North Salem's Lowrie poised for big postseason

Jed Lowrie, SS, Athletics
Hometown: Salem, Ore.

Lowrie was a star at Oregon's North Salem High School. He was the starting shortstop as a freshman, and it's where he honed his abilities as a switch-hitter.

Lowrie stayed close to home to play his college ball at Stanford. In 2004, he was named the Pac-10 Player of the Year, and he was a First Team All-American in both '04 and '05. His teammates at Stanford included big leaguers John Mayberry Jr., Carlos Quentin and current A's outfielder Sam Fuld.

Today, the A's shortstop resides in Houston, but he has continued to work throughout his career to support the youth baseball programs in Salem.