Topic: Jeff Niemann

Jeffrey Warren Niemann (born February 28, 1983 in Houston, Texas) is a Major League Baseball starting pitcher for the Tampa Bay Rays.

Lamar High School (Houston)

Niemann, who stands 6-foot-9, was the fourth starter for Rice University in his freshman season of 2002, usually starting midweek non-conference games. He posted a 5-1 record with a 3.11 ERA, including a victory over Washington in the decisive seventh game of the 2003 NCAA regional at Rice's Reckling Park. In 2003, he stepped into Rice's weekend rotation and quickly became the nation's most dominant pitcher. He finished the season 17-0 with a 1.70 ERA and 156 strikeouts, being named Western Athletic Conference Pitcher of the Year, a consensus first-team all-American, and a finalist for the Rotary Smith Award in helping Rice to its first national championship.