Wayne Giesen, currently the team's leading hitter, is a perfect example of how the influx of Bay Area junior college talent has made the Diamond Dons a much better baseball team. A transfer last year from the College of Marin, who played high school ball at Sir Francis Drake, Giesen was influenced to come to USF by the long time Giesen relationship with the university. His father, Donald, played on the 1949 basketball team that won the NIT championship. Wayne also has a brother that graduated from USF with a Marketing degree. Giesen almost made the choice not to play basketball at all when he was in high school. Although he was active in Little League baseball, Wayne initially decided to devote his athletic time to soccer and tennis his first three years in high school. However, Giesen was left with a dilemma during the spring of his senior year at Drake. "I started to suffer tennis bum-out and I was left with a last minute choice — track or baseball," Wayne said of his situation. Wayne decided on baseball because he did not like the distance running that track involved. Giesen made the right decision. Not only did he show that he could adjust to playing competitive baseball again, Wayne also played well enough to be named All- County at the end of the season.
A success in baseball, "Geese" as he is called by his teammates, was not too shabby in soccer and tennis either. Wayne was named team MVP in soccer his sophomore and senior years, and made it to the number one position on the tennis learn. Giesen was rewarded for his high school athletic endeavors by being named Drake's Athlete of the Year in 1981. Besides his participation with the Diamond Dons, Wayne also enjoys playing racquetball and has started to water ski, something he hopes to do more of this summer. "I guess you could consider me a jock at heart." Giesen said in reference to his varied athletic pursuits. Wayne believes that one of the main factors in USF's improvement this year is a substantially more positive attitude. "Last year, " we were playing not to lose, while this year we are playing to win," Giesen commented. "'When we are playing well, we can play with anybody."
Discussing the team's poor start in conference play, Wayne attributed the string of losses to flat performances and having to play a very strong Pepperdine team (currently number six in the nation). "'Now we're coming back around as we've won four straight," Giesen pointed out. Although his fine .400 batting average doesn't reflect it, Wayne has suffered from a rash of nagging injuries over the last month. Those injuries occurred after colliding with an outfield fence at Stanford, sliding into a base at Cal, and getting hit by a pitch in another game. "I've had to adjust my swing and have lost considerable power," Giesen said. Wayne believes, however, that being able to get the hits while injured has boosted his confidence. "The situation is better now," he said, "but I was playing on sheer will power for awhile." Overall, Giesen thinks USF's outfielders are pretty good. "We have a good hitting outfield that is versatile and can play other positions," Wayne said in referring especially to Rich Herbert and Dave Sheldon. Giesen wants to improve his base running and his throwing in the outfield. "I'm getting called Dr. Jeckyll because of the way some of my throws end up in the wrong places," Wayne said. Although the expensive tuition and commute are negative factors, Wayne enjoys USF's small atmosphere and overall environment. A Marketing major, he also likes the quality of the business school. Considered a senior when it comes to baseball, Wayne Giesen has one more year of academic work to do for his Degree. "I hope to get an internship this summer and get started on interviews next year," he said (TheFoghorn).
