WATERLOO - Like DHL, Derrick Weber delivers - usually with express, same-day service.

"I think he likes the fact we pitch him in big games," said Waterloo Columbus baseball coach Terry Goerdt of his standout. "And he likes to be at bat and deliver."

When it comes down to white-knuckle time, Columbus' star senior usually comes through in the clutch.

He proved as much last week when he threw a complete game to help knock off Class 3A, No. 2-ranked West Delaware and later had three hits in an upset of No. 6 Council Bluffs St. Albert.

Those performances exemplify how Weber has rung up a 2-0 record to go along with a tidy, .444 batting average.

After three years spurring the Sailors to great feats, Weber rarely wilts under pressure.

"You've just got to believe in yourself," said the 18-year-old, "and know that you're the man out there and have no doubt."

His mastery begins on the mound.

"He doesn't hold anything back," noted fellow Columbus hurler Eric Bearbower. "He throws hard, and he's got real good accuracy."

In the past, he simply blew fastballs by opposing batters. Now, Weber keeps foes off-balance. The occasional curveball even makes an appearance in his repertoire.

"He likes to fool guys out there," said Chris Knipp, a part-time catcher for Columbus. "He likes to throw breaking balls and just make people look stupid."

Such a move wasn't prompted by any ingenious research; Weber simply desired to expand his game before continuing his career at Mt. Mercy College next season.

"Historically, he's been a power pitcher," Goerdt noted of Weber. But "this year he's really learned how to alter his pitch sequence.

"He's not just trying to throw it by everybody this year."

His skills don't disappear once he leaves the mound, either. At the dish, Weber's 10 RBIs are among the metro's leaders.

And, defensively, his throwing arm has helped steer the Sailors out of some turbulent waters.

"He can go into the hole between short and third base to get a ball," Goerdt noted, "and has such arm strength that he takes sure hits away from people.

"He does it as good as any shortstop I've seen."

Weber learned the game almost through osmosis after following his brother, 2001 Columbus grad Brad Weber, around the diamond - and from ritualistic viewing of "Baseball Tonight" on ESPN.

Now, after three years toiling at Sulentic Field, this Sailor's prep career is slowly, yet surely, coming to a close.

So Goerdt, for one, is savoring all of Weber's highlight-reel moments.

All the knee-buckling breaking balls. All the liners to the center-field fence.

And, all the laughs.

"Right now, every time (Weber's) on the mound, we feel like we've got a pretty good chance to win," Goerdt said. "We'll miss that. And we'll miss his ability at shortstop, and his bat. … And I think we'll miss his personality.

"Every team needs a few Derrick Webers."

Contact Kelly Beaton at (319) 291-1456 or kelly.beaton@wcfcourier.com

In the dugout with Columbus' Derrick Weber …

WHAT'S ONE THING PEOPLE WOULD BE SURPRISED TO LEARN ABOUT YOU?

"I love watching the show, 'Yes Dear,' on TBS. I really don't know that many people that watch it, (but) it's really just a funny show."

WITH FATHER'S DAY FAST APPROACHING, WHAT ARE YOU THINKING OF GETTING YOUR DAD?

"I was probably just gonna get him a simple little card. … Or hit a home run and throw a no-hitter (and dedicate it to him)."

WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE BASEBALL-RELATED MOVIE OF ALL TIME?

"'The Sandlot.' It's just a bunch of kids having fun playing baseball, and that's what the game's supposed to be about. My favorite line is when they're talking trash and a guy on the other team says, 'You bob for apples in the toilet - and you like it!'"