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Prep of the week 

Jeremiah Fielder – St. Mary’s 

If you’re a senior who just helped lead his basketball team to a state championship, what’s your next move? Most people would probably take some time off to bask in the glory. But Jeremiah Fielder got to take just one day off. 

Winning the CIF Division IV title with his St. Mary’s teammates on a Saturday, Fielder was on the baseball diamond that Monday, instantly transforming into the starting shortstop for the Panthers. He missed about three weeks of baseball, and is still playing catchup at the plate. 

“I didn’t get to work on my hitting very much during the winter, because I was concentrating on basketball and it was always raining,” Fielder said. “Defensively, I’m doing well, but I’ve got to start hitting. “ 

The senior bats second for the Panthers, and will be a key in the team’s effort to make the Bay Shore Athletic League playoffs. St. Mary’s is currently just 2-2 in league play after dropping a 2-1 heartbreaker to Salesian on Wednesday. 

But Fielder’s smooth play at shortstop hasn’t skipped a beat, as he has yet to commit an error this season. That means he’s a defensive gem in two sports, as he often drew the opponent’s toughest player on the basketball court. That allowed his more heralded teammates, such as star guards DaShawn Freeman and John Sharper, to concentrate on scoring. The basketball coaches were always quick to praise their lone senior starter’s willingness to sacrifice his statistics for the good of the team. 

“All I had to do was tell Jeremiah to stop a guy, and that guy would be handcuffed for the rest of the game,” head coach Jose Caraballo said. 

Fielder said that while winning a state championship on the court was a great experience, he was really itching to get back on the diamond. 

“Baseball’s my main sport,” he said. “Basketball was fun, but I’m ready to come out here and do my thing.” 

The Panthers were just 2-5 before the return of Fielder and fellow basketball player Chase Moore and are 3-2 since, including a big win over Berkeley High. According to their baseball coach, Andy Shimabukuro, Fielder brings more than just talent to the field. 

“Jeremiah brings an energy to the team that can’t be duplicated,” Shimabukuro said. “He’s a real leader of the team.” 

Watching Fielder on defense, one sees that spark flowing from him to his teammates. He’s constantly talking and moving, keeping up a running dialogue with center fielder Omar Young. The Panthers are clearly a different team than at the beginning of the year. 

“I think it hurt the team,” Fielder said of his prolonged absence. “We’re a real solid club right now.” 

And with some big-time championship experience under his belt, Fielder feels qualified to assess his team’s chances on a larger scale. 

“I think we’ve got the kind of team that can go all the way, really,” he said. “If we come out and play like we can, we’re one of the strongest teams in NorCal.”