NWL notes: Faithful Jipping keeps on slugging

Through all the ups and downs baseball can offer, Rockies prospect Daniel Jipping's faith has lifted him up and kept him grounded.
Whether he's in a slump or swinging a scalding-hot bat, Jipping always finds his center embedded in his relationship with God, something he has cultivated since he was young.

"God gave me the ability to play," Jipping said. "You've got to be strong enough to know that your faith will carry you through whatever you face."
Jipping, who is tied with teammate Bret Boswell for the Northwest League home run lead at 11, said current professional athletes have been heavily influential to applying his relationship with God to everyday life. He models what he does after some great players.
"I heard [former Major League outfielder] Torii Hunter once say that you're able to let things go when you have a bigger picture of what's going on," Jipping said. "When you can trust something, it makes things easier to handle."
Whether it's trusting his hands to get through the strike zone, or trusting that God has something more in store for him -- baseball or otherwise -- Jipping has seemed to find a nice balance. In order to do that, he tried to channel the attitude and demeanor of one of baseball's living (and still playing) legends.
"People send me articles about Albert Pujols all the time," Jipping said. "He wants to represent God more than anything else when he plays, and he'd rather leave his stamp with people off the field than on it."
Jipping's approach has been working this season. His double-digit homer total and 30 RBIs in 45 games have helped Boise slide into second place in the South Division with nine games left after Thursday's play.

Along with his trust in a higher calling, Jipping said he started to develop more plate discipline later in his collegiate career at Central Michigan. He stopped swinging at bad pitches in good counts to avoid walks, something he admitted to doing quite a bit playing for the Plymouth Christian Academy Eagles in high school, and started to hit the right way.
"Everyone thinks they are a big power hitter in high school, and that first year of college ball was tough," said Jipping, who's hitting .250/.352/.494 to open his pro career. "I started to pick out pitches I could drive, and I walked a lot more as I went through college. The coaches at Central set me up for what I'm doing now, and I feel pretty good."
It earned Jipping a spot on the NWL All-Star team, and to his reluctance, a Home Run Derby championship. Jipping didn't want to compete in the sluggers' showcase but decided to have fun with it.
"I got in a groove, and that's what you have to do in those things," Jipping said. "I took a terrible BP before hand, and after watching [Hillsboro Hops third baseman] Eudy [Ramos] hit like seven, I just had to have fun."
Jipping eventually beat Idaho Falls' Robby Rinn 6-1 in the bonus round during the finals after each hitter drilled eight out of the yard to start.
Whatever ballpark Jipping is at, wherever the batted ball travels after his mighty swing, he will always have help. Jipping's faith will carry him through his baseball career and beyond.

In brief

Tight races again: Like the first half, the second half of the season is shaping up for a wild finish. In the North Division, Tri-City and Vancouver are tied for the lead at 16-12 entering Thursday's play. Vancouver won the first half, so it is already in the postseason, meaning Tri-City just has to maintain a second-place finish to make the playoffs. Spokane is a game behind at 15-13, and Everett is two back at 14-14. In the South, the Hillsboro Hops are in the lead at 14-14, followed by Boise at 13-15. It's the same situation as the North -- Hillsboro is already in, so if Boise can finish above third they'll be in the postseason. Eugene and Salem-Keizer are tied for third at 12-16.
Good Gesa: Tri-City is 12-5 in its friendly confines of Gesa Stadium in Pasco, Washington, the best second-half home record in the NWL. Over the entire year, they are tied with Eugene with most home wins at 21. Hillsboro currently leads the league in road wins with 20.