Bruins prepare to face top teams in Pac-10

Friday, February 26, 1999

Bruins prepare to face top teams in Pac-10

BASEBALL: UCLA needs to improve consistency to be conference
contenders

By Evan Lovett

Daily Bruin Staff

For UCLA, the 1999 baseball season has been a tale of two teams.
With a record of 8-11, the Bruins are beating the good teams and
losing to the bad ones – a trend that will have to be turned into
consistency if the Bruins are to be contenders in the competitive
Pac-10 conference.

"We can be the best in the nation or among the worst in the
nation in any given game," says sophomore pitcher Chad Cislak.

With four wins against teams ranked in the top 10 in the nation,
the Bruins have shown that they are capable of contending for a
national title. But with losses against teams such as UC Santa
Barbara, McNeese State and Northwestern State, it seems that the
Bruins play to the level of their competition – something that can
be attributed directly to their youth.

The Bruins only have two seniors on the roster and start five
sophomores in the field. Their pitching rotation does not feature
one upperclassman.

"Our inexperience shows too much at times," said head coach Gary
Adams. "We have mental lapses and a lack of mental toughness at
times.

"But improvement will come with experience. This team has worked
like crazy, I know we will get better in our weakest areas."

The weakest area this year has been the offense, something very
uncharacteristic of past Bruin teams with sluggers such as Eric
Karros, Troy Glaus, Jeff Conine and Eric Valent.

As a team, UCLA hits only .256, which ranks them seventh in the
conference. Three Bruin sophomores are setting the pace – first
baseman Garrett Atkins leads the team in hitting with a .380 clip,
second baseman Chase Utley has the home run lead with five, and
Bill Scott leads the team in runs batted in with 21. Scott is also
the second-leading hitter at .291.

Adams is concerned about the offense, but remains confident.

"We want our hitters to pick it up a notch, which they will
because it takes a while for hitters to catch up with
pitchers."

In the beginning of the season, the bottom of the lineup was
producing, with senior catcher Jason Green (.213, 0 home runs, 12
RBIs) putting together a five-game hitting streak. Freshman
designated hitter Adam Berry (.262, 4 home runs, 8 RBIs) hit three
of the first four Bruin home runs, but the production came at a
time when All-Americans Utley and Atkins were slumping.

Now that the top of the lineup is hitting well, Green and Berry
have cooled off.

Certain guys have been hot while others aren’t," said Scott. "We
need everybody to put it together at once."

Junior transfer Brian Baron has been consistent in right field,
batting .290. Senior co-captain Jack Santora has provided a spark
at the top of the lineup, hitting .288 with four doubles.

Defensively, the Bruins are playing well. The defense is on
track for only 47 errors, which is half of the team’s total for
1998.

The improvement can be attributed to two key position changes,
and the consistency of Santora and junior Aldo Pinto on the left
side of the infield.

At third base last year, Atkins has moved across the diamond to
first base, a position that seems to suit him better.

"I feel good at first," said Atkins. "And it helps the team out,
which is important."

The other key change involves Utley, who was inconsistent at
best as a shortstop last season. Utley has moved to second base and
has cut his errors down to four.

Santora has been spectacular at shortstop, with only six errors
so far this season. Pinto is one of the most consistent players on
the team and has taken over at a position that may be the deepest
on the team.

Senior catcher Green is the other co-captain. He has been the
most consistent, setting the tone defensively.

"Green is a great catcher, he’s played very well for them," said
California interim head coach Dave Lawn. "He’s the glue that holds
them together."

Ironically, the biggest question mark prior to the season has
turned out to be the team’s strength. With an abundance of talent,
the pitching staff was supposed to be good, but their youth led to
questions about consistency.

These questions have been pleasantly answered, as the staff has
posted a 4.78 ERA, good for second in the conference. The team ERA
last year was an astronomical 8.51.

So far, sophomore Jon Brandt has emerged as the ace of the
staff, compiling a 3-1 record with a 2.25 ERA. He was named
Louisville Slugger Player of the Week in early February after
striking out 17 batters against McNeese State.

The second starter, freshman Josh Karp (1-1, 4.82 ERA), has had
his ups and downs but has been in a groove of late, allowing only
six runs in his past 16 innings.

"Karp has shown a lot of heart. He’s pitching like a junior
rather than a freshman," Adams said.

Ryan Carter (0-4, 6.5) and Bobby Roe have been the other two
starters and both have shown signs of breaking through. Roe
possesses an impressive 2.59 ERA, though Adams says he may be more
valuable out of the bullpen.

The only pitcher on the staff who’s role has yet to be
determined is Cislak (0-1, 3.46), who made his first start of the
season on Wednesday at Cal State Northridge. Pitching coach Tim
Leary drastically changed Cislak’s mechanics and he has been
getting his work mostly out of the bullpen.

"I just want to contribute from any role," said Cislak. "The
talent is there on our staff. This wins will come regardless of who
is in what spot."

Kurt Birkins (0-2, 3.60) and Brian Strelitz (0-0, 10.38) are the
left-handed and right-handed options out of the bullpen,
respectively. Both are freshmen, and both have pitched well in
jams. Strelitz’ ERA is deceiving due to one bad outing vs. Georgia
Tech.

Adams is pleased with the staff thus far. "We want our pitchers
to continue doing what they’ve been doing in terms of allowing
fewer runs than last year."

Facing their first conference opponent, Cal, this weekend, UCLA
is looking at the Golden Bears as a measuring stick heading into
conference play. Cal will be a good test before the Bruins approach
the tougher games against ranked teams.

"Cal is a lot like us – young and inconsistent," said Adams.

With a 6-9 record, the Golden Bears shouldn’t be overlooked.
Sophomore third baseman Xavier Nady leads Cal’s offense with six
home runs and a .351 average. Nady was named top draft prospect by
Baseball America for 2000.

The rest of the offense is struggling, but the Bruins will face
three tough pitchers in John Shirley (1-1, 1.32), Ryan Atkinson
(1-2, 5.06) and Jason Dennis (1-3, 5.93).

"This is the time when we have to start establishing ourselves
as a contender," said Cislak.

Adams agrees. "It’s still early, but this is where we need to
start putting it all together."

The rest of the Pac-10 awaits the young Bruins, with five teams
ranked in the top 20 in the nation by the Coaches’ Poll.

No. 6 Stanford is 10-4 and has what Adams calls "great arms and
great pitchers." Their staff is led by Jason Young, who is 3-1 with
2.31 ERA after three complete games.

USC, always a powerhouse, is 9-6, but has been struggling of
late due to some key injuries. They are led by player of the year
candidate Eric Munson, a catcher who is hitting .329 with six home
runs.

"’SC has been bombed by injuries, but they are the strongest
team in the conference when healthy," said Lawn.

Both Arizona schools are ranked as well, with Arizona at No. 7
and Arizona State at No. 10, but they have both played a weak
non-conference schedule and have not been tested.

Shelley Duncan has been the man for the Wildcats, blasting eight
homers to go along with his .333 average. Arizona State has feasted
on opposing pitching, racking up a .351 average, as four starters
are hitting higher than the .400 mark.

Washington may be the surprise team in the conference, as they
have a plethora of young arms to choose from. Jeff Heaverlo is 1-0
with a 2.38 ERA for the 4-2 Huskies, ranked 24th in the nation.

The depth in the Pac-10 is unmatched by any conference in the
nation, but Adams is looking forward to heading into the toughest
part of the schedule.

"You might as well play the best to see how good you are," Adams
said.

And in the deep Pac-10, the best is exactly what the Bruins will
be facing. With their youth and inexperience causing a Jekyll and
Hyde effect, UCLA will have to put together all aspects of their
team to compete in what promises to be an exciting conference
race.

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