Athlete of the Week: Round Rock Express outfielder Drew Locke
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First-year Round Rock Express outfielder Drew Locke has found his home at the Dell Diamond. It's at the plate.
That was evident last week when he hit two two-run homeruns on Father's Day.
"I got a couple of good pitches to hit out of the park, and I made some good swings. I had my parents in town, so it was good to hit a couple of homeruns for my dad on Father's Day," said Locke.
Locke's parents were visiting from his hometown of Boston, where he was drafted out of Boston College in 2005. Now in his sixth season playing professional baseball, he's just one step away from the Astros, but he still can't help being a Red Sox fan.
"I miss that a little bit. When we watch Red Sox games in the clubhouse, no one else wants to watch it because they're always on T.V. No one else likes them," he said.
When he's not cheering on his home team, he's working hard to get to his new one. In April, his batting average was 153. In May that number climbed to 337, and in June he continues to bat over 300.
"I got the first month out of the way that I struggled a little bit, but since May 1 I've been feeling pretty good up there, and starting to get in the groove," he said.
"He certainly has power; he can hit the ball out of the park. He's given us some offensive productivity, and so we hope that continues for the second half of the season," Express manager Marc Bombard said.
So does Locke. The road from Boston to the big leagues is a lot shorter than it once was.
"It feels a lot closer than it used to be when I was back in low A and high A. The goal is right around the corner. You just have to keep your head down, keep playing hard, and hopefully it works out," said Locke.