#32 - Jeff Lanning
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Class: Sophomore Position: Catcher School: University of Nebraska Hometown: Ankeny, IA. | Bats: Right Throws: Right Height: 5' - 11" Weight: 204 lbs. |
Bio information courtesy of University of Nebraska Athletic Web site
Born on January 1, 1987
2006 Northwoods League All-Star
Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor Roll (Spring 2006)
2007 Outlook
Jeff Lanning is one of three players battling for the starting catcher position this spring ... Was Jeff Christy’s top backup a year ago, hitting .300 in 14 games as a true freshman ... Took home all-star honors in the Northwoods League over the summer, hitting .273 with a team-high 24 RBIs for Waterloo ... Has very good offensive tools and is the most polished offensive catcher on the roster ... Has made great strides since entering the program and has a good grasp of what the coaches are looking for behind the plate ... Will likely platoon with Mark Hightower and junior college transfer Mitch Abeita behind the plate especially early in the season.
2006
Lanning hit .300 with two RBIs in 14 games, backing up Jeff Christy, a sixth-round pick of the Minnesota Twins ... Made six starts and drove in runs against Illinois State on March 14 and Texas Tech on April 29 ... Had both his extra-base hits against teams from his home state - Northern Iowa and Iowa ... Was 1-for-2 with a double vs. UNI on May 10 ... Drove in a run against Texas Tech on April 29, his only Big 12 at-bat ... Made his first start against Illinois State on March 14, going 1-for-2 with an RBI ... Collected his first career hit against Notre Dame on March 3 ... Played summer ball for the Waterloo Bucks in the Northwoods League, earning all-star honors after hitting .273 with a team-best 24 RBIs in 35 games ... Led the Bucks with 26 walks and hit .384 with runners on base.
High School
Lanning was one of the best catchers in the region for Coach Mark Hey at Ankeny High School ... Slugged his way to first-team all-state honors in 2005, hitting .509 with 14 homers, 48 RBIs and a .983 slugging percentage in leading Ankeny to a state runner-up finish ... Chosen as a second-team all-state honoree as a junior, hitting .387, as Ankeny went 35-6 and reached the state semifinals ... Earned all-district honors in each of his final three seasons ... Earned nine varsity letters, as he participated in baseball, track and football ... Starred in football, where he was named a first-team Elite All-Iowa linebacker after helping his team to the state semifinals as a senior ... Was a member of Ankeny’s 4x400-meter state champion relay team in both 2003 and 2004 ... Looked at Iowa, Kansas State and Northern Iowa before choosing Nebraska.
Personal
Son of Dana and Lisa Lanning ... Has one brother (Joel) and one sister (Jenna) ... Has not declared a major.