College Baseball Preview : Stanford Is Rated West’s Best

There is little doubting the West’s reputation for producing some of the best baseball talent in the country. Baseball scouts say warm weather and good programs have a lot to do with it. But nowhere is the reputation so deserved as on the college level.

Each year, Baseball America and Collegiate Baseball, the two leading college baseball publications, rank teams. And, each year, the Pacific 10 Southern Division--Stanford, UCLA, Arizona State, Arizona, USC and California--places more than its share of teams in the top 25. This year is no different.

Stanford, the defending NCAA Division I champion, is picked second by both publications, behind Oklahoma State. Baseball America placed Arizona State ninth, UCLA is 16th, and Cal is 22nd. But Danny Knobler, an editor at Baseball America, said they could have easily ranked all six teams.

“We don’t put all six teams in the rankings because 30 of the Pac-10’s 60 games are conference,” Knobler said. “So the chances of half the teams finishing in the top aren’t good. But this year we could have ranked all six.

“The Pacific 10 Southern Division is the strongest conference in the country, top to bottom. The top of the Southwest Conference, Arkansas, Texas and Texas A&M;, are stronger than the top of the Pac-10, but then there is a fallout. No league in the country plays week in and week out the type of competition the Pac-10 does. In other leagues there is a breather, but the teams in the Pac-10 don’t get a breather.”

Stanford is still the team to beat, and Arizona State should also be strong. The Sun Devils are 10-1 so far in nonocnference games.

Other Western teams that are considered contenders are Cal State Fullerton and UC Santa Barbara in the Pacific Coast Athletic Assn. and Loyola Marymount and Pepperdine of the West Coast Athletic Conference.

Here’s a look at teams to watch in Southern California.

UCLA

Coach Gary Adams held a meeting last Monday with two of his freshman pitchers, Mike Fyrhie and David Zancanaro, and he put the heat on.

“This is the greenest pitching staff I have ever had,” Adams said. “I only have two pitchers who have faced four-year college level talent. So I had a talk with two of my young guys today, Fyrhie and Zancanaro. I told them the rest of us are not freshman like them. We are sophomores, juniors and seniors who want to win now. I told them this is not a growing season. I expect them to be successful, to produce now.”

UCLA finished second last season in the Pac-10, with an overall record of 40-25-1. They beat Pepperdine in the semifinals of the West II Regional before losing to Arizona State. Last season’s team was strong offensively, hitting 116 home runs with a .298 batting average. But despite a highly talented pitching staff, the team finished with a 4.30 earned-run average. Two of last year’s pitchers who are not returning are Alex Sanchez, drafted in the first round by Toronto, and Randy Hennis, who signed with Houston.

Besides Fyrhie, a right-handed reliever from Huntington Beach Ocean View, and left-handed starter Zancanaro, UCLA signed one of the country’s top recruits in Scott Schanz. He was all-CIF and all-state last year at Riverside North High School.

“Schanz is a power pitcher, with a good fastball,” Adams said. “But his first outing this year was a little shaky. The first batter he faced in his brand-spanking new Bruin uniform was (major leaguer) Chris Chambliss in an alumni game. Chambliss hit Schanz’ first pitch a country mile. We spent the rest of the time trying to tell Schanz that he’s not the only pitcher Chambliss has taken out of the park.”

Although UCLA lost power in second baseman Torey Lovullo (.350, 24 home runs), left fielder Steve Hisey (.298, 18 home runs), and Bob Hamelin (.362, 13 home runs), it still has three top hitters returning: center fielder Charlie Fiacco, who last season hit .330 with 11 home runs and 51 RBI; third baseman Scott Cline, .345 with 38 RBI and first baseman Eric Karros, .312 with 57 RBI.

“I feel good about the team”, Adams said. “Our defense and offense is outstanding--we can flat out swing the bats. But the question always comes back to pitching. It’s not because the talent isn’t here, it’s just the inexperience.”

The Bruins last and only trip to the College World Series was in 1969.

USC

USC was picked to finish last this season and that was before standout third baseman Rodney Peete broke a bone in his hand in the exhibition season. He’s due back mid-March.

So, imagine the surprise when USC jumped out to a 7-0 record, including victories against Pepperdine and Cal State Fullerton.

“I think we have been good and lucky so far this year,” said USC Coach Mike Gillespie. “We have played good defense and had good speed in the outfield. Our pitching has been good. We have had few walks.

“On the other hand, it would be fair to say we have been opportunistic. We have been able to capitalize on our opponent’s errors.”

Gillespie replaced Rod Dedeaux last season at USC, too late to recruit, and finished tied with Cal for fifth with a 12-18 conference record, 32-28 overall. Gillespie says the record is not indicative of the play--11 of the 28 losses were by two runs or less. Of that team, the Trojans have lost six starters and two reserves.

This season Gillespie has made up for his lack of recruiting time. And, as a result, its fair to classify this year’s Trojans as young.

Starting at first base will be Murph Proctor, a switch-hitting freshman from Muir High School. At second base is freshman Bret Boone, son of Angel catcher Bob Boone, from El Dorado High in Valencia. Gillespie said Boone is strong defensively, and offensively is a tough out, already having a two-hit game and a four-hit game. At shortstop is Cerritos College transfer Bret Barberie, who may be the most talented player on the team next to Peete, both offensively and defensively.

Gillespie is alternating six players in the outfield, including three returnees who double as football players--flankers Randy Tanner and John Jackson and cornerback Ernest Spears. Junior Jim Campanis, grandson of former Dodger executive Al Campanis, is strong as the Trojans’ starting catcher.

Returning pitchers are right-handers Randy Powers, who last season was 6-6 with a 3.66 ERA, and Darrin Beer (6-7, 4.05 ERA). Brian Nichols, who led the nation in saves last season with 17, also is back.

CAL STATE FULLERTON

The legend of 15-year Titan Coach Auggie Garrido, now at Illinois, is replaced with a man equally as well known--Larry Cochell. Cochell has a 424-166-2 record in 10 years at Oral Roberts University, then coached the 1987 season at Northwestern before taking over at Fullerton. He arrived in early September, too late to recruit, but he said Garrido left him with a good team. Good enough to be picked by most to repeat as PCAA champion.

The Titans finished 18-3 in conference last season, losing to Louisiana State University in the regionals. This season they’ve won two of three from Stanford.

“We have a fine defensive and hitting team,” Cochell said. “And we will take our pitching as far as it will go--that’s 75%. Anytime you can win two of three from Stanford, you have got to feel good.”

The Titans lost two key pitchers, Mike Harkey and Larry Casian, who had a combined 21-3 record. But Cochell said he will rely on senior right-hander Longo Garcia, who was 10-5 with 3.88 ERA last season, and sophomore Mark Beck, who had 81 strikeouts in 78 innings in 1987.

Other returners include senior second baseman Mike Ross, 1987 first-team all PCAA, and junior shortstop Mark Razook, a second-team PCAA pick. The only returning outfielder, left fielder Greg Mannion, hit .306 with 10 home runs and 48 RBI last season.

A newcomer to watch is catcher Mike Mayne, a transfer from Orange Coast College, where his father, also Mike Mayne, is the baseball coach. Last year he hit .330. He may also get a shot at third base.

LOYOLA MARYMOUNT

After a quick start last season, the Lions finished fourth in the WCAC. They led the league in fielding and hitting, but their pitching was shaky. This season, Loyola has 10 of 16 key players returning, and the Lion’s should challenge Pepperdine.

Loyola’s only key loss is third baseman Chris Donnels, who was the No. 1 draft pick signed by the New York Mets. Returning are second baseman Bobby DeJardin, who hit .352 last season, shortstop Carl Fraticelli,(.344); third baseman Don Sparks, (.356); catcher Miah Bradbury, (.345); and left fielder Travis Tarchione, (.377).

Returning pitchers are right-hander Mike Jones and left-hander Steve Surico, who had arm problems last year, but is expected to be in the rotation.

“I am hopeful our returning pitchers will take a step forward and improve over last year,” said coach Dave Snow. “Also, we think our freshman recruits are going to be good. But how much of an impact they have we will have to see.”

The freshmen Snow referred to are right-hander Mike McNary of Lakewood High School, the 1987 4-A Player of the Year, and left-handed pitcher/outfielder Tim Williams, of St. Bernard High School, the 1-A Player of the Year.

PEPPERDINE

Pepperdine, which last year won the WCAC ith a 22-2 record and appeared in the NCAA tournament for the third straight year, was ranked No. 7 by Collegiate Baseball and No. 25 by Baseball America.

“We think 7 is too high and 25 is too low,” said sports information director Mike Zapolski. “We would like to think of the team as some point in between, around 15 or 20.”

But Pepperdine did lose eight players, including three pitchers, all of whom signed with major league clubs. As can be expected, the losses hurt. Pepperdine has lost its first three games. The mistakes have been on defense, and a lack of timely hitting.

Still, Pepperdine has some key returnees in right fielder Rick Hirtensteiner, who hit .363 with 12 home runs and 46 RBI, third baseman Chris Sloniger, .346 and 30 RBI, Scott Shockey, All-League in 1987, and second baseman Matt Howard, who hit .312.

Pitching is strong with right-hander Craig Stiveson, who led the conference last year with a record of 8-1 and had a 2.72 ERA, and left-hander Doug Simons, 11-4 with 3 saves and a 3.45 ERA. Simons was drafted by the Dodgers in 1987 but did not sign.