The Tech Talk

Issue date: 8/23/07 Section: Sports

Bulldog outfielder Brian Rike has signed with the Colorado Rockies.

Three years after joining Tech's baseball team as a walk-on, outfielder Brian Rike was offered a hard-earned $450,000 bonus to sign with the Colorado Rockies as their second-round draft pick.

"Any time you see one of your kids get signed, you're proud," Wade Simoneaux, Bulldog baseball head coach, said.

"Especially a kid who wasn't offered anything out of high school."

Simoneaux said the life of a college athlete is not easy, but Rike handled it well and brought energy and excitement to the team.

"Brian's work ethic was contagious," Simoneaux said.

"He played the game hard. He turned himself from a walk-on to a second-round draft choice."

In his time at Tech, Rike was named to three All-American Teams.

He was also named Western Athletic Conference Player of the Year.

This year Rike had a .346 batting average, 20 home runs, one short of the school record, and 66 RBIs.

Rike said hard work was a big part of his success.

"I had the chance to go to Tech and make the best out of it and this happened," Rike said. "I worked hard just to get better every year."

After signing with the Rockies, Rike was assigned to the minor league Tri-City Dust Devils located in Pasco, Washington.

Rike said the transition from college to the minor leagues has been an adjustment.

Besides the switch from aluminum to wooden bats, Rike finds one of the biggest challenges is the constant game schedule.

"I miss sleep," Rike said of his schedule, which included only one day off from July 19 to Sept. 3.

Rike said the schedule can sometimes involve getting in around 4:30 a.m. and then waking up in time for a 12:30 p.m. workout.

Rike said he is spending his time adjusting his swing to harder pitching in the minors and working on the basics.

"We're worried about the little stuff now, like your lead off," Rike said of the Tri-City Dust Devils. "Everybody does things different; you learn how they want it here."

Rike said his years at Tech have helped with the transition to a new team's way of doing things.

"It's similar to how they did it at Tech," Rike said. "It's not too much of a transition."

Rike said he also developed a strong work ethic from playing at Tech.

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