Coach Unhappy When Waves Slugger Makes Trip to Mound

“Now pitching: Rick Hirtensteiner” are words that Pepperdine first-year baseball Coach Andy Lopez had hoped he wouldn’t have to hear over the public address system.

But Lopez expected that the Waves would be thin in pitching, and he is no fathead.

Before the season he asked Hirtensteiner, a four-year starter in the outfield, to be one of his chief relief pitchers, and he is glad--though sometimes worried--that the senior consented.

Hirtensteiner’s name has usually meant offense in his four seasons with the Waves. He is the school career leader in runs with 208 and in doubles with 56 and is among the top five in several other offensive categories.

As a senior at Buena High School in Ventura he was drafted by the Houston Astros, and last year he was drafted by the Chicago Cubs. But those major league clubs were interested in his potential as a hitter and outfielder.

He is hitting .359 and is playing well in center field. But he has also been one of Pepperdine’s top short relievers, the kind of pitcher that comes in for an inning or two, throws strikes and snuffs out rallies.

In eight relief appearances over 12-plus innings, he is 2-1 with two saves and has an earned-run average of 2.21. Last weekend he suffered his first loss of the season when he gave up a three-run homer in a brief appearance at Nevada Reno. Before he gave up the home run, his ERA was 0.75. Pepperdine won three of four games in the series with the Wolfpack.

His hitting--and his pitching--have been big reasons why the Waves, after a 4-6 start, have won 24 of their last 32 games (including a tie) and are in first place in the West Coast Athletic Conference at 13-3. Pepperdine is a half game ahead of Loyola Marymount (10-1).

Hirtensteiner, a 5-11, 190-pound left-handed batter and thrower, is no stranger to pitching.

He was a pitcher at times at Buena High and was 5-1 as a starter in his senior year. In his first three years at Pepperdine, he did spot relieving for Coach Dave Gorrie, who retired from coaching after last year.

Hirtensteiner also was no stranger as a pitcher to Lopez.

The first time Lopez saw Hirtensteiner was when Lopez was coaching at Cal State Dominguez Hills. The Waves and Dominguez Hills were tied, 2-2, in the ninth inning when Hirtensteiner came in and got a batter to hit into an inning-ending double play.

Lopez remembered that clutch performance when he came to Pepperdine, and he asked Hirtensteiner if he would help the team by making a few more mound appearances than in the past.

“I didn’t mind,” said Hirtensteiner. “For my first three years, I pitched a little bit, maybe 10 to 15 innings a year. I already have that many innings this year.

“I definitely enjoy it. I like to have the game in my hands, and I’m more into the game. There’s not a lot of action in the outfield. Being a hitter, I think I have an advantage as a pitcher; I know what hitters are looking for in certain situations.”

Lopez knew he would be looking for Hirtensteiner often in certain situations--like when the Waves are up by one run and opponents have two runners on base in the last inning. The need for strong relief pitching is underlined by the fact that in most of their 13 losses, the Waves were ahead going into the sixth inning.

But the Pepperdine coach isn’t crazy about depending on Hirtensteiner to be a stopper.

“If I had my way, I wouldn’t like him to do both things (play the outfield and pitch),” Lopez said.

“He has a chance to play professionally, and I hold my breath that he is going to hurt something because he hasn’t had enough time to get ready to pitch. I cringe occasionally and keep my fingers crossed that nothing is going to happen to him.

“He’s our leadoff hitter, and he sometimes has to get loose in the bullpen between innings,” which is not the ideal situation, Lopez said.

When Pepperdine is in the field, “I’d rather have someone on the bench get ready and pitch, rather than having to wave at our center fielder to come in. But Rick is competitive, is in great shape and takes care of himself.”

Hirtensteiner said that it “is hard to get ready to pitch. I go down to the bullpen real quick between innings, and then I might have to hit sooner than I expected. It’s tough to get loose that way.”

He said that having to pitch sometimes detracts from his hitting. “If I’m warming up in the bullpen it’s hard to change one thing for another, to get mentally ready to hit.”

From his numbers, you wouldn’t know he has a difficult time getting ready at the plate. He is batting .359 with 48 runs and 28 RBIs. He has seven home runs, three triples and 10 doubles.

And Hirtensteiner isn’t as worried as Lopez that pitching will hurt his prospects as a major leaguer--in fact, he doesn’t seem to be worried at all:

“I don’t think pitching is going to hurt my chances. I think it’s good when you can do something extra.”

He said he thinks that position players such as Jose Oquendo of the St. Louis Cardinals and Danny Heep, who was with the Dodgers last year, added to their value when they were able to do relief pitching.

Hirtensteiner isn’t the only player to chip in something extra to help Pepperdine.

Senior second baseman Matt Howard is hitting a team-leading .365, junior outfielder Richard Barnwell is batting .345 and senior first baseman Scott Shockey is at .340. Shockey has a team-high 42 RBIs, Howard 38 and Barnwell 30.

The starting pitching also has gotten stronger, and juniors Sean Casey (6-1, 2.47 ERA), a late addition to the team, and Britt Craven (7-2, 3.72) have led the way. Casey joined the team in January after playing for Pasadena City College and Santa Rosa Junior College.

If Coach Lopez has sometimes suffered anxiety over using Hirtensteiner in relief, he is also relieved that he has been able to use him as a pitcher.

“The biggest trait that attracted me about him is that it’s hard to hide a coward on the mound--and he is far from a coward. He has the mind-set that he wants to be out there, and that’s half the battle.

“He has real good arm strength. He has a fastball, a curve and plays around with a change-up. He throws low strikes and is aggressive.

“I feel a lot better with him on the mound, and I think his teammates do too.”