Joe Mauer Photo: Tony Farlow

By John Royster

June 22, 2001

Joe Mauer was heroic right to the end of his high school career. When his team needed him most--when it was down by three runs in the Minnesota semifinals, down to the same confounded team that eliminated it in last year's playoffs--Mauer came through with a game-tying three run homer.

His fifth-inning blast over the fence in right-center at Midway Stadium in St. Paul created a 4-4 tie between his Cretin-Derham Hall team and Brainerd High. Cretin-Derham won 5-4 in nine innings, thanks in no small part to the relief pitching of Mauer, who's normally a catcher. He pitched the last five innings, allowing one hit and striking out nine.

The next night, he went 3-for-3 with a triple as the Raiders won the state championship by beating Mayo of Rochester 13-2.

Mauer was the first overall pick of the baseball draft (by the hometown Twins), and a national player of the year as a quarterback (he has signed with Florida State). Other than that, he hasn't done much. Oh, except become Baseball America's High School Player of the Year.

Fewer people know Mauer also starred on Cretin-Derham Hall's basketball team. "For a third sport, he was actually very good," said Raiders baseball coach Jim O'Neill. "Very athletic. Sees the court. He made all the plays, all the big shots."

He also gets extra credit for being a good student and teammate, and for keeping his head when all about him were losing theirs--over his talent.

"His character is unparalleled as a high school player," O'Neill said. "He plays within himself. He had 20 or 30 scouts out at batting practice every time, and he played right through it."

The excitement started right from the beginning of the season, when Mauer hit eight home runs in seven games. He finished with .605-15-53 numbers in 90 at-bats, and never struck out all year.

In fact, he fanned only once in his entire high school career, a span of more than 220 at-bats. Mauer can easily recount the at-bat, in a playoff game last year against Kennedy of Bloomington.

"Our bench went silent," O'Neill said.

Mauer didn't walk an inordinate amount of times, either, 14 in the 90 at-bats this year. The presence of center fielder and Minnesota recruit Tony Leseman behind him in the lineup helped assure he didn't get pitched around as often as many stars. Cretin-Derham (25-1) won the state title and finished 10th in the national rankings with a balanced, experienced lineup.

Mauer's older brothers Jake and Bill had won three state titles between them as Raiders. Though the football team won one in his junior year, Joe's baseball teams had fallen in the playoffs after great regular seasons--until this year.

"Most of our team was seniors, too. I think we had 13, " Mauer said. "We've all worked so hard for it and finally got one."

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