Steve Gleason Gonzaga Prep Year: Senior Sport: Baseball Position: Outfielder

Good, tough kid.

That’s the way to describe Gonzaga Prep senior outfielder Steve Gleason.

Gleason is second in the Greater Spokane League with a .588 batting average, but that’s only part of the story.

Last year Gleason played just a quarter of the season before he had to have shoulder surgery.

“During (the 1993) football season it seemed like I dislocated my shoulder every game,” he said. “Before baseball season started doctors told me that shoulder surgery wouldn’t be necessary.”

However, the pain grew worse and he finally had the surgery.

“Mentally he is so strong,” Bullpups coach Mark Machtolf said. “His toughness carried him physically and it will allow him to keep going on.”

Last week Gleason went 6 for 10 at the plate, and that included a 5-for-6 effort in a 31-0 romp over Lewis and Clark.

In addition to his batting average, Gleason is second in the league in RBIs with 12, second in doubles with four, tied for first in triples with two and leading the GSL in home runs with two.

Of this year’s G-Prep team, Gleason says: “Past teams I’ve played with had just as much talent. But there are a lot of kids who are just happy to do a lot of the little things it takes to win.”