The Schumaker Fits at UC Santa Barbara

Sophomore outfielder Jared Schumaker has found a baseball comfort zone at UC Santa Barbara, and it appears to be showing in his play this season.

Schumaker is batting .401 with 30 runs batted in, and is one reason the Gauchos (24-8) are off to their best start since the 1984 season.

“He’s been a difference-maker for us,” Santa Barbara Coach Bob Brontsema said. “He’s 100% baseball, a true gamer, and I think some of that has filtered down to our other guys.”

Schumaker, who played at Aliso Niguel High, originally signed with Loyola Marymount, but was there only one season before transferring to Santa Barbara.

“It just wasn’t a good fit for me at Loyola,” Schumaker said. “I decided it was better to leave early than stay and hope things got better.”

Schumaker said a personality conflict developed between him and Loyola Coach Frank Cruz.

“We recruited him as a shortstop, which is where he played in high school, but we wanted to move him to the outfield,” Cruz said. “We decided he just didn’t have the hands to play shortstop.”

Schumaker is playing center field for the Gauchos, and said he’s comfortable there.

“There’s a lot of pressure at shortstop,” Schumaker said. “In the outfield I’m able to think about my hitting more. It’s been an easy adjustment.”

Brontsema said Schumaker has been solid on defense.

Schumaker also has made four appearances as a relief pitcher, giving up six hits and three runs in 3 2/3 innings.

But Schumaker has been helping the Gauchos much more with his bat. In one four-game stretch this season, he batted .526 with six extra-base hits and four RBIs and scored seven runs.

“My confidence has really been up this season,” Schumaker said. “Coach Brontsema has helped me with my swing, and I feel it’s all coming together for me here.

“The coaches let you go out and play and you don’t have to worry about failing.”

BOOST FOR GAUCHOS

Two other former Orange County players have given the Gauchos a boost this season.

Mike Kolbach of Anaheim is among the team’s leading hitters, batting .407 with one homer and 13 RBIs. He was 15 for 28 in seven games at the recent Rainbow Classic tournament at Hawaii. Kolbach, who played at Mater Dei, played previously at Texas. He batted .283 with 27 RBIs and 34 runs last season for the Gauchos.

Senior pitcher Rylie Ogle of Seal Beach, who played at Los Alamitos High, has an 8-1 record with a 2.97 earned-run average. He pitched consecutive complete games in the Rainbow Classic.

“Ogle has pitched extremely well for us,” Brontsema said. Ogle was slowed by injuries last season, finishing with a 2-0 record in six starts.

NOTEWORTHY

Sophomore outfielder Ryan Johnson, who played at Laguna Hills High, is batting .393 on 24 hits in 61 at-bats with two home runs and 12 runs batted in this season for Wake Forest. Johnson batted .304 with three homers and 17 RBIs in 92 at-bats as a freshman. One of the those homers came in an NCAA regional against South Carolina. He batted .420 with 12 homers as a senior at Laguna Hills.

Sophomore outfielder Ben Francisco, who played for Servite High and then for one season at Cypress College, is having a good first season at UCLA. Francisco is batting .308, has 25 RBIs and is second on the team with four home runs. Francisco was seven for 14 in a series against Arizona and was three for five with four RBIs in a game against Washington State.

UCLA junior Scott Moser (Huntington Beach High) turned in a personal-best effort in the discus recently with a throw of 206 feet 8 inches at the UC San Diego Throwing Invitational.

UCLA senior Christiana Tolson (Fountain Valley) had efforts of 54-6 3/4 in the shotput, 145-4 in the discus and 203-10 in the hammer throw in winning all three events in a recent meet at UCLA. In the same meet, UCLA junior Darnesha Griffith (Trabuco Hills High) won the high jump at 5-10 and the triple jump at 38-10 1/2. UC Irvine, Azusa Pacific and Cal State Los Angeles also were in the field.