Woodward Earns Spot in Titan Outfield

Senior transfer Steve Woodward has taken advantage of his opportunity and moved into the Cal State Fullerton starting outfield.

“He has come on strong in the last two weeks,” Titan Coach George Horton said.

Woodward, a switch hitter who played two years at Fresno College before spending a year at Texas, got his chance in right field on Feb. 5 in the second game of the Stanford series when Chris Beck was sidelined with a sprained wrist.

When Beck returned to the lineup in right field Saturday against Baylor, Woodward moved to left, replacing sophomore Robert Guzman.

Woodward had six hits in his first 12 at-bats, and was two for four in Sunday’s game to maintain his .500 batting average.

“Woody was swinging better right-handed than left-handed in practice in January, but recently he’s been hitting well from both sides,” Horton said. “He also bunts the ball well left-handed.”

Woodward batted .240 with two home runs and 14 runs batted in at Texas last season. “After last season, I felt another school would be better for me,” Woodward said.

Guzman, a regular last season and a standout on defense in the College World Series, has three hits in his first 14 at-bats (.214).

” Robby is an outstanding outfielder,” Horton said. “He’s also one of our best baserunners, so we give up something there, but Woodward isn’t slow. And Woodward also has worked hard to improve his defensive skills.”

Horton is pleased about Beck’s quick return to the lineup.

“He got back as quickly as we could hope for,” Horton said.

Beck homered in his first at-bat after returning to the lineup Saturday and had three hits in four at-bats.

IF YOU DESIGN IT . . .

UC Irvine officials have hired the architectural firm of Salerno and Livingston to design the school’s new baseball stadium.

It is the same firm that built the stadium at San Diego State, considered one of college baseball’s best.

The old stadium will be razed and the new one built on the same spot.

Salerno and Livingston will work with Sink, Combs and Dethlefs, which built the San Jose Arena, to design a stadium with everything on Anteater officials’ wish list.

Then they will decide what they can afford.

The design is expected to be completed by late March and will then be put out to bid. Athletic Director Dan Guerrero said he expects construction to begin in the fall.

BRAINS OVER BRAWN

Shannon Anders, a guard on the Irvine women’s basketball team, and Genai Kerr, a goalie for the water polo team, were named Big West Conference scholar-athletes.

SINK OR SWIM

Irvine will have four potential Big West champions competing in the conference swimming championships, which run Thursday through Saturday at Belmont Plaza Pool in Long Beach.

In women’s competition:

Katie Ishihara is ranked in the top three in the 100- and 200-meter backstroke. Sara Showalter is ranked in the top five in the 100 and 200 breaststroke.

In the men’s competition:

Mike Riordan is one of the conference’s best in the 100 and 200 butterfly. Attila Szilagyi is among the conference leaders in the 200 breaststroke and 200 individual medley.

Staff writer Chris Foster contributed to this story.