Giving his all for a love of ‘the game’

Giving his all for a love of ‘the game’

Freshman first baseman/pitcher Peter Zamora will do anything in
his power to win a ball game

By Ross Bersot

Being dubbed a "gamer" early in his first year as a member of
the UCLA baseball team did not bother Peter Zamora. In fact, the
multi-talented first baseman/ pitcher has lived up to the label in
becoming the Bruins’ clutch hitter and closer over the course of
the season.

To Zamora, both roles are a natural fit.

"I just like to be the person in the center," Zamora said. "I
like to have all the attention on me. I like it when the game is in
my hands and I have to take care of it because that is when I play
to the best of my ability. Everything is in my control."

When watching him in action, you would have to agree. Zamora
seems to sweat confidence. Whether he is on the mound or at the
plate, the southpaw appears to be always in control, even when he
must bear the burden of the team’s fate on his shoulders.

Take, for example, April’s home-series with Arizona. After
winning the opener, UCLA appeared to be finished in the second
game, down 6-4 in the bottom of the ninth. A late two-out rally
loaded the bases for Zamora, who proceeded to crush a grand slam
over the right-field fence, winning the game for his team.

But he wasn’t finished. For the second time in the same series,
Zamora was called upon to bail out the Bruins, who had lost a late
lead in the eighth and were down 10-9. And once again he came
through. This time with a two-out, two-run dinger that gave the
Bruins the 11-10 advantage. After UCLA’s third out, Zamora took the
mound and calmly retired the power-section of the Wildcat lineup in
order to seal the victory.

"I used to dream about situations like the Arizona games,"
Zamora said. "I would go out in my front yard and pretend like I’m
hitting home runs.

"I love batting with the bases loaded, it’s my favorite thing to
do. When guys are on, I’m in the spotlight, it’s win or lose.
There’s nobody else. It’s either you strike out or you hit a home
run. I just come alive in those situations."

Why does Zamora thrive in situations which cause many a lesser
man to guzzle Maalox like it’s milk?

He has been raised to perform under pressure. His father is a
for

mer professional baseball player who coached his son for four
years at Capistrano Valley High School. As his student on the
field, Zamora was taught to always play with confidence.

His high school achievements reflect this confidence. An
All-County and All-League honoree in 1993 and 1994, Zamora
completed his prep-level career with 15 wins, 161 strikeouts and a
1.30 ERA on the mound, while compiling 42 RBIs at the plate.

"He’s just a good all-around player," UCLA head coach Gary Adams
said. "Usually, he is one of the stiffest competitors on the team
and has been a really clutch performer. He works hard and wants to
win.

"I can use only good adjectives about him."

Although it is not odd to Zamora that he should be hitting .308
with five home runs against collegiate-level pitching, some might
be surprised by his early success because of his comparatively low
high-school batting average.

Many NCAA Division I prospects routinely bat between .400 or
even .500 over their prep careers, whereas Zamora hovered near
.300.

"In high school I tried to do too many things with the ball, but
here, our hitting coach Vince (Beringhele) told me that you worry
about getting a base hit, about getting people a run," Zamora said.
"If you worry about that instead of hitting the home runs, then
everything will be all right. I’ve tried to learn to hit
consistently."

Starting the year in the eighth spot in the batting order,
Zamora was in the lineup primarily due to his reliable fielding
skills. When given the chance, he had to convince his coaches that
he could hit as well as field, but since practice is not his strong
suit, he had to wait until game action to prove his prowess as a
batter.

"Guys will tell you I’m not really a practice player, I’m more
of a gamer," Zamora said. "It’s kind of true. I mean in practice
I’ll put forth the effort, but sometimes I might go through the
motions. I’m always there and I’m never late and I’m always doing
the hardest job I can do, but I live for games."

If for no other reason than the competition, games are the
reason Zamora plays baseball.

"You can ask any of the players," Zamora said. "I’m real
competitive. I don’t like to lose at all. It has to do with
confidence. I have a lot of confidence out there because I like to
compete and I’m not afraid to compete with anybody."

He despises losing. He faces every game, every at-bat, every
pitch he has to throw with the mentality that he will prevail. If
they put a cannon on the mound, Zamora would step into the batter’s
box believing he could get a hit.

"It’s just the quiet confidence," Zamora said. "When I pitch, I
go on the field like I can strike anybody out. I go to bat, I think
to myself, ‘This pitcher isn’t better than me, I’m better than the
pitcher.’ If you have confidence everything goes so smoothly. You
don’t think too much at the plate and you don’t think too much on
the mound."

As confident and successful a hitter as Zamora is, he believes
that his future in baseball lies in pitching. As a reliever during
the ’95 season, Zamora is 3-2 with a team-low 3.10 ERA and four
saves.

"I feel in the professional ranks I’m going to go somewhere as a
pitcher," Zamora said. "I think my way to the pros is as a pitcher
and I think that is what most scouts think, too."

Even though he would have liked more time on the mound, Zamora
is content to help the team in any way he can and looks forward to
an expanded role some time in the future.

"I haven’t pitched as much as I wanted to, but (the coaching
staff) gave me a role as a closer," Zamora said. "They told me at
some point next year, near fall, I’ll probably start some games. It
doesn’t matter where I go, whatever helps the team. I’m not really
one of those guys who pouts around if he doesn’t pitch. Whatever it
takes to win."

As for professional baseball, Zamora dreams of playing in the
major leagues, which is a major factor in his decision to play
under Adams at UCLA.

"(Adams) gave me a list of all the pros he has sent and I was
just astonished by how many there were," Zamora said.

Zamora also realizes that taking the step to the next level in
his baseball career may cut his collegiate career short.

"If I get enough money after my third year I think I’m going to
have to take it under serious consideration," Zamora said. "It’s
probably the right move to take the money and go because I can
always come back to school and get my diploma."

For now though Zamora is concentrating on finishing out his
successful freshman campaign and on the possibility of post-season
play.

"I want to go to the regionals for me, and more importantly, I
want to go for the older guys. Every once in a while I think I
can’t wait until my junior year because we’re going to be so good.
But that is in two years and I don’t care about two years. I care
about now."