Decatur's Brock Gates hits four home runs in a game

	Not known for his power, Decatur first baseman Brock Gates unleashed four long balls in a game against Meridian last week. Courtesy of Brock Gates

Each week SI.com will select the athlete who displays excellence on and off the field as the Primetime Performer.

Brock Gates, 6-foot-2, 211 pounds, 1B, Sr., Decatur (Federal Way, Wash.)

Though he is an imposing 6-2, 211 pounds, Decatur senior first baseman Brock Gates never had hit more than one home run in a game -- not even in Little League. As a junior last year he battled .401 with 50 RBIs, but hit just two home runs in 56 at-bats.

That's why even he was astonished when he clubbed four home runs and had 11 RBIs last Friday in a 24-6, five-inning rout of Meridian (Kent, Wash.). It was the second-most homers in a game in high school history.

"Our coaching staff just sat there shaking our heads," Decatur coach Maury Kincannon says. "I've coached him since Little League and it was kind of unbelievable. He has good power to all fields but is more of a gap hitter."

A right-handed, line-drive hitter, the Gators' co-captain belted his first two to left-center, each going approximately 340 feet. The third went to right-center and the fourth down the left field line, both estimated at 330 feet. Gates also had a double to go 5-for-5 on the day and raise his average to .447 through 11 games. He has driven in 24 runs on 17 hits.

"On the second one, I just smiled," Gates says. "The team was there to greet me. I was just in shock. I was taking the same swing that I always took. For some reason, the ball was jumping. I was so excited. My mom and dad and grandparents were there."

Asked if he feels like a marked man now, Gates says, "I definitely think I'm going to see a lot more off-speed pitches."

The celebration was cut short, however, because he had to dash off to St. Luke's Lutheran Church to play guitar in the youth band, something he has done for the past four years.

"That is a huge part of my life," he says. "I've grown up as a Christian and it is a huge way how I live my life."

Gates also enjoys working with young boys at baseball camps, volunteering at food banks and working with Special Olympics athletes. He has been nicknamed "Sunshine" due to his sunny disposition and his clowning around, especially while taking pictures.

"I always pride myself on taking goofy pictures," he says.

He also started for three years in football and was was captain and MVP as a senior quarterback. He carries a 3.76 GPA and especially enjoys physics. He is interested in studying business and is leaning toward attending Pacific Lutheran University to play football and, possibly, baseball.

His four-homer explosion, however, may have changed his thinking. He now looks at baseball more seriously, hoping to perhaps play at a bigger college. The rest of the season undoubtedly will go a long way toward determining his future.