SDSU Trying to Be Perfect But Without All the Practice : Baseball: NCAA limitations cramp the Aztecs’ style.

Aztec baseball Coach Jim Dietz hasn’t had a losing season since his fourth year at San Diego State, in 1975. Jason Ledford, a junior first baseman out of Helix High School, has never experienced one, on any level.

And with the Aztecs scheduled to open the season today at Point Loma Nazarene, neither believes his respective streak is in serious jeopardy, but new NCAA rules limiting practice time to eight hours a week have given them doubts as they prepare, or rather, try to prepare for another run at the NCAA playoffs.

“We’re a little behind,” said Dietz, who is 11th among active Division I coaches with 862 victories entering his 21st season. “We weren’t able to accomplish much in fall ball because of time limits. We have so many new players it might take us 20 to 30 games into the season before we have anything set as far as roles are concerned.”

Dietz, whose 1982 team set the NCAA season record for games played with 91, opposes the limitations.

In Dietz’s system, teamwork is imperative. And teamwork requires practice.

The Aztecs hit only 13 home runs in nearly 525 innings last season. A young pitching staff was erratic and had an earned-run average of 4.38. Still, the Aztecs (43-21) somehow managed to win 67% of their games, the Western Athletic Conference Playoffs in Hawaii against Hawaii and reached the NCAA playoffs for the second year in a row and eighth time in 12 seasons.

SDSU, 8-0 in extra-inning games last season, won 16 games by one run and six more by two runs. It averaged 2.5 stolen bases per game and shattered a school record for sacrifice bunts with 77, the old mark being 62 during the previous year.

The scrap-and-scratch brand of ball SDSU plays takes time to develop--time the Aztecs no longer have.

“Our offense is established around bat control,” said Ledford, who hit .295 last year with one home run and 19 RBIs. “We don’t have many guys who can hit the ball out of the park. We try to hit-and-run a lot, and we’ve got good team speed. We rely on defense and teamwork. But those (intangibles) take time to come around.”

A soft early schedule should lend the Aztecs time to mesh and catch up, but the schedule turns brutal after a St. Patrick’s Day showdown with USC. SDSU plays only one home game from March 30 to May 2, a span of 34 days and 16 games in three states.

For the Aztecs to be successful--they are ranked 29th in one preseason poll--Dietz is banking on an improved and experienced pitching staff, a recruiting class rated 19th in the nation by Collegiate Baseball, and a number of former East County players.

In addition to Ledford, senior left-handed pitcher Rick Navarro--the team’s most valuable pitcher last season with an 8-6 record and 3.39 ERA--and senior catcher Rick Page--second in hitting at .342--played for Helix in 1988 when the Highlanders went 28-1 and won the San Diego Section 3-A championship.

Slick-fielding shortstop Steve Dietz, the coach’s son, played at Monte Vista High. Dietz, who hit .298 last year as a sophomore and led the club with 13 sacrifice bunts, and Ledford have played on a number of teams together, including La Mesa’s Pony League World Series team when they were 14.

Junior outfielder Brad Gennaro (tied for team lead with three home runs) played at St. Augustine but grew up in La Mesa, as did reliever Mark Gapski (5-2, team-leading five saves), who went to Grossmont High.

“We’ve all been friends for quite some time,” Ledford said. “In fact, our parents are all good friends, too.”

Does that help? “I think it does,” Ledford said. “With Rick (on the mound) and Rick behind the plate, Steve at shortstop and me at first, there’s four guys who are all very familiar and comfortable with one another. We all know what the other one is going to do on a certain play.”

By position, SDSU figures to be strong up the middle with seniors Page and Marcelino Garcia (.273, three homers) at catcher, Dietz at short and All-Region center fielder Derek Vinyard, who led the team with a .383 average and 34 stolen bases as a sophomore in 1991.

Gennaro, sophomore Greg Quam (.323), senior Brent Ferguson (WAC playoff MVP) and John Wagner, a Torrey Pines graduate who transferred from Brigham Young, give the Aztecs a formidable outfield.

Pitching is another strength, Jim Dietz said.

Though roles have not been defined, Navarro, Gapski, James Davis (2-0), Clint Borman (5-3), John Lynn (2-0), Rob Callaway (5-1) and Jerry Stafford (2-1) figure to battle community college transfers Benji Grigsby (Lassen College), Jay Hassel (Rancho Santiago), Richard Juarez (Fresno City), Mike Barber (Mt. San Jacinto), Craig Kenney (Santa Rosa), Bryan Kochner (Los Angeles Valley) and Steve Trainor (L.A. Valley).

Still more incoming position players who could make an impact include: Matt Cleek (Lassen) at first base; Pat Mummy (Delta CC), Ryan Bills (Alta High in Utah) and Matt Franco (Napa Valley CC) at second base; freshmen Ryan Nettles and Doug Webb (Alta High) at third base; and freshman Malcolm Warfield in the outfield.

Nettles is the son of Jim Nettles, a nephew of Graig Nettles, and a great nephew of Bill Nettles, all of whom played at SDSU. Ryan and Webb are expected to challenge junior Tony Robertson (.310) at third.

Warfield is the son of former Miami Dolphin receiver Paul Warfield.