Loyola 9 Gives Lions Another Powerhouse

Offense isn’t only the province of basketball at Loyola Marymount.

Loyola’s baseball team opened the season this week by beating U.S. International, 20-12, giving promise of an offensive powerhouse for the coaching debut of Chris Smith.

Smith replaces Dave Snow, who moved to Long Beach State after the most productive four-year coaching stint in Loyola history. The Lions were 48-18 last year and played in the NCAA Regionals. In 1986, Snow took the Lions to the Western Regional title and to the College World Series.

Unlike Snow, Smith inherits an established team for the West Coast Athletic Conference race. Smith is no stranger to Loyola’s recent winning tradition. He was Snow’s chief assistant when the Lions went to Omaha and recruited many of the players still on the roster. He returned to Loyola after two seasons of managing and scouting in the minor leagues.

The Lions return much of last year’s powerful lineup--which hit .345--as well as a good portion of the pitching rotation. Loyola is one of three West Coast Athletic Conference teams rated in the Top 30 by Collegiate Baseball (Pepperdine and Santa Clara are the others). In Baseball America’s preseason poll, the Lions were ranked No. 8. Smith doesn’t want to put that kind of pressure on his team yet.

“We’re going to be a good team. The ranking right now is nice but not realistic,” Smith said. “We’re going to take our lumps in the early season. By midway, I think we’ll be a pretty good team.”

It will be similar to recent Loyola teams. “We’ll be able to swing the bats. Legitimately, that’s the best thing we’ll do,” Smith said. “We don’t have a lot of speed. We’ll play for more big innings, though I don’t necessarily like to.”

The known factors are slugging outfielders Travis Tarchione and Brian Turang, catcher Miah Bradbury, third baseman Rick Allen, designated hitter-catcher Mark Grafitti and first baseman Greg Wall. Center fielder Turang led the Lions in home runs (15) and stolen bases (19) as a junior while batting .362. Tarchione batted .386 with a school-record 120 hits and 67 runs batted in. Bradbury, a strong defensive catcher, missed much of the preconference schedule with an injury but came back to bat .486 in WCAC games and was one of the standouts in the NCAA Regional at Oklahoma State.

Grafitti hit .354, Allen .341 and Wall .333. Outfielder-first baseman Tim Williams (.264) began to come on at the end of his freshman year and will platoon at several positions, along with talented freshman Joe Ciccarella.

The key is the double-play combination, which was in the hands of Carl Fraticelli and Bobby DeJardin for three years. Both have gone to the pros, and Smith is breaking in sophomore Darrel Deak at short and junior Joe Bellezzo, a transfer from Nevada-Las Vegas, at second.

Despite some good front-line pitching and a strong bullpen closer, the Lions found themselves thin on the mound during the WCAC race last year. The WCAC plays weekend series of four games in three days, taxing pitching staffs that lack depth.

To bolster the staff that returns sophomore right-hander Mike McNary (9-3 last year), junior left-hander Steve Surico (12-2) and bullpen ace Darryl Scott (6-3, 13 saves), Smith has brought in freshman Joe Caruso from Casa Grande High School in Northern California and sophomore Jon Willard, a transfer from Baylor. Senior Kalani Bush and freshman Brian Walker out of Capistrano Valley High will round out the rotation as spot starters and long relievers. Brian Clancy backs Scott in the bullpen.

“Bush may be the key guy,” Smith said. “If he has a good year, the others have proven they can pitch.”

The Lions will be tested early. They play a home-and-home series with UCLA, two games at USC, a three-game series next weekend at Stanford, a three-game series at UC Berkeley and a home-and-home series with Cal State Fullerton before opening WCAC play in mid-March. The season climaxes with a four-game weekend series against Pepperdine in the first weekend of May.

By then, the Smitty Era should be off and running.