Grafitti Could See the Writing on the Wall

Mark Grafitti is preparing for a journey into familiar territory.

For the third time in his four years at Loyola Marymount, Grafitti and the Lions are in the National Collegiate Athletic Assn. baseball tournament. And just as he has done in his previous two trips into postseason play, Grafitti will begin the tournament from a familiar vantage point--the Loyola bench.

“I haven’t had a three-year All-American career, but the friendships I’ve developed and the experiences I’ve had with the team have been great,” said Grafitti, a backup catcher and first baseman who played at Hoover High. “I’ve been lucky enough to go through something 99% of the people in the world never get to experience.”

Grafitti graduated from Loyola two weeks ago with a degree in psychology. So, it’s not surprising that throughout his collegiate baseball career, Grafitti has relied on the power of positive thinking to help overcome what some players might view as a series of major league disappointments.

“Anybody who plays wants to be the guy to throw out the runner or hit the home run,” Grafitti said. “But if you want to be part of a team, you do what you have to do.

“Someday, you’ll get your chance and you just gotta hope you make the best of your chance when you get it.”

In this, his final season, Graffiti is hoping for an opportunity to help Loyola win its first national title when the Lions open play Friday against Oklahoma in the West I Regional in Tucson, Ariz.

Loyola (37-22), under first-year Coach Chris Smith, is ranked 18th and 24th, respectively, in this week’s Baseball America and Collegiate Baseball-ESPN polls.

Grafitti, 6-foot-2, 185 pounds, made the Loyola roster as a walk-on after batting .335 his senior year at Hoover. Under Dave Snow, who coached at Loyola before taking over the program at Cal State Long Beach this season, Grafitti said he got a quick indoctrination into the importance of preparation and mental toughness.

“My freshman year was difficult but it made me a lot stronger person,” said Grafitti, who earned a full scholarship this year. “I was one of a couple of guys that Snow was on every single day. If you quit he didn’t want you, because you were weak and weren’t going to be able to take it when you were faced with adversity.

“I’m glad I got the chance to play for him because I think the things he taught me carry over to the working world, family--everything.”

Grafitti, who is batting .274 with two home runs and 15 runs batted in in 84 at-bats, has had his career slowed by two major obstacles: injuries and junior catcher Miah Bradbury.

Grafitti’s physical problems began during his senior year at Hoover, when he underwent arthroscopic surgery on his right knee for ligament damage suffered during basketball season. The knee remains unstable and requires Grafitti to wear a brace when he is on the field.

In 1987, Grafitti broke the thumb on his glove hand. Last season, he suffered a broken index finger and wrist.

However, at 6-foot-4, 210 pounds, Bradbury has proven an even more formidable barrier for Grafitti than his own physical problems. Last season, Bradbury batted .345 with 10 home runs and 43 RBIs. This season, he is batting .409 with six home runs and 44 RBIs.

“I think Mark could have started at most four-year schools, but unfortunately, from a baseball standpoint, he’s playing behind a very gifted player,” Smith said. “I think he recognizes that Miah Bradbury’s don’t come around very often.”

Said Grafitti: “A lot of people would have left when Miah came in and saw that they were going to spend their junior year sitting on the bench. I just liked the school and the friends I had here. That was more important to me than going somewhere I could play all the time.”