College Baseball : Adams Says UCLA Has a Long Way to Go Without Its Long-Ball Hitters

Shane Mack batted .352, hit 16 home runs and drove in 53 runs. Pete Beall batted .358 with 7 homers and 43 RBIs. Lindsay Meggs hit 11 homers and drove in 43 runs. Daniel Sullivan batted .300 and drove in 42 runs.

With that kind of production, you’d think that the UCLA baseball team had a pretty decent year in 1984. Well, it didn’t. The Bruins were only 28-32 overall and finished last in the Pacific 10 Southern Division with an 8-22 record.

Mack, Beall, Meggs and Sullivan won’t play for UCLA this season, having either signed pro contracts or graduated, so it seems unlikely that the Bruins will improve their 1984 performance, let alone challenge for the conference title.

Gary Adams, who has had only two losing seasons in his first 10 years as UCLA coach, knows full well that this could be his third.

“I think we’re a long way off from being a title-contending team,” he said. “We didn’t do too well last year, and we’ve lost our best players--the heart of our batting order. So I think you have to pick us last.”

That’s exactly where the Bruins were picked to finish in a survey of the Southern Division coaches conducted by the Tucson Citizen.

Adams accepts that “on paper, the other teams are clearly better than we are.” But he’s not very happy with the results of another poll.

“You know, Collegiate Baseball rated the top 30 teams in the country, and we weren’t included. Then they mentioned another 40 teams to watch, and we’re not in that group, either. So I guess that means there are 70 teams better than UCLA.

“What’s strange about that is that they (Collegiate Baseball, in an earlier issue) said we had the second best recruiting class in the country. Maybe they decided it wasn’t so good, after all.”

Adams, however, thinks his 12 new recruits are good. “I’m very pleased with our recruiting crop. We got nearly every player we wanted, and all of them were our first choices at their positions.”

There are six freshmen and six junior college transfers, and most of them are virtually assured of getting a lot of playing time because Adams has only one returning starter--second baseman Torey Lovullo.

Actually, there are three. Brent Brakebill caught most of last year’s games, but he’s been switched to left field. And Vince Lopez, the starting shortstop in 1983, is back to reclaim his job after sitting out last season to make up some scholastic deficiencies.

Besides Lovullo, Brakebill and Lopez, there are some other returnees who started from time to time--outfielder David Alarid, catcher Todd Zeile and infielder Gary Berman.

Berman, who was used as the designated hitter and also filled in at third base, has been moved to first base. He led the club in hitting at .361, going 35 for 97 in 39 games.

“We have a lot of depth. That’s our strength,” Adams said. “There are so many players of equal ability. We have at least two guys at every position. But I’m confused as to what the starting lineup will be. I really don’t know.”

One thing Adams does know is that his pitching staff must perform better than it did last season if UCLA is to have any chance of moving up in the league standings. The team earned-run average was 5.01 (5.83 in league games). Only Arizona’s 6.60 was worse among Southern Division teams.

“Say we do solve our pitching problems,” Adams said. “How do we make up for the loss of all that offense, all those home runs (the players who hit 52 of the team’s 61 homers are gone)? You can’t replace a Shane Mack. . . .

“There are no stars on this team. Now you know why the coaches picked us last. We don’t have any established players. Right now, they’re a bunch of no-names. Maybe by the end of the year we’ll have some names.”

A position-by-position evaluation with comments from Adams:

PITCHERS: The starting rotation has yet to be determined. “This department is a big question mark.” There are a least seven candidates for the four starting spots. Heading the list is Dana Ridenoura sophomore right-hander who was used mainly in relief last season (3-5, 2 saves, 67 strikeouts in 78 innings, 5.86 ERA). “We think he’s ready to step in and become a major force for us. We expect 8 to 12 wins from Dana.” Eric Nolte, Randy Hennisand Alex Sanchez are among the other candidates. Nolte, a sophomore left-hander who spent most of last season recovering from elbow surgery, appeared in three games and worked 12 innings (0-0, 7.50 ERA). “He’s healthy, and that’s a positive. But he is, in essence, a freshman with no experience. He has a strong arm.” Hennis, a 6-6 freshman right-hander from Patrick Henry High in San Diego, was the Yankees’ fourth-round pick in last summer’s draft. “He has a lot to learn, but the potential is there. He’s loaded with talent.” Sanchez, a freshman right-hander from Antioch High, was drafted as an outfielder by the Cubs on the 20th round. “A great athlete. We need pitchers, so he’ll concentrate on pitching this year.” Scott Marsh, a senior left-hander, would have been in the rotation, but he hasn’t recovered from an elbow injury suffered last February while shutting out Cal State Fullerton. Junior right-hander Andy Naworski (3-8, 5.54 ERA) will be used as the stopper out of the bullpen.

CATCHERS: The new starter is Todd Zeilea sophomore, who batted .306 in 28 games as Brent Brakebill’s backup. “He’s starting to develop into a fine catcher. He’s not flashy, just solid and steady. He has a quick release and is an accurate thrower. He’s not only a good defensive catcher, but a good offensive player.” Brakebill, a senior who batted .303 with 6 homers and 29 RBIs, is vying for the left field job, but he’ll also back up Zeile.

INFIELD: The return of shortstop Vince Lopez is a big plus. “It’s good to have Vince back. He’ll be one of our leaders. He’s gotten bigger and stronger.” Lopez, a sophomore, batted .296 and drove in 33 runs in 1983. John Barry, a transfer from Oxnard College, will back up Lopez. “A very good defensive shortstop. I would not hesitate to put him in there. He’s not a great hitter, but at that spot you don’t need a strong hitter.” Sophomore Torey Lovullo (.219) is back at second base. He’s also working at third with Gary Gorski, a transfer from State JC champion Harbor College. “Lovullo has a slight edge defensively, but Gorski has the edge offensively. It’s very close.” If Lovullo plays third, Hector Cano, a transfer from Pasadena City College, will be the second baseman. Junior Gary Berman has been moved from third to first. “He’s improving every day. He swings the bat well. He’ll hit no matter where he plays.” Sophomore Steve Hisey (.182) will play some at first and be used as the DH.

OUTFIELD: This department also is unsettled. Sophomore Steve Stowell (.273 in 19 games), freshman Sean Berry, a shortstop at West Torrance High, and senior David Alarid (.307), who has played left field, are battling for the center field job. “There’s no doubt about Steve’s ability. We’ll take a good look at him as our center fielder. . . . Sean is one of our most pleasant surprises. We knew he could run, but we didn’t expect him to hit as well as he did in the fall. . . . David has proven that he can play. . . . I think any of them can go to left or right.” Brakebill is being challenged in left by Jeff Osborn, a freshman from La Quinta High. “Jeff has a bright future at UCLA. He has one of the quickest bats on the team.” John Joslyn, a transfer from Butte College, has the inside track in right. “We have depth here, and a nice blend of experience and youth.”