Jeff Hehr was riding a bus with his summer league baseball team in Kansas when he got a call from a

Jeff Hehr was riding a bus with his summer league baseball team in Kansas when he got a call from a Cleveland Indians scout on his cell phone.

In a few minutes, he was transformed from an obscure shortstop at Eastern Michigan University to a local phenomenon.

Hehr, a Cardinal Mooney High graduate, became the first area athlete to play for the Mahoning Valley Scrappers, splitting time between second base (his primary position) and shortstop.

Hehr’s homecoming turned him into a media star. His first few days brought an onslaught of questions from TV, newspaper and radio reporters, which he handled as smoothly as a sharp grounder.

The attention brought extra pressure, particularly at the sold-out home opener. But if it bothered him, he didn’t show it. In front of a near-sellout crowd on June 22, Hehr reached base four times, scored twice and played flawlessly at second base in Mahoning Valley’s 6-1 victory over Jamestown.

He didn’t get much of a chance to enjoy it, either, signing several dozen scraps of paper in between another round of interviews.

“It was a lot of fun,” Hehr said. “It felt great to have so many people cheering for me. A lot of people I know came out.

Hehr stayed hot over the first half of the season before cooling off a bit in the second half. He finished the season with a .234 average in 50 games with 18 RBIs for the Scrappers, who finished the season 37-37.

Hehr hit almost 50 points higher at the friendly confines of Eastwood Field. He spent the last few months playing in the Indians’ instructional league.

With a full year under his belt, 2008 is looking pretty bright.