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Athlete of the week: Fields slams six homers in one week
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From Little League to the Major Leagues, baseball players everywhere dream of having the type of week that Jefferson High sophomore Jake Fields had last week.

The Dragons cleanup hitter lived up to his position in the lineup by finishing the week 10-for-12 (.833 average) with six home runs, nine runs scored and 15 RBIs.

“Nobody I’ve ever been around has had a week like Jake (Fields) had,” said Jefferson coach Tommy Knight, who has coached baseball for 19 years. “Everything he hit was hard.”

The hardest balls hit by Fields left the ball park, including two games in which the first baseman hit three home runs. His total of six home runs for the week set a Jefferson record.

“I was seeing the ball great,” said Fields, who has hit 13 home runs this season. “I can’t express what I felt going up to the plate. I was just zoned in on the ball.”

Last Monday, the 6-foot-3, 195-pound first baseman started his remarkable offensive week by going 4-for-5 with three home runs, eight RBIs and four runs scored in the Dragons 15-5 victory against Commerce.

After a 3-for-4 day in Jefferson’s 9-4 win against Prince Avenue that clinched the Region 8-A title for the Dragons for the second straight year, Fields capped off his week by hitting another three home runs and recording five more RBIs in a 14-4 win on Friday against Social Circle.

Last week’s display of offensive excellence is a culmination of the amount of work that the young Fields puts in for the Dragons.

After practice Fields can normally be seen in the batting cage or on the field working on aspects of his game.

“Where he can go and the things that he’s going to do before he graduates is limitless,” Knight said. “He’s one of the most dedicated kids I’ve ever coached.”

While Knight contributes Fields’ accomplishments to his dedication, the 17-year-old from Jefferson believes his abilities are the work of a larger being.

“The Lord has blessed me so much and I give credit to him,” said Fields.

Although he still has two years remaining in his career at Jefferson, Fields already has his eyes on playing collegiate baseball for either Louisville or Georgia, where his older brother Josh currently plays.

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