A New Beginning

By Dylan Hernandez
Daily Bruin Senior Staff

The boys of last spring are gone. And with them went the
longball.

After bashing a nation-leading 117 home runs en route to an NCAA
Super Regionals appearance in 2000, the UCLA baseball team had a
collegiate record 12 players taken in the Major League Baseball
Draft. Ten of those players signed with pro ballclubs, depleting
the squad of nearly all its power.

All-Americans Chase Utley (first round, Philadelphia), Garrett
Atkins (fifth round, Colorado), Bill Scott (eighth round,
Milwaukee) and Forrest Johnson (13th round, Detroit), who combined
for 86 homers, were lost, as was southpaw pitcher Rob Henkel (third
round, Florida).

“This isn’t the typical UCLA team,” head coach
Gary Adams said. “We’re going to have to do the little
things to win games.”

Of the 117 dingers that were hit last season, only 30 were hit
by players currently on the team.

Eight of those were by senior Nick Lyon, who was limited to 135
at-bats last year because of a hamstring injury. Although he is
currently out with a hip injury, Lyon is expected to be the
starting centerfielder when he comes back.

Junior third baseman Randall Shelley should add some pop in the
Bruin lineup. A preseason All-Pac-10 pick by Baseball America,
Shelley batted .294 with seven home runs in 2000. He went 3 for 4
in UCLA’s season opener against UC Riverside Saturday.

Seniors Adam Berry, Matt Pearl and Eric Reece have also shown
promise at the plate. Redshirt sophomore Jimmy Hemming hit six home
runs in 88 at-bats last year and could give the Bruins some power
at the designating hitting position.

The Bruins have adjusted their strategy to better suit their
strengths. Adams and batting coach Vince Beringhele said the team
will be looking to improve its short game.

“Offensively, it was very, very encouraging,” said
shortstop Josh Canales after the team’s season-opening loss
to UCR. “I’m happy with the way we are executing.

“We put 14 hits on the board today and that’s really
good.”

Still, the players expect to hit a few out of the park by the
end of the season.

“The longballs will come as the season goes along,”
said third baseman Shelley. “We’ll put up some numbers
that are going to surprise some people.”

If they don’t, the Bruins could be in trouble. A lacking
offense could be costly in the pitching-rich Pac-10.

USC, ranked second nationally in the preseason poll, may have
the best starting rotation in all of college baseball, led by
projected top-five draft pick Mark Prior and 2000 conference
Pitcher of the Year Rik Currier.

No. 6 Arizona State and No. 14 Stanford, too, have their share
of arms. Jon Switzer of the Sun Devils and Mike Gosling of the
Cardinal are projected first-round selections.

As for UCLA, it has comparable pitchers on par with the top
schools in its league. Junior Josh Karp is a preseason All-American
and along with Prior, is considered to be one of the top two
pitching prospects in the nation. He has a lively fastball, a sharp
curveball and a well-controlled change-up.

The other two weekend starters are seniors Jon Brandt and junior
Bobby Roe. Brandt pitched for Team USA two summers ago and Roe, a
lefthander, earned honorable mention All-Pac-10 honors as
UCLA’s No. 3 pitcher last year.

Once again, the bullpen is an area of concern for the Bruins.
Early in 2000, UCLA’s relievers had serious problems closing
games, forcing Brandt into a reliever’s role. Adams is hoping
freshmen Chris Cordiero and Mike Davern, along with sophomores
Kevin Jerkens, Mike Kunes and Doug Silva, will do a better job this
season.

Catching the Bruin hurlers will be junior transfer Josh Arhart,
who comes by way of Saddleback JC.

Arhart will be part of a defense which, contrary to past years,
is expected to be steady. Soft-handed Ryan Rasmussen, a junior
transfer from Riverside Community College, is taking over at second
base for the stone-gloved Utley.

Next to Rasmussen and playing at short is returning starter
Canales. Canales, a .248 hitter, spent the summer working on his
defense and came back to Westwood with a stronger arm.

Shelley has looked good so far at third. Reece, who started at
first base last season before going down with a wrist injury, will
play the other corner.

The squad will be improved in the outfield as well. Sophomore
transfer Ben Franciso will bring speed to an already athletic
outfield that has Lyon and Pearl.

The defensive talent, however, is yet to completely come
together. While the team has had stints during which it’s
been solid, it’s been prone to fall apart.

If the Bruins are to do as well as some expect ““ Baseball
America chose them to finish fourth in the conference and make the
NCAA tournament for the third straight season ““ those errors
will have to be eliminated. Unlike last year, UCLA probably
won’t be able to rely on its offense to produce run after
run.

BASEBALL STARTERS YEARS Original by CONNIE
WU/Daily Bruin Senior Staff Web Adaptation by HERNANE TABAY/Daily
Bruin Senior Staff