FORMER CAPE CENTRAL GRAD CATCHES ON, SIGNS UP WITH SIU

After a disappointing freshman season at Jefferson College, Ben Arbeiter was hoping to make amends and earn a Division I baseball scholarship.

Mission accomplished. Arbeiter, a former baseball star at Cape Girardeau Central High School, wound up having a banner sophomore season at Jefferson College and he recently signed a letter of intent with Southern Illinois University.

"I'm really excited about it," said Arbeiter. "I'm originally from the Carbondale area and my parents now live in DeSoto, Ill., which is about 10 miles from Carbondale, so it's kind of like going home again."

Arbeiter, a 1996 Cape Central graduate, broke a finger on his right (throwing) hand during his freshman season at Jefferson College, a two-year school in Hillsboro. He wound up primarily playing third base.

"It was really a disappointing freshman year for me," he said. "I couldn't catch and I didn't hit well. The finger hampered me from gripping the bat right."

Arbeiter set out to make amends as a sophomore this spring and he certainly did. Moving back to his familiar spot of catcher while also seeing some action at designated hitter, Arbeiter batted .315, led the team with eight home runs and drove in 40 runs for a squad that went 46-8 and was ranked as high as seventh in the nation.

"My finger was totally healed and I was really pleased to be able to come through with the bat," he said. "We had a really good team and I loved it at Jeffco. It's a small school, kind of like a big high school, and the baseball program is really good."

Arbeiter said a goal of his for some time has been to play Division I baseball and he's excited to be able to continue on with both his academic and athletic careers.

"Playing Division I has been a goal of mine, and it's going to help me pay for my school, so that's what I'm really excited about," he said.

Arbeiter, who plans to major in agricultural economics, said that he, like most young baseball players, has hopes of some day competing in the professional ranks. But he's not going to count on it.

"SIU always has a few guys drafted every year and if I can really work on my throwing and catching, I might have a chance. I hope so," he said. "But it's not something I'm going to count on. The main thing is I want to keep playing and get my education."