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Dreifort
pitches major-league talk Dec. 4
Los
Angeles Dodgers pitcher and former Wichita State All-American Darren
Dreifort will give a talk Dec. 4 as the third of six distinguished
alumni speakers in the WSU Alumni Association’s 2001-02 breakfast
lecture series.
Darren
Dreifort
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His
talk will begin at 7:30 a.m. in the Olive Tree Banquet Hall, 2949
N. Rock Road. The breakfast is $15 per person.
A two-way
standout as a WSU student-athlete, Dreifort, the son of WSU history
professor John Dreifort, was a powerful designated hitter and an
All-American pitcher. Pitching primarily as a reliever, he saved
17 games and posted a 26-5 record with 275 strike-outs. His 2.24
career ERA is the lowest for a Shocker.
In
1993, the Dodgers made Dreifort the second overall pick in the free-agent
draft. The hard-throwing right-hander pitched a perfect ninth inning
in his major league debut on April 7, 1994, versus Florida in the
Dodgers 1-0 defeat.
But
in 1995, he underwent reconstructive surgery on his pitching elbow
– a procedure that kept him out of action that entire season.
He used part of his recovery time to complete his undergraduate
degree at WSU,
Returning
to the field in 1996, he split his time between Los Angeles and
Albuquerque, with the Dodgers farm club. He posted his first full
season with the Dodgers in 1997, going 5-2 with four saves and a
2.86 ERA in 48 games.
The
1998 season was Dreifort’s first in the Dodgers starting rotation,
and he went 8-12 with a 4.00 ERA in 32 games (26 starts). In his
second full season as a starting pitcher, he went 13-13 with a 4.79
ERA in 30 games (29 starts) and was first among the team’s
starting pitchers with a .210 batting average with one home run
and nine RBIs. He was forced to end his season prematurely in mid-September
because of tightness in his pitching shoulder and forearm.
In
2000, he was 12-9 with one shutout and a 4.16 ERA in a career-high
32 starts. Lauded for his "tremendous ability" by Dodgers
general manager Kevin Malone, Dreifort signed a $55 million, five-year
contract last December to stay with Los Angeles, giving the Dodgers
a formidable pitching rotation.
This
season, he was 4-7 with a 5.13 ERA, but on June 29 left a game in
San Diego after striking out the leadoff batter in the sixth inning.
A MRI exam four days later revealed he had torn a ligament and torn
a muscle from the bone.
In
July, Dreifort underwent reconstructive surgery for the second time
in his career. The surgery was successful, but his recovery is expected
to take at least a year.
For
more information about the series or for event reservations, contact
the WSU Alumni Association at 978-3834.
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