Flores Caught in Squeeze Play

USC pitcher Randy Flores is on pace to become the school’s winningest pitcher, was 9-1 last season and was an All-Pacific 10 Conference selection for the third year. However, as the victim of one of college baseball’s great hypocrisies, Flores is not a preseason All-American in the eyes of two of the sport’s major newspapers.

Despite a 36-5 career mark--only four victories shy of Bruce Gardner’s school record--Flores was only a third-team selection by Collegiate Baseball and was not on any of Baseball America’s three teams.

Because Baseball America surveys scouting directors of 24 major league teams to compile its list, and Collegiate Baseball consults them when making its selections, players who are not pro prospects, like Flores, who has a poor fastball, suffer.

“What they should call it is the potential team, or the draft-likely team,” USC Coach Mike Gillespie said. “I’m not against [All-American teams] because that is something that generates interest, but they are typically never based on performance.”

Flores has said he feels slighted, particularly by Baseball America. He has a better record than any of the five pitchers on its first team, and his earned-run average, 3.50, is lower than four of the five.

The second-team pitchers include Stanford’s top three starters--Chad Hutchinson, Kyle Peterson and Chad Austin--and all had higher ERAs than Flores in 1996. Only Peterson, at 10-4, had a record comparable to Flores’. Of course, they were all drafted out of high school. Flores was not.

“It bothers our guys, I’m sure,” Gillespie said. “They won’t admit it, but it does. Randy is one of the great college pitchers I have ever seen and certainly is an All-American.”

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Flores leads a USC team (7-2) full of good college players--shortstop Marc Mirizzi, first baseman Greg Walbridge--but not brimming with pro talent. Across town at UCLA, the Bruins boast some of the top pro prospects in the nation in right fielder Eric Byrnes, third baseman Troy Glaus and center fielder Eric Valent.

The trio bats 2-3-4 in the Bruin lineup and has been putting up big numbers during a 9-1 start. Byrnes has a .405 batting average, with 17 runs scored and five stolen bases. Glaus is hitting .415, has six home runs and 15 runs batted in and has scored 21 runs. Valent is batting .477 with five home runs and 22 RBIs.

Bruin Coach Gary Adams has called this team his best and most coaches agree.

“One through nine, they are the best in the country,” USC’s Gillespie said.

If UCLA has weaknesses, they are at catcher, where it has yet to find a replacement for 1996 All-Pac-10 selection Tim DeCinces, and shortstop, where Brett Nista is batting .207.

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Long Beach State is likely to move 6-foot-4 Ara Petrosian into its starting rotation. In four relief appearances, the transfer from Cypress College has given up only four hits and no runs in 9 1/3 innings.

His inclusion means the 49er rotation consists of 6-5 Marcus Jones, 6-3 Rocky Bittle, both preseason All-Americans, and 6-7 Denny Gilich Jr.

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California might have lost its best pitcher, Ryan Drese, for the season after he strained ligaments in his right elbow on the 30th pitch in a 3-0 loss to Pepperdine on Saturday. He will undergo an MRI exam later this week. Last season, on Feb. 23, he suffered the same injury and sat out the rest of the season.

Drese is considered one of the better pro prospects and was a first-team preseason All-American pick by Baseball America. He was also the only hope Cal had of sneaking victories against powers Stanford, USC and UCLA.

College Baseball Notes

Florida State outfielder J.D. Drew, considered by many to be college baseball’s best player, is batting .353 with two home runs and seven RBIs in five games. The top-ranked Seminoles are 4-1. . . . California schools are still tops in talent, judging by the number of preseason All-Americans. Of Baseball America’s 42 selections, 15 play for California schools. Florida and Texas are tied for second with three each. The breakdown for Collegiate Baseball--15 for California and 10 for Florida. . . . Mike Gillespie, in his 11th season, will try to win his 400th game as Trojan coach today against UC Santa Barbara.

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Top 25

The Top 25 college baseball teams as determined by the staff of Baseball America magazine with records through Feb. 9 (tie games are not included in records):

Team: Record

1. Florida State: 4-1

2. USC: 7-2

3. Stanford: 6-3

4. Miami: 7-3

5. UCLA: 9-1

6. Georgia Tech: 2-0

7. Texas A&M;: 4-1

8. Arizona State: 6-5

9. Mississippi State: 0-0

10. Cal State Fullerton: 5-2

11. Rice: 3-1

12. Louisiana State: 0-0

13. Tulane: 0-0

14. Wichita State: 0-0

15. Florida: 5-1

16. South Florida: 3-1

17. Tennessee: 3-1

18. Stetson:z 1-3

19. Alabama: 0-0

20. South Alabama: 2-2

21. Oklahoma State: 2-3

22. Clemson: 0-0

23. Cal State Northridge: 7-1

24. Auburn: 3-0

25. Missouri: 0-0