Without Doubt, Eby Feels His Baseball Career Hasn’t Leveled Off

If Mike Eby’s experience playing baseball could be summed up in one sentence it might be: He struggled, but in the end he always succeeded.

Coaches have doubted him. Five years ago, when he pitched on a Westlake High team that was ranked No. 1 in the nation, people said he wouldn’t be good enough to pitch at the NCAA Division I level.

The 6-foot-2, 190-pound left-hander, a senior at Cal State Sacramento, leads the Hornets in strikeouts.

“People have doubted that I could make it to the next level,” Eby said. “It started my senior year (of high school). My team was outstanding and people felt I had no choice but to win.”

Eby walked on at UCLA in 1991 and, during a redshirt season, the coaches told him they had doubts.

He ended those doubts by transferring to Pierce College, where he posted an 8-1 record and a 2.86 earned-run average. He made second-team All-State, but Cal State Sacramento was the only school that offered him a full scholarship.

“My feeling about myself is this,” Eby said. “If you give me an opportunity, I’m not going to embarrass you.”

He has 76 strikeouts in 66 innings this season, a 5-4 record and Cal State Sacramento’s second-best ERA of 3.55. He has allowed only 10 extra-base hits and opposing players are batting .264 against him.

But Eby is at that familiar crossroads again. Apparently nobody thinks he’s good enough to move on.

“I’m back to the same scenario,” Eby said. “Can this guy pitch at the next level or can’t he? I’d just like a chance.

“I’d love to have the opportunity to go on. I think I can pitch at the next level. But it’s in somebody else’s hands to give it to me. But I’ll definitely grab it.”

Eby says no pro scout has ever approached him. Perhaps it is because they’ve seen Eby endure some difficult times.

In 1994, he struggled to a 1-3 start and his ERA skyrocketed after he allowed eight earned runs in two-thirds of an inning to St. Mary’s and another eight earned runs in 3 2/3 innings against San Diego State. He said part of the problem was that Hornet pitching coach Jim Taber was a former catcher.

“Last year was probably the worst year of baseball in my life,” Eby said. “It was a nightmare that I thought would never end. In the middle of the season I had lost all confidence on the mound and I was contemplating not coming back for my senior year. I was not improving; I was getting worse.”

Eby improved at the end of the season to finish with a 5-5 record and a 5.50 ERA, but he was still undecided about coming back until the Hornets hired a new pitching coach--Jim Barr. Barr pitched 10 years in the major leagues with the San Francisco Giants and the Angels, winning 101 games.

Barr’s presence has boosted Eby.

“He’s brought back a love for the game that I lost, simply because I was lost,” Eby said. “He’s someone I can turn to and get answers. Coach Barr has really stressed pitching inside and establishing that half of the plate. Last year I was living away. I was using half the plate.

“Now I have the confidence to get the job done. I haven’t gained a pitch, but I’m throwing my pitches in better spots and I’m able to throw them when I want.”

Left-handers with good control are a commodity in professional ball, but one rap on Eby is that his fastball--which he says hasn’t been clocked in years--isn’t much above 80 m.p.h. He only has two other pitches: a cut fastball that he is still developing and a good changeup.

Yet with that limited set of tools, he will finish No. 2 on Cal State Sacramento’s career list in strikeouts (currently 221) and No. 3 in innings (239).

In both categories he has moved a notch above former teammate Roland De La Maza (St. Genevieve), who is pitching in the Cleveland Indians’ organization.

“If I don’t get a chance, I have other aspirations for my life other than to be a baseball player,” Eby said. “I may not get to the big leagues, I may not get past (Class) A ball and I may not get a chance at all. But I love the game and I want to coach.

“I’d love to pass on what I’ve learned.”

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Around the country: Distance runners Ryan Wilson (Agoura) of Arkansas and senior Stewart Ellington (Channel Islands) of Tennessee qualified for the NCAA Division I track and field championships with solid performances in last week’s Mt. San Antonio College Relays.

Wilson, a sophomore, timed a personal best of 13 minutes 53.30 seconds to finish 16th in the 5,000 meters.

Ellington, a senior, ran a personal best of 29:04.03 to place 17th in the 10,000.

Both times are the best in the Southeastern Conference this season.

* Contributing: John Ortega.