering him. He would not come out of the lineup. He wanted to play through that and honestly we needed him to play through that. There's a lot of guys that I think if they would've gone through the things Jason's gone through this year they would've sat out at least an entire month with what he had. *... If you look at it, an 80 percent Jason Blum on the field to us is important."
Bieser noted that even when Blum only has 80 percent to give, he's going to give 100 percent of whatever he has.
Lawson described him as generous and selfless, but said that he's no pushover.
Blum's been the player that is willing to address his teammates this season, whether it be because they're slacking off in the weight room or at practice or following a game where the Redhawks didn't play up to their standards.
"I think the biggest is just, and it happens with every club, I think a lot of times if things start going well for you on the field then you just expect those things to happen without putting in the work," Bieser said. "And whether it's in the morning weight workouts or if it's out in practice when he sees guys going through the motions he's going to call them out. He's not going to do it in a bad way, either. He's going to try to explain why we have to do it this way and that way, why I'm always on them about doing it the right way and doing it this way, because that basically spills over to the game and that's why you're successful in the game."
Blum, one of four players on what Bieser calls the captain's council, meets with Bieser each week to discuss leadership. Senior pitcher Travis Hayes, senior outfielder Brendon Neel and junior pitcher Alex Winkelman are also on the player-selected council.
"It's not a comfortable thing to call out one of your friends. That's a tough thing to do," Bieser said. "And it's really tough for Jason because he never wants anybody to think that he's saying that he's better than somebody else."
He wasn't always as vocal as he's been this year, but Bieser thinks it's because he never had to because Cole Bieser, who completed his eligibility last year, always took on that role.
Blum has found the balance between using his actions and words to help guide Southeast to another championship-caliber season.
"It's especially important for a guy that does the things the right way all the time," Bieser said. "It doesn't mean much when you've got somebody that will say it, but won't do it, and they know that if he's saying it then he's willing to do it and I think that's something that's made him really special as a leader this year. It's been more evident over the last month than it has over his entire career here. You can kind of see the team transforming a little bit because of his strong leadership in the locker room."
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Blum hasn't just set an example for his teammates as it relates to baseball.
He was one of six recipients of the OVC Scholar Athlete award in November, which is the highest individual honor for OVC athletes based on academics, athletics and leadership.
As a finance major Blum posted a 4.0 GPA as an undergraduate and is working toward his master's in business administration. He was a third-team CoSIDA Academic All-American after his junior year.
Blum is unsure of what will be next for him in his future and isn't looking past each of his final practices and games at Southeast.
"I'm one of those people that lives in the now," Blum said. "My mom and dad and girlfriend are all asking me, 'What's next?' and I just always tell them I'll cross that bridge when it comes. I think that's just my mentality. You never know if you're going to get tomorrow so you might as well just live for today. I honestly don't know what's in store so just going with the flow for right now."
As for the Redhawks, they'll miss the player that set a standard of excellence on the field and off when their spectacular season comes to a close.
"He's a great kid," Bieser said. "I hope that we can continue finding 34 other Jason Blums on our team every single year."
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