Knight Has Two-Edged Sword : Ace Ventura College Pitcher Is Also His Team’s Best Hitter

Brandon Knight, veracious guy that he is, doesn’t pull any punches.

“I like being the center of attention,” Knight says.

At Ventura College, where the pitching staff is like night and day, the spotlight seldom moves from him.

Before a 5-4 loss to Hancock on Tuesday, the sophomore right-hander was 10-2 with a 1.21 earned-run average and 94 strikeouts in 97 innings. He was 8-1 with an 0.50 ERA in Western State Conference games.

In his previous start, a 14-1 trampling of Santa Barbara on March 8, Knight set a school record with his 10th complete game of the season, and he needs one more victory to own outright the Pirate single-season mark. Matt Shepherd won 10 games in 1987 and Dean McMillin did the same in 1989.

Without Knight on the mound, the Pirates are a much-different outfit. Ventura is 17-14-1 and 10-8 in the WSC North Division, and is three games behind co-leaders Hancock and Moorpark. The team had a 4.31 ERA in conference games before Tuesday.

“He’s your typical power pitcher,” said Don Adams, the longtime Ventura assistant who took over the program this season. “He has a live arm and he has control. He worked hard in the off-season to make it stronger.”

He didn’t forget to take his cuts with the bat, either. Knight, 6 feet and 170 pounds, is Ventura’s best hitter, leading the team in conference play with a .446 batting average, three home runs, 24 RBIs, 10 doubles and 18 runs.

No wonder USC snatched him in the early signing period in November. The Trojans apparently anticipated good things for Knight this season and he hasn’t made them look foolish. He has impressed those who have seen him pitch the past two seasons.

“Last year, he just sort of threw the ball,” said Robert Fick, the Cal State Northridge catcher who caught Knight at Ventura last season. “I saw him pitch this year and I could see he had a great curve and a great change. He’s a pitcher now.”

And to think Knight didn’t care to be one.

After two outstanding offensive seasons at Buena High, Knight wanted to concentrate on hitting at Ventura.

He batted .429 with two home runs and 16 RBIs in his senior year in 1993 and .391 the season before. Knight also was 6-2 with a 2.05 ERA in ’93 and was selected in the 55th round by the Colorado Rockies.

Knight didn’t sign and chose to attend Ventura. He could have gone to a four-year school but didn’t want to lock himself into a three-year commitment, as required by NCAA rules, before being eligible again for the draft. It wasn’t a bad idea.

Last season, Knight played the outfield and batted .343 with seven doubles and 24 RBIs. The Pirates, however, struggled on the mound and then-Coach Gary Anglin asked Knight to pitch. The freshman finished 4-3 with a 3.48 ERA.

“He became our No. 1 guy,” Adams said.

This year, Knight knew he was headed for the hill and prepared himself. He was drafted again last June by the Rockies--in the 50th round--but decided to stay at Ventura and work in the off-season on his pitching mechanics and mental approach.

“I put aside some of the selfishness of wanting to hit more,” Knight said. “The work has really paid off.”

Has it ever.

With a fuller arsenal that now includes a tantalizing change and sharper breaking balls to complement a fastball that has been clocked in the low 90s, Knight is the best starter in the WSC. His first two losses this season were 2-1 to College of the Redwoods at the Gavilan tournament on Feb. 11 and 4-3 to Pierce in relief on April 1.

Against Pierce, Knight was presented with a difficult task. Ventura held a 3-2 edge in the bottom of the ninth when starter Clint Harris, normally a reliever, walked the leadoff batter. Adams summoned Knight to shut the door.

But Knight, who had only a few warm-up tosses, yielded a single to the first batter he faced and the next one reached first on a fielder’s choice to load the bases. Pinch-hitter Casey Doherty then singled to score the tying and winning runs. The setback still bothers Knight.

“I hate losing, I really do,” he said. “To be in this program (Ventura), you have to hate losing. Winning is why you are here. Winning is going to get you a scholarship, that’s what the coaches tell us all the time. Winning is going to get you to the next level.”

That philosophy certainly has held true for Knight. He has blended motivation with talent to reach new heights. That’s why Knight, who is not short on confidence, said the success didn’t come totally unexpected to him.

“It’s not so much of a surprise,” Knight said. “I worked real hard. I’ve been hitting spots and changing speeds. My change has been really effective. Before this year, I didn’t throw much of a change.”

Or thought about change. But Knight concedes he might pass up the full ride with the Trojans and give pro ball a try this summer if he is drafted and the offer is tempting enough.

“This time I might go (pro) but there’s got to be some kind of serious money in it or it’s not worth giving up your education,” Knight said. “(The Trojans) want me to be a weekend starter and they would put me in the outfield somewhere. But they definitely know there’s a risk I might sign.”

Until then, Knight has other concerns on his mind. The Pirates are counting on him to keep them in the division race and Knight wants to enhance the job he has already done with a big finish.

“Last thing I’m going to do is take it for granted,” Knight said. “I’m going to keep working hard all the time.”