UCLA’s Scott Deals With Limited Role

The bench, that’s where other guys park. Bill Scott took a deep breath, then took a seat.

His heart sank to somewhere on the UCLA dugout floor and disappeared among the discarded sunflower seeds and old gum.

“I’d never been in that position before, and I was very upset,” Scott said.

Every day for four years at Alemany High, Scott was in the lineup. He always played in Little League, always played in American Legion.

This was his first game at UCLA, the program he chose over signing a professional contract last June. And he was a benchwarmer.

Three weeks went by. Nothing more than a pinch-hit appearance for a player who batted .615 as an Alemany senior. Then Bruin Coach Gary Adams approached Scott and suggested he consider redshirting.

“I thought, ‘This can’t be happening,’ ” Scott said. “I seriously considered leaving. But I like the guys on the team and the school so much it would have been really hard to drop out and go to a junior college just so I could be drafted again.”

Adding insult to idleness, Scott sat through three games against Stanford and watched his former batting practice partner, Joe Borchard of Camarillo High, flourish as Stanford’s designated hitter.

But instead of quitting, Scott went to work. He finally got a chance as a designated hitter and made the most of it, going two for four and breaking up a no-hitter in an exhibition against a Japanese team.

Having reconciled backing up senior Brett Nista in left field, Scott is focusing on becoming the Bruins’ designated hitter against left-handed pitchers. Thank heaven for small favors.

“Being benched was something I probably needed,” he said. “I can see that it was good for me even though it hurt so much. This is a turning point in the season.”

Scott’s swing is level and so is his head. As for his heart, he knows it’s back because it was beating like crazy Friday night against Cal State Northridge.

Scott drove in two runs with a single and his first home run, an opposite-field shot in the fifth. He walked to open the ninth, but UCLA stranded two and lost, 4-3. Scott is five for 15, improving his batting average to .333.

“He’s turned it on lately,” Adams said. “I noticed he was hitting better in batting practice and gave him a chance to play. I like the way he’s improving day by day.

Scott should be in the lineup again today because Northridge plans to start left-hander Carey Novits. Left-handed hitting Mike Hymes, who is batting .367, is the UCLA designated hitter against right-handed pitchers.

“Being a designated hitter as a freshman is good because Bill can concentrate on one aspect of the game,” Adams said. “But he takes pregame outfield and will be a very good left fielder some day.”

Despite his continued belief that he is a perfectly fine left fielder now, Scott is focusing on what he can control--the at-bats he gets against left-handed pitchers. His outlook has brightened considerably.

“The whole ordeal made me a tougher person, a better person,” Scott said. “I’ve learned to battle through adversity. I took on a better attitude and I’m back to where I should be.”