Trojans Are Prepared for a Return to Glory

Mike Gillespie, the coach of USC’s baseball team, laid out a simple plan to change the fortunes of the Trojans this season.

“Ian Kennedy is good, and we’re going to pitch him on Fridays, Sundays and Tuesdays,” Gillespie said. “We’ll see how Billy Beane likes that one.”

It was clearly a tongue-in-cheek poke at the Oakland Athletics’ general manager, who voiced his concerns in June about colleges’ overusing pitchers.

But the comment, made recently at a gathering of Southland college baseball coaches and local media representatives, also illuminated the myriad pitching problems that have plagued the Trojans the last few seasons. That has played a large part in USC’s two-year postseason drought -- a seeming eternity at a school with a record 12 NCAA championships.

The team’s earned-run average the last three seasons has been 5.66, 5.75 and 5.51, discouraging at a school that has recently produced Mark Prior, Barry Zito and Seth Etherton.

Two prized pitchers, J.P. Howell and Matt Chico, transferred. Howell won 25 games in two seasons at Texas, led the Longhorns to the College World Series both years and became a first-round 2004 draft pick. Chico, after flunking out of USC, landed at Palomar College and was taken in the third round of the 2003 draft.

Injuries and ineffectiveness also took their toll.

“It really blindsided us,” Gillespie said. “Even with the transfers and the notable guys lost to ineligibility and injuries, it’s hard to be truthful with yourself. You still think that you have enough of this and enough of that and you’ll be fine.”

Even with five Pacific 10 Conference championships and a College World Series title on his watch, Gillespie will be out to set things right again when USC opens its season Feb. 8 against San Diego State at Dedeaux Field. UCLA, Long Beach State and UC Riverside are among the local teams scheduled to open their seasons today.

The Trojans hope 2005 will be nothing like 2004, when they were 24-32, their first losing season since 1986. “They picked on us, they humiliated us, they ran it up on us every chance they got,” a joking Gillespie said about his coaching counterparts last season.

The atmosphere is different now. With the school building a college football dynasty, the Trojans feel a certain sense of pressure to regain their place on the national radar.

Junior catcher Jeff Clement has hit a team-leading 31 home runs the last two years and returns to anchor the lineup. Many Trojans gained valuable experience last year, including third baseman Billy Hart, shortstop Blake Sharpe and outfielders Baron Frost, Cyle Hankerd and Daniel Perales.

Kennedy could lead a USC pitching rebirth. The former Westminster La Quinta High star made an immediate impression in his first collegiate start.

Matched against eventual Golden Spikes Award winner Jered Weaver of Long Beach State, Kennedy gave up one hit and an unearned run in five innings while striking out eight. He did not get a decision in the season-opening 3-1 loss, but the right-hander finished with a 7-2 record, 2.91 ERA and a team-high 120 strikeouts in 86 innings.

The goal this season, according to pitching coach Dave Lawn, is to refine his command and allow him to go deeper into more Friday starts.

“Time will tell, but I think people will see a vastly different pitcher from last year,” Lawn said. “He’s going to be facing some big-time guys, like Ricky Romero [at Cal State Fullerton] and Cesar Ramos [at Long Beach State]. You can’t sweep [a series] unless you win the first one.”

A pivotal pitcher could be Brett Bannister, who is returning to the mound after two lost seasons while recovering from Tommy John surgery on his right elbow. As a freshman in 2002, Bannister was 8-3 with a 3.56 ERA in 86 innings as a starter and long reliever.

“We’re excited about Bannister,” Gillespie said of the redshirt junior. “He is healthy, he appears to be well and more importantly, he’s not afraid. He’s not holding back.”

With the returning talent complemented by the addition of highly regarded junior college pitcher Zack Kalter and freshman first baseman Lucas Duda, the Trojans appear ready to resume their annual appearance in postseason play.

“It’s not acceptable to not be there in the playoffs,” Gillespie said. “It’s not OK to have let this thing slip. I don’t like it one bit.

“We have high expectations and I think every team on campus has high expectations.... We want to hold up our end of the deal.”

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(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX)

SOUTHLAND CAPSULES

CAL STATE FULLERTON

* 2004 record: 47-22, 19-2 in Big West Conference (first).

* Coach: George Horton (ninth year).

* Outlook: The biggest question for a deep and experienced College World Series championship club: Can the Titans play with the same urgency after an off-season of congratulations for a job well done?

* Season opener: Feb. 4, 7 p.m., home vs. Stanford.

CAL STATE NORTHRIDGE

* 2004 record: 19-38, 5-16 in Big West (tied for seventh).

* Coach: Steve Rousey (third year).

* Outlook: Power-packed lineup will be led by Big West player-of-the-year candidate Michael Paulk, along with seniors John Voita and Alberto Quintana. Pitching (6.98 ERA in ‘04) has to improve for Matadors to move up in Big West.

* Season opener: Tuesday, 2 p.m., at University of San Diego.

LONG BEACH STATE

* 2004 record: 40-21, 14-7 in Big West (second).

* Coach: Mike Weathers (fourth year).

* Outlook: The 49ers should be motivated by disappointment of not reaching Omaha. Long Beach has a Friday night ace in junior left-hander Cesar Ramos and a potential first-round pick at shortstop in Troy Tulowitzki.

* Season opener: Tonight, 5:30, at Arizona State.

UC IRVINE

* 2004 record: 34-23-1, 10-11 in Big West (fourth).

* Coach: Dave Serrano (first year).

* Outlook: Former longtime Fullerton assistant Serrano steps into a nice situation -- eight position players who have had at least 20 starts and a veteran pitching staff led by All-American closer Blair Erickson.

* Season opener: Feb. 4, 2 p.m., at Cal.

UC RIVERSIDE

* 2004 record: 33-24, 11-10 in Big West (third).

* Coach: Doug Smith (first year).

* Outlook: After 25 years as Jack Smitheran’s right-hand man, Smith takes over. The Highlanders will score, with Brett Bigler and Nick Salotti heading an experienced lineup, but there are pitching questions.

* Season opener: Today, 3:30 p.m., at Santa Clara.

LOYOLA MARYMOUNT

* 2004 record: 32-22-1, 20-7 in West Coast Conference (first in Coast Division).

* Coach: Frank Cruz (ninth year).

* Outlook: With a talented pitching staff headed by All-American candidate Stephen Kahn, Lions have visions of their first NCAA tournament berth since 2000. Cruz guided Team USA to the gold medal at the World University Championships last summer in Taiwan.

* Season opener: Feb. 11, 2 p.m., home vs. Cal.

PEPPERDINE

* 2004 record: 30-32, 19-11 in West Coast (first in West Division).

* Coach: Steve Rodriguez (second year).

* Outlook: Catcher Chad Tracy and pitcher Kea Kometani lead a Wave team that pushed Fullerton to the brink in the NCAA regional. Speedy freshman center fielder Adrian Ortiz could be one of the nation’s most exciting newcomers.

* Season opener: Feb. 4, 2 p.m., at UC Santa Barbara.

UCLA

* 2004 record: 35-29, 14-10 in Pacific 10 (third).

* Coach: John Savage (first year).

* Outlook: Savage inherits higher expectations in taking over for Gary Adams. After losing six key players, the youthful Bruins may be in a rebuilding stage with an eye on making a World Series run in ’06.

* Season opener: Tonight, 6, home vs. Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.

USC

* 2004 record: 24-32, 10-14 in Pacific 10 (tie for sixth).

* Coach: Mike Gillespie (18th year).

* Outlook: The Trojans have two of the nation’s top players in catcher Jeff Clement and pitcher Ian Kennedy, plus talented newcomers Lucas Duda and Zack Kalter. But are there still too many holes to make a title run in a resurgent Pac-10?

* Season opener: Feb. 8, 6 p.m., home vs. San Diego State.

-- Eric Stephens