In baseball there are many different kinds of hitting philosophies. Some hitters like to spray the ball around the field, splitting the outfield gaps for extra bases. Some guys like to make the pitcher work and take their walks. Sacramento State first baseman Brian Blauser is nothing if not perfectly blunt about his strategy at the plate: he wants to hit the ball 500 feet.

And so far, who could argue with the results of this approach? This season Blauser has established himself as the No. 1 power threat in the Hornets lineup, cementing his place in the cleanup spot in the batting order. As of press time, Blauser was leading the team with seven home runs and a .618 slugging percentage in 27 games, and was third on the team with 15 RBIs. As the Hornets prepare for the stretch drive, Blauser has fully embraced his role as the team’s top slugger and an important cog in the middle of the lineup.

“When I’m up at the plate, I swing as hard as I can,” Blauser said. “I basically go up trying to hit home runs. There are always a lot of guys getting on base in front of me, so it’s pretty much my job to knock those guys in. I want to hit a home run every time I swing the bat.”

Blauser, a senior criminal justice major, has been playing the game and swinging for the fences since he was five years old. Growing up in a baseball environment came naturally, however, because Brian’s cousin is Jeff Blauser, a former major league shortstop, who played thirteen seasons with the Atlanta Braves and Chicago Cubs.

Blauser considers his cousin the number one inspiration in his baseball career, even though their playing styles are drastically different. While Jeff was mostly a singles hitter who liked to work the count, Brian looks to drive the first good pitch he sees a long, long way. Even though he leads the team in walks, he says that early-count aggressiveness is one of the keys to his success.

He also admits that even when he is behind in the count, a situation in which most hitters will shorten up and try to hit singles, he doesn’t change his hitting style one bit.

“I would call myself a first pitch hitter,” Blauser said. “A first-ball fastball hitter. Even when I’m down 0-1, 0-2, I still swing hard and try to hit home runs. (The coaches) try to get me to go the other way a lot, but I like to take lots of outside pitches. Make them pitch to my strengths.”

A perfect example was during the Hornet’s March 15 game against San Francisco. With Blauser at the plate, USF pitcher Justin Deme tried to steal a quick strike by grooving a fastball toward the inside part of the plate. Big mistake. Blauser belted the pitch over the left field wall and off of the facing of the adjacent parking structure behind Hornet Field. While Brian loves to feast on first pitch fastballs, the fear of his power has led opposing pitchers to change their approach against him.

“Pitchers are sending him more breaking balls early in the count,” said Hornet coach Don Barbara. “Pitchers have been avoiding the strike zone, trying to play around with him. He hasn’t been seeing too many early fastballs lately.”

Blauser’s consistent mashing has been a huge boom in an offense that has been marked so far by inconsistency. Second baseman Gary Johnson says that his prowess hitting in the middle of the lineup helps the players on top get better pitches.

“(Brian) leads by example, with his actions on the field,” said Johnson. “I usually hit at the top of the order, and he makes me want to be better. I feel like it’s my job to get on base for him to knock me in.”

At the midpoint of the season, the Hornets are struggling a bit, but the team isn’t getting down about it. Despite the team’s 11-19 start, Blauser is confident that the team will pick it up in a hurry.

When Blauser graduates this spring, he says that his baseball future is uncertain. While his dream would be to get picked up by the Braves and to play for his cousin Jeff, now coaching Atlanta’s Double-A affiliate in Mississippi, he’s content if his baseball career ends at the collegiate level.

“I’ve had a pretty good run,” Blauser said. “Even having to focus a lot on baseball, school has always been number one. Playing well at baseball is just a big bonus.”

Paul Rice can be reached at [email protected]