JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — Florida International University has produced an 8-minute video commemorating sophomore Garrett Wittels‘ 56-game hitting streak.

The video is full of details large and small, from the dimensions of the 20-year-old infielder’s bat (33 inches, 30 ounces) to his many superstitions (such as the Bubblicious watermelon bubble gum his younger brother and sister provide before gametime).

Perhaps most remarkable about Wittels’ streak — besides its unlikeliness, considering his lackluster freshman year — is that he only played in 56 games. That’s right: he got one or more hits in every game he played.

Nor is the streak over. For purposes of chasing the NCAA Division I record of 58 games, reached by Oklahoma State’s Robin Ventura in 1987, Wittels will start the 2011 season with his 56-game tear intact.

Wittels has been nominated for ESPN’s 2010 ‘Best male college athlete’ award. This summer is playing for the Peninsula Oilers of the Alaska Baseball League.

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