Former Illini shortstop Shawn Roof answers questions from his fans

Former Illini shortstop Shawn Roof, who played for the AAA Toledo Mudhens in 2010, left a Illini legacy that will not soon be forgotten.  Sure there are the on-the-field accomplishments.  In his senior year in 2007, he broke the team single season record for steals and hit by pitches.  By the end of his college career, he eclipsed the career record in both categories as well.

But Shawn Roof is more than that.  He is a player who gives the game everything he has.  Roof never walked to his next assignment, he RAN.  If he was in the dugout, you could be sure Shawn was up on the railing cheering and yelling.  It’s no surprise that the Big Ten honored him with the Outstanding Sportsman Award in 2007.

And on top of all that, Shawn Roof has that sincere politeness and friendliness that can only come from a Kentucky home.  Mrs. Roof did well raising a baseball family (all three brothers play baseball and Shawn’s father is Gene Roof (baseball coach in the Detroit Tigers organization).  Three or four years ago, Shawn contacted me after reading an article I did about him thanking me.  The next year I introduced myself in person and we’ve kept in contact throughout his time in the minors.

Graciously, Shawn agreed to answer a few questions for Illinois Baseball Report.  I’d like to take credit for the questions but honestly, most of them came from Illinois baseball fans that saw Shawn play when he was here.  I just edited them a bit.  Thanks to them for their help!!

On to the interview…

Shawn Roof: First off I want to say hi to all the Illinois fan base and thank them for the questions. It’s always great hearing from you all, and thanks for all the support. Its nice knowing there are people out there rooting for you and on your side.

Illinois Baseball Report: We noticed you wear uniform #4 in the minors. Was that your choice or were you assigned it? Any particular association for that number?

SR: I wore #4 in Toledo. #4 was my high school number and when I got to Illinois Brian Blomquist was wearing 4 unfortunately, so Coach Hartleb and the staff gave me 44.  When I was in Erie they gave me #28 my first year, so I stayed with that, but I jumped at the chance to get back to “my number” again.

IBR: Do you ever make it back to Champaign-Urbana? Any plans to visit?

SR: I do make it back to Champaign-Urbana every now and then. The first two off-seasons I worked out in Champaign with Lars Davis and Kyle Hudson which was a ton of fun and we were able to get ready for the season. Last year I made it up for one day to see the team practice and say hi to everyone. I’m hoping to get up there again this fall for a football game or two but this time of year its tough to get away, but I’m sure I’ll be up there at some point.

IBR: What do you do in the off-season to keep in shape? Is it strictly weight room stuff or can you get out and hit the ball and play in the field to hone your skills? Do you work out with either or both of your brothers?

SR: To stay in shape in the offseason, I just try to hit the gym as often as possible 5-6 times a week to try to go into spring training in the best shape as possible. I also work on speed training by doing different runs and drills.
We have a batting cage in our garage, so I can walk out my room and right into my cage which is awesome and where I also give hitting lessons which I learned a lot teaching the kids. One very nice thing about Kentucky is it gets cold, but we usually get a chance to get outside and throw and run, and my brothers and I go to a batting
cage where we take ground balls and do drills to work on our hands for fielding. You definitely have to be in top shape when you come into Spring Training so you
are in a position to win a job.

IBR: Do you see any of your former Illini teammates on a regular basis (either on or off the field)?

SR: I do see former teammates occasionally. This summer I played against Scott Shaw which was a ton of fun. It’s kind of funny stepping in the box and seeing an old
friend and teammate on the mound. I also played against ex-Illini Jason Anderson who is with the Phillies.  We also played against Tanner Roarke this summer. We
played his team a couple weeks after he got traded but he didn’t pitch in the series. And most of the other guys are in different leagues, but it’s always fun to see and old
teammate and friend. Then Lars Davis and Kyle Hudson and I have always been close friends, so I try to see those guys a lot. In October Lars got married, and Kyle, myself, and Omar Kadir were in Lars’ wedding which was a ton of fun. I hadn’t seen Omar in years, and he seems to be doing real well. Now Lars is living in Nashville which is 2 hours from where I live so I’m sure I’ll get down there a bunch to work out and hang out this winter. I also get to see friends from the Illini family. I got a chance to see you Tom in Indianapolis which was awesome. The ballpark was beautiful and it was good seeing you and some other friends that came up for the game.

IBR: You advanced to AAA Toledo in the midseason of 2010 and responded by batting .354 (nice!) after hitting .219 with AA Erie before. Were there changes in your approach to the plate or your swing? How do you think you will do this coming year?

SR: I did make a few changes once I went to AAA Toledo. I was swinging the bat the first 2 months real well. I was hitting around .300 at the end of May, and I went into a
little slump (well a huge slump). I lost some rhythm I had at the plate and I struggled pretty well. When I got to Toledo the hitting coach lowered my hands down to around my belt, and opened me up to the pitcher a little, so I was able to see the ball much better and I saw results instantly. All the coaches I have had in Minor League ball
have been great, and the coaches in Toledo fit in that group too. They see things with guy’s swings and are able to get guys better, and I owe them a lot for helping me
out and getting me going again. I finally had rhythm at the plate again and was able to see the ball much better.

As far as this season goes who knows where I will end up.  But with the changes I made, and the confidence I’ve gained in my abilities and seeing that I belong and can succeed at the higher levels against guys who have great stuff and have played in the Big Leagues, I’m very excited to see what kind of season I may have. I just wish we were still playing, or the season was to begin in a week or two.

IBR: What is it that Shawn Roof needs to do to go to the next level?

SR: To get to the next level I think I need to continue getting stronger and put on some weight which will lead to being able to drive the ball a little more and become faster. In Toledo I was driving the ball a little more, and getting stronger will only help. I also just need to continue getting better at each position, shortstop, second and third, so that I can play any of the positions and play them well. If I can progress on the changes I made in the last month of the year and get stronger, you never know what could happen if they need somebody.

IBR: Finally Shawn, are still you having fun?

SR: I’m having as much fun if not more than ever. Outside of being a Major Leaguer I feel like I have the best “job” in the world. I hate to call it a job, because I love going to
the ballpark every day to work and get better, and the game of baseball is so awesome because every day is different and you just never know what you may see that day. I feel very honored and privileged to go out and work towards my dream of being a Major League baseball player. Hopefully it will happen at some point. Plus you get to travel all over the country and see places and people you might not be able to if it wasn’t for baseball.  Another thing that’s been fun too is that I’ve gotten to play for my dad as my coach and with my brother Eric as a teammate. Eric and I were teammates in Spring Training during a Big League game against the Astros and my dad was the 1st base coach. It was a blast. We beat the Astros, and my brother had a couple hits including an RBI double. Than my dad will travel from team to team and he’ll coach 1st base so it’s always pretty cool to get a base hit and get a fist pound from your dad. Not many get the opportunity to work with their dad and it’s always nice to have someone see something in your swing or game that they can help you out. Hopefully I’ll get to
keep playing for another 15 years, but I do know if I don’t they’ll have to tear the uniform off of me.

I want to wish Shawn well.  I know there are a lot of Illini fans who remember of him fondly and I’ll speak for all them when I say good luck in 2011!