Waves Looking to Avoid a Wipeout in NCAA Regional : College baseball: Orange County players hope to keep Pepperdine on a roll and avenge last season’s disappointment.

Jerry Aschoff, senior pitcher at Pepperdine, remembers last season all too well. Mostly, he recalls that whirlwind finish.

The Waves, who were ranked as high as fourth during the regular season, were unceremoniously bounced from the NCAA West I Regional. First a 5-3 loss to Creighton, then a 17-7 pasting at the hands of USC.

“We didn’t just lose, we were embarrassed,” Aschoff said. “It all

happened so fast and we just rolled over. I can’t forget that.”

Aschoff, a graduate of Villa Park High School, is not alone.

The Waves, as a team, are obsessed this season. They not only want to get back to the NCAA tournament, they want to advance further.

Pepperdine already has secured a spot in a regional, having clinched the West Coast Conference title two weeks ago. But that’s not enough.

Omaha and the College World Series have been on the Waves’ agenda since their crash last season.

“Everyone on this team has had Omaha on their mind,” said outfielder Chris Sheff, a graduate of Laguna Hills. “There hasn’t been a lot of talk about it, but I think everyone has been looking to the College World Series since we lost in the regional.”

The Waves (35-10-1), who have made only one trip to Omaha, in 1979, might just get back.

They have won 17 of their past 19 games. They are ranked fifth in the nation in the Collegiate Baseball and Baseball America polls. They ran away with the WCC title, winning eight of their first nine conference games.

Pepperdine has had balance in its success. A core of 16 players--pitchers and hitters--have contributed, including six from Orange County.

“Everyone blends in on this team,” said third baseman Mark Wasikowski, a Los Alamitos graduate. “We don’t depend on just four or five guys.”

THE LEADER

The Waves may have plenty of depth, but Coach Andy Lopez said there is one player who could not be replaced: junior catcher Scott Vollmer.

“If we lost him, it would kill us,” Lopez said.

Vollmer, an Irvine graduate, arrived at Pepperdine with what was considered one of the top recruiting classes in the nation three years ago. Of that group of freshmen, five are currently starters and three others are key pitchers.

After playing sparingly as a freshman, Vollmer moved into the starting lineup last season. He quickly impressed Lopez and others.

“When I’m out on the mound, the idea of a passed ball never enters my mind,” reliever Steve Montgomery said.

Vollmer and the coaching staff meet before each game to go over the game plan. Lopez said that more and more he is listening to his catcher’s suggestions.

“Scott has a real good feel for the pitchers and has some solid ideas,” Lopez said. “He gives us stability in the field, making sure everyone is in position.”

He also contributes at the plate as well as behind it.

Vollmer hit .313 last season. This year, he’s hitting .291 and leads the team with 34 runs batted in. He went four for five with five RBIs in a game against Santa Clara.

THE GAME PLAYER

Sheff, a junior, is not a big fan of practice.

“It’s kind of a running joke now,” Lopez said. “Getting some guys to practice hard can be like pulling teeth. I kind of have to remind Chris everyday to get him going.”

But Sheff doesn’t need to be prodded come game time. He is hitting .308 and is second on the team with 14 stolen bases.

That speed is evident on defense, too. He roams center field, and parts of left and right as well.

“I see my job as playing tough defense,” Sheff said. “I’m the middle guy, so I have to take control and cover a lot of ground. I also have to get on base and use my speed. I have to drive in runs, too.

“I guess my job is to do a little of everything.”

As proof, Sheff carried the team early in the season with his power. He has hit nine home runs after hitting only seven the previous two seasons combined.

His biggest came against USC. The Waves were trailing, 3-2, in the eighth when Sheff hit a three-run homer.

Pepperdine won, 5-3.

“I don’t know where he got the power from all of a sudden, but it made us a better team,” shortstop Eric Ekdahl said. “At any moment, he can hit one out of the park. That’s great.”

THE COMPETITOR

Ekdahl, a three-sport standout at Mission Viejo, wanted to play the day he arrived at Pepperdine three years ago. Unfortunately for him, the Waves had a returning starter at shortstop.

So Ekdahl volunteered for the first available spot.

“One day coach ask me if I had ever played the outfield,” Ekdahl said. “I said, ‘Sure, all the time.’ I had never played there before in my life. That was a learning experience, but I wanted to play.”

Ekdahl held his own and even hit .279.

Last season, he became the starting shortstop and hit .325. He was named second-team All-WCC.

“Eric is a tremendous competitor,” Lopez said. “He also keeps the team loose. He’s always up to something.”

Ekdahl, who at times answers his telephone by shouting , “Yo, MTV Raps,” has been slowed first by leg injury, then by a virus. As a result, he is hitting only .247.

“We have a lot guys who can drive in the runs,” Ekdahl said. “I just try to play good defense.”

THE HITTER

Wasikowski, a junior, went to Hawaii out of high school, then transferred to Rancho Santiago last year. Still, he said he always wanted to go to Pepperdine.

He transferred after last year despite the fact the Waves already had David Lovell, a returning starter at third base.

“Just before Christmas, coach told me I was not the starter and that I had to prove myself,” Wasikowski said. “I went home during the Christmas break and worked every day. I’d go down to Rancho Santiago and hit and lift weights.”

When the season started, so did Wasikowski.

“Lovell didn’t play bad, Mark just went out and won the job,” Lopez said.

Wasikowski did so at the plate.

“Basically, my role is to hit,” he said. “I’m to get the ball into the power alleys and drive in runs.”

So far, he’s done that well. Wasikowski, who is hitting .329, has three home runs, 14 doubles and 22 RBIs.

“He’s been our most consistent hitter,” Lopez said.

THE HARD-LUCK PITCHER

Every pitching staff has one. Aschoff fills that role for the Waves.

“It always seems that the day Jerry pitches, we stop hitting,” Ekdahl said. “We’ll get 10 runs a game for a week, then Jerry pitches and nothing.”

Aschoff, who was 6-5 last season despite a solid 3.44 earned-run average, said his confidence dropped and his ERA rose earlier this season.

“I started thinking that every pitch I threw had to be perfect,” Aschoff said. “I felt like I couldn’t give up even one run.”

Aschoff, who transferred from Rancho Santiago, finally settled down and has won his past two starts, one of which was a shutout. He is 3-2 on the season.

“If Jerry’s pitching, you can be sure the score will be 1-1 in the 12th,” Lopez said.

“He’s a battler. I remember last season, we needed to beat Reno to stay in the (WCC) race. It was so cold that there were small snow flurries during the game. Jerry went out and held them down. We scored 12 in the fifth and they called the game because of cold weather.”

THE STOPPER

The Waves’ starting rotation includes standouts Pat Ahearne (12-1) and Steve Duda (7-1), but when the game is on the line, Lopez doesn’t waste any time.

For two seasons, Steve Montgomery has been one of the premier relievers in college baseball. Last season, he was 9-1 with four saves and a 1.49 ERA, good enough to be named first-team All-American by the American Baseball Coaches’ Assn.

This season, he has picked up where he left off. Montgomery, a junior, is 7-2 with five saves and a 1.90 ERA.

“Late in the game, I start looking down (to the bullpen), hoping to see Steve warming up,” Ekdahl said. “He’s automatic. The guy has some pitches that you just can’t hit.”

That hasn’t always been the case.

Montgomery, a graduate of Fountain Valley, was a walk-on three years ago. He spent the first year as a starter, finishing 3-3 with a 4.78 ERA.

“He worked in our baseball camp during the summer and threw a lot in the bullpen,” Lopez said. “I saw some things in him that a reliever needs.”

Such as tenacity.

Last season, with the WCC title on the line, Montgomery was brought in with the bases loaded and no outs against Loyola Marymount. He got a popup and a double play, and the Waves won, 3-1.

“What’s great about being a reliever is you can pitch every day,” Montgomery said. “I like that rush.”

What he didn’t like was the end of last season.

“We choked,” Montgomery said.

THE SECOND CHANCE

A year ago, the Waves backed into the regional, losing seven of their final 13 games. Lopez said the pitchers were tired and the players’ lack of experience caught up with them.

This season, there have been no signs of a slide.

Tuesday, the Waves hit seven home runs, three by Dan Melendez, and routed Cal State Northridge, 11-2. The Matadors were ranked sixth by Collegiate Baseball and 19th by Baseball.

“That game was like a regional to us,” Aschoff said. “We unloaded. We’re going to be a tough team this time.”