University Southern California Trojans
Baseball Hosts California for Three Pac-10 Contests
June 21, 1999 | Baseball
April 8, 1999
LOS ANGELES - The No. 22 USC baseball team - coming off its unprecedented 12th NCAA championship last season - is 20-17 overall and 7-2 in the Pacific-10 Conference for second place this season. The Trojans, who have won 13 of their last 17, return to Pacific-10 Conference play this weekend (April 9-11) with a three-game series against California (15-22, 4-5) at Dedeaux Field. Friday's game is at 7 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday's are at 1 p.m.
RANKINGS - USC is currently ranked No. 22 by Collegiate Baseball. In the preseason polls, USC was ranked No. 1 by Baseball America and USA Today Baseball Weekly/ESPN. California is not ranked.
SCOUTING THE GOLDEN BEARS - California, under 22nd-year head coach Bob Milano, took two of three games from UCLA last weekend. Sophomore C Mike Tonis is batting a team-high .376 with 12 home runs and 37 RBI and sophomore 3B Xavier Nady, last year's national freshman of the year, is hitting .350 with 16 home runs and 34 RBI. As a team, the Bears have a .258 batting average and a 6.43 ERA.
THE SERIES - USC leads the all-time series with California, which began in 1924, 204-113-2. The Trojans have won six in a row, 15 of 17 and 18 of 21. The Trojans have won eight straight at Dedeaux Field.
LAST MEETING - The Trojans won all six games played in 1998. The last three victories, at Dedeaux Field on April 17-19, were by scores of 10-0, 14-13 and 5-2. In the opener, Seth Etherton had a no-hitter going for 7 2/3 innings. In the second game, USC came back from a 9-0 deficit to win. In the finale, Rik Currier struck out 10 in 6 2/3 innings.
PITCHING ROTATION - USC will put junior LHP Barry Zito (6-2, 3.62), sophomore RHP Rik Currier (3-4, 4.96) and senior RHP Justin Lehr (4-1, 5.10) on the mound. California is expected to go with sophomore LHP Jason Dennis (2-5, 6.75), sophomore RHP Ryan Atkinson (2-6, 6.27) and junior RHP Jon Shirley (4-3, 4.07).
INJURY UPDATE - Injuries continue to plague USC, and junior C Eric Munson is the latest casualty. In the first game of the Washington State series (March 27), his right (throwing) hand was struck by a foul tip, breaking a small bone in his hand. He has missed the last seven games and is not expected back until the end of the regular season. USC's full lineup has only been intact for 13 of 37 games, including three of the first 20. USC is 9-4 with its complete lineup, 11-13 when missing players. Senior OF Brad Ticehurst (bruised elbow/pulled groin; missed nine games), sophomore SS Seth Davidson (broken jaw/pulled quadricep muscle; missed five games) and senior UT Jason Lane (broken thumb; missed eight games) are all healthy again.
CLOSE CALLS - The Trojans' record could very easily be different. Twelve of the 16 losses have been by one or two runs, as the Trojans are 3-7 in one-run games and 3-5 in two-run games. Only one of the losses has been by more than three runs. In seven of the losses, USC has had the tying run on base when the final out was made, and in another three losses, the tying run was at the plate.
THE STRIKE(OUT) ZONE - USC pitchers have mowed down their Pac-10 opponents at an astounding rate, with 116 strikeouts in 81 innings, including 43 against Oregon State and 40 against Arizona ... Overall, USC has 351 strikeouts in 324 1/3 innings pitched ... Junior LHP Barry Zito, who has 90 strikeouts in 59 2/3 innings (an average of 13.6 per nine innings), had 16 in back-to-back starts against Oregon State (March 12) and Arizona (March 19). Sixteen strikeouts are the most by a Trojan pitcher since at least 1987 (as far back as USC single-game records are currently available), and Zito did it twice in eight days.
HOME RUN HAPPENINGS - USC home run totals are down from 1998, when USC hit a school-record 114 and averaged 1.72 a game. In 37 games in 1999, USC has hit 50 round-trippers and is averaging 1.35 a game. One possible explanation for the dropoff is the new bats, which the NCAA has limited in terms of the length-weight differential. But more likely, the reason is because the Trojans lost several of their top home run hitters (such as Morgan Ensberg, Robb Gorr and Jeremy Freitas) and because three of their top returning sluggers - Eric Munson, Brad Ticehurst and Jason Lane - have been injured for parts of the season.
MORE NOTES - USC has opened the Pac-10 at 7-2 for the second straight year, and won its first four conference games for the first time since 1987 ... USC Coach Mike Gillespie won the 500th game of his USC career against San Diego State on March 30 ... Junior LHP Barry Zito has won five straight starts and senior RHP Justin Lehr has won four straight starts, and both are 3-0 in Pac-10 play ... The first game of the Washington State series (March 26) was snowed out. It was actually USC's second "snowout" in the last three years (at Nevada in 1997) ... USC's 17-1 win over Arizona (March 19) was the Trojans' largest margin of victory over the Wildcats since a 19-1 victory in 1930 ... USC's five-game losing streak was its longest since 1988.
TEAM OF THE CENTURY - No other university can match the collegiate baseball tradition of USC, and it showed when Baseball America awarded the Trojans the title of "Greatest Program of the 20th Century" in its Feb. 1, 1999 issue. Troy has captured an unprecedented 12 NCAA championships (no other school has more than five), 36 conference titles and 19 College World Series appearances (second most in the nation). Legendary former coach Rod Dedeaux has been named "Coach of the Century" by both Collegiate Baseball and Baseball America. Trojan players have been named All-American first teamers 38 times, and more than 70 former players have gone on to play in the major leagues, including such stars as Tom Seaver, Fred Lynn, Ron Fairly, Randy Johnson, Mark McGwire, Jeff Cirillo and Bret Boone.
WEEKLY HONORS - Junior LHP Barry Zito was named a National Player of the Week by Collegiate Baseball and the Pac-10 Pitcher of the Week on March 23 after striking out 16 in seven innings (the second straight week he had done so) against Arizona ... Junior C Eric Munson was named a National Player of the Week by Collegiate Baseball on Feb. 15 after batting .615 with four home runs and 11 RBI in four games against Loyola Marymount and Texas Tech.
PRESEASON ACCOLADES - Junior C Eric Munson was the most honored player in the nation in the preseason. First and foremost, he was named Collegiate Baseball's Preseason Player of the Year. Baseball America also named him to its All-American first team. The team was voted on by 23 major league scouting directors, and Munson was the only unanimous pick. In addition, junior LHP Barry Zito was named a Baseball America preseason All-American second teamer, senior UT Jason Lane was named a Collegiate Baseball preseason All-American second teamer and sophomore RHP Rik Currier was named a Collegiate Baseball preseason All-American third teamer.
WHO'S NEW - Though 12 of 26 letterwinners return from the team that won the 1998 national championship, including five starting position players, newcomers make up a large part of the 1999 team. Thus far, seven of the 15 pitchers that USC has used are newcomers, including two weekend starters: junior LHP Barry Zito (UC Santa Barbara and Pierce JC) and senior RHP Justin Lehr (UC Santa Barbara). Lehr has also started at first base and designated hitter. Another transfer, junior Justin Gemoll (UC Santa Barbara), has started at five different positions. Freshman 3B Beau Craig has started 32 games, freshman OF Brian Barre has started four times and junior OF Chris Ponchak (Orange Coast CC) has started once.
PAC-10 POWERHOUSE - USC is arguably the most successful Pacific-10 Conference team this decade. Here are the facts:
COACH'S CORNER - Mike Gillespie, in his 13th season as the Trojans' head coach, has a 503-284-2 (.639) career record and has led USC to the 1998 national championship, three conference titles (1991-95-96), 10 trips to the NCAA Regionals in 12 years (reaching the regional finals eight times), and trips to the 1995 and 1998 College World Series (Troy finished as the nation's runner-up in 1995). He was named the 1998 National Coach of the Year, the Pac-10 Coach of the Year three times (1991-95-96) and the West Region Coach of the Year twice (1996-98). The starting leftfielder on USC's 1961 NCAA-winning team, he is one of just two men that have both coached and played on championship teams.
TOUGH SCHEDULE - USC again plays one of the most difficult schedules in the nation. Of the 56 games, 34 are against 10 teams that appeared in the Collegiate Baseball preseason Top 40 (Arizona, Arizona State, Cal State Fullerton, Long Beach State, Loyola Marymount, Stanford, Texas, Texas Tech, UCLA and Washington).
SILVER ANNIVERSARY - This season marks the 25th anniversary of Dedeaux Field, where USC has an all-time record of 539-244-1 (.688). When USC hosted San Diego State on March 30, it was 25 years to the day from when the first game was played at Dedeaux Field. It was a special day, as in the first game of a doubleheader, Russ McQueen threw a no-hitter against California.
ROSTER NOTES - Junior IF Kevin Schultz, expected to be the starting second baseman, quit the team in January. Junior C Josh Townsend also left the team early in the season. Junior RHP Peter Krogh was advised by doctors to retire due to the broken arm he suffered over the summer.
NEW-LOOK PAC-10 - From 1979-98, the Pacific-10 Conference operated with two divisions, the Northern and the Southern (as did the Pac-8 from 1972-78). But 1999 brings a new look, with a single nine-team conference. Portland State dropped baseball in the offseason, leading to Oregon State, Washington and Washington State joining the South's six teams. Instead of a 30-game schedule, it's now 24 games, with each team playing the other eight three times.
PAC-10 PRESEASON POLL - The Trojans are the favorite to win the 1999 Pac-10 title, according to a preseason poll of the coaches. USC had eight of the nine first-place votes. Stanford, voted No. 2, had the other first-place vote. They're followed by Washington, Arizona State, UCLA, California, Arizona, Oregon State and Washington State.
DRAFT PREVIEW - In the Feb. 15 Baseball America, the magazine printed its annual Early Draft Preview. Eric Munson was projected as the No. 2 overall selection, first among all college players. Other Trojans ranked among the top 100 college prospects were Barry Zito (15th), Brad Ticehurst (65th) and Justin Lehr (93rd). Five of USC's seven fall letter-of-intent signees were ranked among the top 100 high school prospects.
WOOD VS. ALUMINUM - USC was forced to use wood bats in its first two games of the season while the Pacific-10 Conference worked out an indemnification agreement with Louisville Slugger. An agreement was reached during the Friday afternoon game (Feb. 5) while USC was playing Texas, so the two teams began using aluminum in the second game of that series.
1998 RECAP - USC's 12th national championship was won in 1998 thanks to an extraordinary postseason run. The Trojans lost early-round games at both the East Regional and College World Series, but came back to win all eight of the games where they could have been eliminated. After losing the first game of the CWS, 12-10, to two-time defending champion LSU, the Trojans won four games over the next five days, including back-to-back wins over LSU, to reach the final. There they met Pac-10 rival Arizona State, and a slugfest resulted in a 21-14 Trojan win. USC went 49-17 overall and took second place in the Pacific-10 Conference with a 21-9 mark. Among the players not returning in 1999 are RHP Seth Etherton (The Sporting News' Player of the Year), RHP Jack Krawczyk (the NCAA all-time save leader), 3B Morgan Ensberg (USC's first 20 home run/20 stolen base player), 2B Wes Rachels (the College World Series MVP) 1B Robb Gorr, RHP Mike Penney and OF Jeremy Freitas.
USC HITTERS:
ERIC MUNSON (#3, C, Jr., 6-3, 220, San Diego) - Considered one of the very best players in all of college baseball, junior catcher Eric Munson is out until the end of the regular season due to a broken bone in his right hand. While catching, he was struck by a foul tip against Washington State (March 27). He is batting .304 with 10 home runs and 31 RBI. Munson is No. 4 on USC's career home run list with 39. He has 12 multiple-hit games overall, as well as nine multiple-RBI games. In the season opener against Cal State Dominguez Hills (Feb. 2), he went 3-for-4 with a mammoth home run and four RBI. Munson hit four home runs in the three-game series against Texas Tech (Feb. 12-14), two in the finale, including a ninth-inning solo shot that won the game. For that, and his .615 batting average and 11 RBI over four games, he was named a National Player of the Week by Collegiate Baseball on Feb. 15. He went 3-for-5 with two home runs against Long Beach State (Feb. 20). He was named Collegiate Baseball's Preseason National Player of the Year and a preseason All-American first teamer by Baseball America. The Baseball America team was selected by 23 major league scouting directors and Munson was the only unanimous selection. Baseball America also listed him as the Pac-10's "Best Raw Power," "Best Defensive Catcher" and "Catcher/Best Arm." He is a two-time USA National Team member. In 1998, Munson missed a third of the season due to injury but still earned All-American second team honors after batting a team-high .392 with 16 home runs and 56 RBI.
BRAD TICEHURST (#7, CF, Sr., 6-2, 195, Los Alamitos)- Senior centerfielder Brad Ticehurst has had an impressive 1999 season, as he is batting .311 with four home runs and 25 RBI. He was banged up earlier in the season, missing five games with a pulled groin and four games with a bruised elbow. Brad is tied for No. 16 on USC's home run list with 26 in his career. He went 3-for-4 with a home run and three RBI against Texas Tech (Feb. 12) and went 4-for-6 with a home run against Washington State (March 27). He was an eighth-round selection of the Texas Rangers in last spring's professional draft, but he chose to return to USC for his final season. Last season, he batted .302 with 18 home runs and 54 RBI. Baseball America lists him as having the best outfield arm in the Pac-10.
GREG HANOIAN (#25, RF, Sr., 5-9, 170, Huntington Beach)- Senior rightfielder Greg Hanoian, one of USC's most dangerous hitters, is batting .336 with career highs of six home runs and 31 RBI. His season-best hitting streak is eight games and he leads the team with 15 multiple-hit games. He is 16 for his last 31 (.516) over the last eight games. Hanoian went 3-for-5 with a home run against Cal State Dominguez Hills (Feb. 2) and 3-for-4 with a home run against San Diego State (March 30). He went 7-for-13 (.538) in the Washington State (March 26-28) series. It's important that Hanoian stays healthy, as he was forced to the bench at times the last two seasons with a variety of ailments. In his first three seasons, Hanoian batted .364, good for No. 5 on USC's career list.
SETH DAVIDSON (#2, SS, So., 6-0, 175, San Diego)- Sophomore shortstop Seth Davidson was slowed by injury to start the season, but he is back doing a tremendous job with the bat and glove. He is batting .328 with one home run and 22 RBI. Davidson had a season-best eight-game hitting streak (and six of those were multiple-hit games). He batted .500 (7-for-14) in three games at UCLA (March 5-7). He had a career-high four hits at Texas (Feb. 6). He went 3-for-5 with two RBI against Arizona (March 19). Seth was sidelined for four weeks due to a broken jaw suffered during a practice on January 8 and missed only the first game of the season with that injury (as a precaution against re-injury to the jaw, he'll wear a chin strap-type of device in the field). But he pulled a quadricep muscle in the Texas finale (Feb. 7) and missed the next four games. One of the best defensive shortstops in college, Davidson also had a strong freshman season in 1998 with the bat and made Freshman All-American and All-Pac-10 team honors. He batted .333 last season and hit a team-high .387 in Six-Pac play. He was also a member of the 1998 USA National Team.
DOMINIC CORREA (#6, IF, Sr., 5-11, 185, Sacramento)- Senior Dominic Correa has been one of USC's key players thus far, starting all 37 games and batting .291 with six home runs and 22 RBI. He had three hits in a game in four of USC's first five games, and also had a seven-game hitting streak. Correa had a career-best four RBI against San Diego State (March 30). Before the season, he didn't figure to be a starter, but injuries and one player leaving moved him into a starting position. That position has primarily been second base, but he has also played left field and other infield positions (and even pitched in relief). He batted .278 as a reserve last season.
JUSTIN GEMOLL (#16, IF, Jr., 6-2, 200, San Jose)- Junior Justin Gemoll's versatility has been useful this season, as he has started at five positions (all four infield spots and left field). He is batting .310 with three home runs and 14 RBI. He went 3-for-4 with a home run and five RBI against Long Beach State (Feb. 20) and 3-for-4 with a home run against Washington State (March 28). Gemoll transferred from UC Santa Barbara and was one of the Gauchos' top hitters the last two years. He was the team MVP last season after batting .351 with nine home runs and a team-high 57 RBI.
BEAU CRAIG (#9, C/3B, Fr., 5-10, 170, Santee)- One of the top freshmen in the country, Beau Craig earned a starting job immediately and took over the third base duties, though he is also beginning to see some time behind the plate. He is batting .305 with 24 RBI, and has had hitting streaks of five and seven games. He had a 4-for-5 effort at Washington State (March 27). Baseball America named him a preseason Freshman All-American first teamer. Craig was a prep All-American last season at Grossmont High in La Mesa, Calif. He was a third-round pick of the San Diego Padres last summer.
ADDITIONAL HITTERS - Junior Carlos Casillas has seen time as a first baseman or designated hitter, batting .300 with five home runs and 12 RBI. Coming off the bench, he had a solo home run and an RBI double in the final two innings of a 12-10 win at Oregon State (March 13-14). Casillas also went 3-for-3 against Arizona (March 19) ... Sophomore UT Josh Persell has started 12 times and is batting .333 with eight RBI. He went 3-for-4 with two RBI against Washington State (March 27) ... Sophomore UT Josh Self started eight times in center field when Brad Ticehurst was injured, and is batting .269 with three RBI ... Freshman OF Brian Barre has started four times and is batting .313.
USC PITCHERS:
BARRY ZITO (#34, LHP, Jr., 6-4, 205, El Cajon) - Junior LHP Barry Zito, who joined USC in January, has taken over the No. 1 starting duties and is one of the hottest pitchers in college baseball. He is 6-2 with a 3.62 ERA and has 90 strikeouts in 59 2/3 innings. He has won five straight starts, including all three of his Pac-10 starts. Zito tied a career high with 16 strikeouts in seven innings in a win at Oregon State (March 12), then matched it with 16 in seven innings one week later against Arizona (March 19). The latter performance earned him Collegiate Baseball National Player of the Week and Pac-10 Pitcher of the Week honors. Sixteen strikeouts are the most by a Trojan pitcher since at least 1987 (as far back as USC single-game records are currently available). He had 11 strikeouts in six innings in a no-decision against Stanford (Feb. 26). He had streaks of 18 straight innings with a strikeout, and 13 straight innings with at least two strikeouts. Baseball America named him a preseason All-American second teamer and the top newcomer in the Pac-10. He pitched at Los Angeles Pierce JC in last season (where he was all-state) and at UC Santa Barbara in 1997 (he was a Freshman All-American). He was a third-round draft pick of the Texas Rangers in 1998 but elected to transfer to USC.
RIK CURRIER (#8, RHP, So., 5-10, 175, Dana Point) - Sophomore RHP Rik Currier, after a terrific freshman season, is looking for similar success with the Trojans in 1999. He is 3-4 with two saves and a 4.96 ERA and has 50 strikeouts in 49 innings pitched. Against Cal Lutheran (March 16), he went 7 2/3 innings, gave up one hit, one walk and zero runs and tied a career high with 14 strikeouts. Collegiate Baseball named Currier a preseason All-American third teamer and Baseball America lists him as having the best breaking ball in the Pac-10. Currier moved into the starting rotation midway through the season in 1998 and earned Freshman All-American honors with a 6-1 record and a 5.30 ERA. He placed second nationally and set a school record with an average of 12.62 strikeouts per nine innings (100 K's in 71 1/3 IP).
STEVE SMYTH (#18, LHP, So., 6-0, 195, Temecula) - Sophomore LHP Steve Smyth has been one of the busiest members of USC's staff in 1999, having pitched in 16 games (seven starts). He is 5-6 with a 6.10 ERA and 52 strikeouts in 51 2/3 innings. In his best start, Steve went five innings against Michigan (March 3) and earned the win, allowing four hits, one walk and one run while striking out six. Three of his four wins have come in relief. Smyth is a transfer from Cypress JC.
ADDITIONAL PITCHERS - Veteran RHP Steve Immel (0-1, 5.79 ERA, one save), a senior, saw a great deal of work his first three seasons and is a mainstay in the bullpen ... Sophomore RHP Shaun Kramer is beginning to see more action on the mound and is 0-2 with a 8.38 ERA ... Sophomore LHP Ronald Flores (0-0, 4.76) is the younger brother of USC's all-time winningest pitcher, Randy Flores ... A few freshmen have made contributions this season, most notably RHP Tim Petke (0-0, 3.97) of Portland Lutheran HS and RHP Pete Montrenes (1-0, 6.12) of Ocean View HS. Petke went 7 1/3 innings in relief against UCLA (March 6), giving up six hits, two walks and one run while striking out two. Montrenes started and threw six scoreless innings against Cal State Los Angeles (March 9).
USC PITCHER/HITTERS:
JASON LANE (#24, UT/LHP, Sr., 6-2, 210, Sebastopol) - Senior Jason Lane has done very well since his return from an early-season injury, batting a team-high .348 with nine home runs and 31 RBI. He missed the first eight games recovering from a broken left thumb, suffered on January 23 during practice. He leads the team with 11 multiple-RBI games. He went 4-for-5 with two RBI against Michigan (March 3). Lane, who put together a fantastic season both as a hitter and a pitcher in 1998, recently resumed pitching and is 1-0 with a 5.63 ERA in eight innings. Collegiate Baseball named him a preseason All-American second teamer. Last year as the designated hitter, he batted .332 with 14 home runs and 50 RBI. He was one of the stars at the College World Series, hitting a ninth-inning grand slam against Arizona State and setting CWS records for hits (15) and total bases (31). His nine wins ranked second on USC's staff last season.
JUSTIN LEHR (#14, 1B/RHP, Sr., 6-1, 200, West Covina)- Senior RHP Justin Lehr is another standout two-way player for USC this season after transferring from UC Santa Barbara. He is currently USC's No. 3 starting pitcher. He is 4-1 with a 5.10 ERA and has 65 strikeouts in 65 1/3 innings. He has won his last four starts, including a 3-0 mark in Pac-10 play. Lehr pitched a three-hit complete-game with 14 strikeouts at Oregon State (March 14), and also earned a save against the Beavers (March 12). Lehr pitched six no-hit innings against Texas Tech (Feb. 14) but eventually got a no-decision. He has also been used in relief and has two saves. He also starts at first base or designated hitter and is batting .318 with four home runs and 19 RBI. He batted .500 (6-for-12) in the Washington State (March 26-28) series. He is batting .524 (11-for-21) when he comes to the plate as the pitcher. A three-year player for the Gauchos, Lehr was primarily a catcher and occasional relief pitcher (1-3 with five saves and a 7.69 ERA in three seasons).
