Santora starting to see himself in new role

Published: Tuesday, April 30, 1996

Tuesday, April 30, 1996

Glaus' injury opens door for shortstop to prove his worthBy Brian Purcell

Daily Bruin Contributor

At the beginning of the season, Jack Santora's role on the UCLA baseball team was very well-defined. He was a back-up infielder who would see limited playing time.

Even when shortstop Troy Glaus injured his back before a Feb. 25 game against Stanford, Santora's insertion into the lineup was just meant to be a stop-gap. Santora, a redshirt freshman, was to put his finger in the dike until Glaus returned.

Well, Glaus only missed three games, but two months later Santora still has not seen the bench. His energizing play has now earned him 33 consecutive starts as the Bruins' shortstop.

"Last year I went in for one game, and I was really nervous," Santora said. "This time I just told myself that there is no reason to be nervous, that I just need to play my game and I'll be fine."

Santora has been more than fine, playing solid defense as well as surprising people at the plate. Santora is currently hitting .306 from the number two spot in the order, and has 14 sacrifice hits to break the old school record of 11. He has provided a welcome spark in the Bruin lineup.

"He was a safety blanket for us in case one of our infielders went down," UCLA assistant coach Dave Schmidt said. "He just played so well when he went in for Troy that we couldn't take him out of the lineup. We had to find other positions for Troy to play. Troy is a very good shortstop, but with his versatility we knew that we could move him somewhere else, while keeping him and Jack in the lineup."

Glaus has now become the every day third baseman, as senior third baseman Zak Ammirato is out indefinitely with blood clots in his finger. Santora has entrenched himself as the starting shortstop.

Santora's hitting notwithstanding, his strength continues to be his fielding, and although his throwing has been a little bit inconsistent of late, Bruin pitchers have enjoyed reaping the benefits of his steady defensive play.

"As a pitcher, you know that Jack is going to make the routine out, and he can also pull the outstanding play out of nowhere," junior lefthander Nick St. George said. "I know that all the pitchers have the utmost confidence in him."

The confidence he draws from others is matched by the confidence that Jack has in himself. While he may have doubted himself last year, that doubt has disappeared this year.

"When I got the chance to start this year, I felt as though I could really make a difference," Santora said. "On defense, I just try to play with confidence, and let the pitchers know that I am 100 percent behind them. If they are confident in me, I think that makes them better."

Post-season awards are still well off in the future, and Santora's lack of power numbers may hurt him in consideration for freshman awards. He has gained the respect of other Six-Pac coaches, however, most of whom probably didn't know much about him before the season started.

"What I've seen from Santora has been impressive," Stanford head coach Mark Marquess said. "He's obviously a good fielder, but he also handles the bat very well. They are fortunate to have had such a good player on the bench."

It would seem that stepping in for an All-American such as Glaus who also happens to be Santora's roommate would be be a daunting task for anyone. Santora, however, downplays what he has done.

"I believe that anyone on our bench would be able to step in and play well at their position," Santora said. "I just happened to get the chance, and thank God I did a good job. I wish that it wouldn't have taken Troy's injury to get me in the lineup, but that's the way it worked out, and now we're both in the lineup."

Of his 41 hits, just three have gone for extra bases (all doubles), but he has struck out less than any player with a comparable number of at-bats, and has contributed to many Bruin rallies with his ability to simply execute at the plate.

It is Santora's willingness to not try to do too much at the plate that has made him such an effective hitter. He doesn't swing for extra bases, instead trying to use his speed and ability to make contact to his best advantage.

"Jackie's hitting may be a surprise to everyone else, but it's not a surprise to us," hitting coach Vince Beringhele said. "He's done everything that we've asked him to do."

ANDREW SCHOLER/Daily Bruin

Shortstop Jack Santora earned respect and a starting role after replacing an injured Troy Glaus in the lineup.