Ex-St. Bernard Pitcher Moves From Shadow Into Spotlight : Baseball: Although Patrick Ahearne wasn’t recruited out of high school, his career has since flourished. Now he is Pepperdine’s best pitcher.

When Patrick Ahearne played baseball at St. Bernard High, he lived in the shadow of two of the South Bay’s most talented pitchers: teammate Dan Melendez and Redondo High’s Scott Davison.

Ahearne wasn’t drafted--like Davison was by the Montreal Expos--or recruited by an NCAA Division I college--as was Melendez by Pepperdine. With his choices limited, he enrolled at Harbor where in two seasons he was 24-6 and led the Seahawks to the 1990 state title as a sophomore.

He was a first-team community college All-American and All-Southern California Athletic Conference selection in 1990 and also set a school record for most career wins.

His success led to several Division I opportunities, but his heart was set on Pepperdine and he accepted the Waves’ scholarship offer.

“He’s right up there with the best of them and we’ve had some good ones here,” said former Harbor Coach Jim O’Brien, who led the Seahawks to 11 conference titles and three state championships before retiring at the end of the 1990 season. “He is so consistent and he has amazing control. Seldom, and you can underline seldom, does he throw a pitch above the waist.”

Now a senior at Pepperdine, Ahearne has not been a disappointment. As a junior, he was named to the All-West Coast Conference team after going 11-5 with a 3.42 earned-run average. He had two shutouts and led the WCC champion Waves in innings pitched (118.3) and strikeouts (82).

Ahearne, 22, has been even more impressive in 1992. The 6-foot-3, 195-pound right-hander has an eight-game winning streak and leads Pepperdine with a 10-1 record and 1.63 ERA. He has allowed only 56 hits in 88 1/3 innings and has thrown four complete games and three shutouts.

The Waves (28-9-1, 16-4 in the WCC) are ranked No. 6 nationally by Baseball America and No. 7 nationally by Collegiate Baseball. Ahearne leads a talented Waves staff that includes junior right-handers Steve Duda (6-1) and Steve Montgomery (6-2).

“Pat is not necessarily an overpowering pitcher, but he has a good understanding of what it takes to win college games,” Pepperdine Coach Andy Lopez said. “His strength is his movement and command. He has a tremendous amount of composure and a lot of poise on the mound.”

Ahearne says an intense off-season workout program has helped his performance and confidence.

“I definitely feel stronger,” he said. “There was no weight-training last season. Last year I felt fatigue around this time. I started going down and I didn’t feel as strong.”

Lopez agrees.

“He’s not as vulnerable from about the 80th pitch on,” he said. “He’s still consistent in the strike zone after that point. It’s nice to have a pitcher of his status, in regard to his consistency, where more times than not he’s going to give us the opportunity to win the ballgame.”

Because of his success, Ahearne has become a spokesman of sorts for the team, a role he does not cherish. He is often interviewed after games and the school’s sports information office routinely mentions him in weekly releases.

“It’s been kind of distracting,” Ahearne said. “This is the first time I’ve gotten so much attention. I’m trying to handle it maturely.”

Ahearne recalls his first start at Pepperdine in 1991. He says it was a confidence booster and an indicator of what the remainder of his collegiate career would be like.

“I shut out the University of Arizona for eight innings,” he said. “We won 7-1. It all started rolling after that. The more pressure I feel the better. I pitch a lot better in pressure games because I lose focus in non-pressure games.”

Ahearne grew up in Albuquerque, N.M. His family moved to Playa del Rey prior to his junior year in high school. He says making the transition was difficult, on and off the field.

As a junior at St. Bernard he was 2-2, and as a senior he went 8-1 and was an All-Camino Real League pick. Melendez was only a junior during Ahearne’s senior year at St. Bernard in 1988, but he got most of the attention.

Melendez, who was twice named to The Times’ South Bay All-Star team, was considered the best all-around player in St. Bernard history and led the area in batting (.563), home runs (14) and runs batted in (50). As a pitcher, the left-hander finished 7-2 with a 1.49 ERA. Although Melendez, the Waves’ starting first baseman, no longer pitches, he often discusses strategy with Ahearne. The 6-4, 195-pound junior leads Pepperdine with a .367 batting average, seven home runs, 10 doubles and 29 RBI.

“I need to work on getting good left-handed hitters and Dan’s helped me with that,” Ahearne said. “We talk a lot about what’s involved in doing that. When I get to the next level, I’m going to face good left-handed batters and I want to get them consistently.”

The Dodgers, Montreal Expos, Minnesota Twins and Milwaukee Brewers have shown interest in Ahearne. One Southland scout said what may keep Ahearne from being selected in the June amateur draft is that his fastball is thought to be below professional standards.

But Art Schuerman, a scout for the Brewers, says Ahearne knows how to win.

“His fastball is below average,” Schuerman said. “Everyone looks for speed on the mound because you cannot teach a fastball. Pat doesn’t throw hard, but he really knows how to pitch. He’s very intelligent on the mound and he has a pretty good curveball.

“He throws at spots and throws at spots real well. His strength is his head. His makeup I like very much. His approach to the game I like.”

Lopez, who played at San Pedro High, Harbor College and UCLA, believes Ahearne will make it to the next level.

“I would be shocked if he didn’t get an opportunity to play professionally,” Lopez said. “He may not play in the big leagues, but he’ll be very successful in the minors.”

Ahearne, a longtime Dodger fan, would like to play for Los Angeles. After all, he was given the nickname “Little Orel (Hershiser)” at Harbor because his style resembles that of the Dodger pitcher. His Pepperdine teammates call him “O.”

If Ahearne becomes successful in the major leagues, others will live in his shadow for a change.