ATHLETE OF THE WEEK: JOSH EFTINK

Josh Eftink

School: Notre Dame

Sport: Baseball

Coach: Jeff Graviett

Week Report: Eftink hit two home runs and had six runs batted in during a game where Notre Dame hit five home runs and defeated Fredericktown 18-7. Eftink also scored two runs in a 12-1 win over Scott City earlier last week. But what Eftink accomplished off the field last week was more impressive than what he did on it. The 5-foot-9 slugger signed a letter of intent to play baseball for Southeast Missouri State University.

Season Report: Eftink, who is averaging a homer in every 7.3 at-bats, has established himself as the premier hitter in the area. He now has 6 home runs and 24 RBIs. He's batting .477. The shortstop is also the Bulldogs' No. 3 pitcher and Eftink has excelled on the mound as well. Eftink has an impressive ERA of 1.91 and has struck out 19 in 14 2/3 innings.

Coach's Comments: "He is always so consistent," said Graviett. "It's been a lot of fun coaching him. He's a great kid with a tremendous work ethic. He's got God-given talent but the reason he's so good is his work ethic. He's the first at practice and the last one to leave. He's everything you can ask for in a player. He's excited about going to SEMO and I think they know what they've got. I've got a little brother who's a year ahead of him so I've been watching Josh play since he was six and you keep waiting for a point where a kid stops getting better but that won't happen with Josh. If he gets to a point where everyone else is catching up, he'll work harder than everyone else. He's got tremendously quick hands and a lot of upper body strength. You need one or the other and he's got both and that's why he hit hits them so far."