UCLA’s Adams Says Penalty Too Lenient

UCLA Coach Gary Adams says Arizona State pitcher Ryan Bradley should have been given a stiffer penalty by the Pacific 10 Conference for beaning UCLA infielder Troy Glaus in the ninth inning of Saturday’s 9-7 Bruin victory at Tempe, Ariz.

NCAA rules require an automatic and immediate four-game suspension for intentionally throwing at an opposing batter. Adams hoped Pac-10 officials would assess a more severe penalty, but they stuck with the NCAA guidelines.

“There is no doubt he intentionally threw at Troy and there isn’t a penalty harsh enough for that,” Adams said.

UCLA was especially disturbed because it appeared Bradley picked out Glaus, considered the Bruins’ best player. The Sun Devil pitcher did not throw at the first batter in the ninth, Pete Zamora, but threw two inside pitches to Glaus before hitting him in the head with a fastball.

The beaning appeared to be retaliation for heckling from the UCLA bench. Bradley yelled at Bruin second baseman Brett Nista when he backed out of the batter’s box in the eighth inning, and the Bruins got on his case.

The UCLA bench cleared when Bradley hit Glaus, who was unconscious for five minutes. The pitch hit him in the back of the head. An MRI showed no injury, but doctors advised him to sit out for five days.

The Sun Devils did not leave their dugout. They are on probation for a fight March 17 with USC that resulted in the suspension of three Sun Devils, including Bradley, and pitching coach Bob Welch. Two USC players and Trojan Coach Mike Gillespie also were penalized.

Arizona State Coach Pat Murphy inserted Bradley into the lineup at first base the following night, but after UCLA protested, Bradley was removed. Murphy claimed he forgot about the NCAA rule.

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At the start of the season, USC was ranked 13th by Baseball America and considered the third-best team in the Pac-10 Southern Division, behind Stanford and UCLA. So why are the Trojans leading the division with a 12-4 mark and ranked fifth?

One reason is pitching. All-American Randy Flores is 5-0, with a 3.75 earned-run average, including Thursday night’s complete-game victory over Arizona; Seth Etherton is 7-1 with a 3.75 ERA, and the third starter, Scott Henderson, is 4-0 with a 2.79 ERA.

Henderson, a 6-foot-3 junior, is a surprise. A one-pitch pitcher last season, he developed a split-finger fastball over the summer to go with his better-than-average fastball and has the best ERA on the staff.

“He was not prominent in our plans, but he came out and performed,” Gillespie said. “You can see him gaining confidence.”

USC has been able to win despite an inconsistent bullpen and a porous defense.

“With their starting pitching, they are awfully tough,” UCLA’s Adams said. “Any time you have three starters of that quality you are going to win games.”

The Trojans also lead the conference in batting. Their .335 average is 14 points higher then third-place Stanford’s and 49 better then second place UCLA’s.

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Every team wishes it had the solution Stanford came up with when starter Jason Middlebrook was lost for the season after only two starts. Middlebrook had surgery to remove scar tissue from his throwing elbow.

Stanford turned to freshman right-hander Jeff Austin from Kingwood, Texas, who has responded with a 3.20 ERA in nine appearances. In his best outing, against UCLA, he pitched a six-hitter, scattering six hits, yielding one earned run and striking out 13.

The 10th-round pick of the Montreal Expos last June would be a front-runner for conference freshman of the year were it not for teammate Chad Hutchinson of San Diego. The 26th overall pick by the Atlanta Braves and only first-rounder not to have signed, is 6-1 with a 2.96 ERA.

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College Baseball Notes

Fullerton lost to New Mexico State, 6-5, Thursday night, ending a 16-game winning streak. Fullerton (31-3) has won 49 of its last 52 games, including 18 in a row at the end of last season. The Aggies hadn’t beaten the Titans since 1992. . . Pepperdine moved back into the top 25 last week and is No. 22 this week. The Waves, 25-14 overall and 14-2 in the West Coast Conference, boast victories over No. 1 Cal State Fullerton and USC. The main reason for their success has been All-American pitcher Randy Wolf, who pitched a no-hitter last week against Gonzaga. The week before, University of San Diego sophomore Bart Miadich pitched a no-hitter against Gonzaga (6-18, 1-11).