San Diego College Review : USIU’s Hendricks Hopes for Shot in the Draft

Steve Hendricks, a United States International University baseball player, set five school career records as a junior this season. But he hopes he doesn’t return to add to those marks.

Hendricks, like several players at area colleges, hopes the baseball draft June 2-4 will take him from college to the minor leagues.

Another local player who stands a good chance of being selected in the draft is catcher Bob Natal of UC San Diego, who is competing in the NCAA Division III World Series this week. San Diego State has three good prospects: pitcher Mike Erb and outfielders Bill Parry and Nicko Riesgo.

“I’m just hoping and praying I get a shot with the minor leagues,” said Hendricks, who is 6-feet 2-inches and 185 pounds.

Hendricks has not received the attention that other local players have because USIU has not had as strong a program as schools such as UCSD and SDSU.

As a senior at Coronado High School, Hendricks led the South Bay League in 10 offensive categories. At USIU, he set career records in hits (200), doubles (40), home runs (24), RBIs (133) and at-bats (591).

This season, Hendricks hit .338 with 70 hits, 52 RBIs, 9 home runs, 16 doubles and 49 runs scored.

Hendricks has had to make the most of his few chances to impress scouts.

Hendricks, who plays outfield and first base, was 8 for 12 in a three-game exhibition series against the Padre minor leaguers in Yuma, Ariz., earlier this season.

Padre scouts were attending meetings in Yuma at the time of the series, and many stopped by to watch the first game.

Hendricks did not waste this opportunity to impress them. He was 4 for 5 with two doubles, a triple and a home run.

“I know I left an impression on them,” Hendricks said. “I know I opened their eyes to (the fact) that I could hit minor league pitching.”

Hendricks said he expects to be selected on the second day of the draft (June 3), when he has a class at USIU.

“I think I may stay home that day,” he said.

The USIU women’s golf team this week will participate in its second NCAA Division I championship tournament in three years. The Gulls finished the season ranked No. 13, the highest ranking in the school’s history.

The four-day tournament at the University of New Mexico starts today.

UC San Diego’s Pat Weishan was the individual winner last week in the NCAA Division III national golf championship. Despite Weishan’s performance, UCSD finished second to Cal State Stanislaus in the team standings for the third consecutive season.

Weishan shot a four-day total of one-over-par 289 at the 6,356-yard Westbrook Country Club at Mansfield, Ohio. He finished four strokes ahead of Greg Perry of the University of Rochester.

UCSD, the No. 2-ranked Division III team, finished with a total of 1,214. After the first day, the Tritons were tied for first with Ohio Wesleyan, and Stanislaus was third. However, Stanislaus rallied to finish at 1,200 to win its fourth consecutive title--and 10th in the last 13 years.

Cal Lutheran’s Chris Groff, who played tennis at Crawford High and San Diego Mesa College, won the NAIA District III men’s individual tennis title. Groff is team captain for the Thousand Oaks school.

Terry Esquivel, a USIU pitcher, was named to the All-Northwest Region first-team softball team, and freshman pitcher Karen Winkler was named to the second team.

Esquivel, who played at Southwest High, was 14-7 this season with a 1.09 earned-run average. Winkler was 9-9 with an 0.99 ERA.

The Gulls (25-17-1) finished fourth in the First Hardee’s National Invitational championship. The 16-team tournament featured teams that were not invited to the NCAA Division I championship.

Brad Buetow, USIU hockey coach, said the addition of two freshmen completes his recruiting this season. Buetow has signed eight players to letters of intent.

The newest recruits are Tony Couture of International Falls, Minn., and Gary Woolford of London, Ontario.

Couture was a goaltender for the national junior-A champion Rochester Mustangs of the United States Hockey League.