Picture outfielder Jason Dean gliding across centerfield headed toward the gap in left, leaving his feet to corral a fly ball just as it is about to land for a double. Now, picture him lying on his back with black smudge marks on his shirt and oil on his hands as he works on his 1988 Chevy Camaro.

“On my spare time I’m a part-time mechanic,” Dean said as he prepared for practice inside the gym on another rainy day at SF State. “I just finished working on my '88 Camaro.”

Dean, a junior from Fairfield, shrugs his shoulders and smiles when he talks about his '88 Camaro.

“It’s got 383 engine in it,” he said.

Dean, a soft-spoken 21-year-old with a shaved head and tattoo down his right arm, is quiet off the field but has been heard loud and clearly on it. The Gators' center fielder is leading the team in batting with a .381 average, 23 runs, nine doubles, 43 bases, and a 16-game hitting streak. He is second on the team with 34 hits, a .489 slugging percentage, and 12 stolen bases.

Yet, he is the last one to tell anyone about it.

“When people ask, ‘How many hits are you going to get,' or 'How [are] you going to do,’ I just tell them that I’m going to play hard, that’s it,” Dean said.

According to head coach Matt Markovich, Dean has been a vital part of the team’s offense, especially as the lead-off batter.

“When J goes, we go. He’s one of the most important parts of our offense,” Markovich said. “Obviously, our goal is to get him on base and when he does we score a lot of runs.”

Dean was recently named the Wilson California Collegiate Athletic Association Baseball Player of the Week for the week of March 14-20. Dean went on a tear that weekend against Western Oregon hitting .450 with three doubles, six runs and five RBIs in the four game series. The Gators (12-15, 6-10 CCAA) won that series three games to one.

“Jason’s learned a lot since he’s gotten here,” Markovich said. “He’s finding other ways to get on base. He’s hitting doubles, bunting, and driving the ball. He’s evolving into an all around baseball player.”

In his spare time Dean, an accomplished mechanic, finds time to work at a car shop in his hometown to make a little money. Dean’s father taught him to work on cars when he was growing up. Besides working on cars, Dean dedicates his time to weightlifting and the classroom, where he is a criminal justice major.

Dean, who transferred from Sacramento City College this fall, likes his teams chances of making a comeback in the second half of the season.

“I think we’ll be alright because we’ll be playing most of our games here at home,” Dean said. “Teams know they don’t want to play us here. It’s an advantage for us because teams don’t like to play in this weather, the field is soggy and slippery.”

Slippery, soggy, or wet it does not matter for Dean. Either way he will be patrolling the outfield and batting lead-off for the Gators. The pitchers on the team don’t mind having the speedy outfielder in the line up everyday, in fact they relish it.

“It’s awesome when he’s out there,” junior pitcher Steven Evanson said. “It just gives us more confidence on the mound because we know if it’s out there he’s going to get it.”