Bruins prepare to face top teams in Pac-10

Published: Friday, February 26, 1999

Friday, February 26, 1999

BASEBALL: UCLA needs to improve consistency to be conference contenders

By Evan Lovett

Daily Bruin Staff

For UCLA, the 1999 baseball season has been a tale of two teams. With a record of 8-11, the Bruins are beating the good teams and losing to the bad ones - a trend that will have to be turned into consistency if the Bruins are to be contenders in the competitive Pac-10 conference.

"We can be the best in the nation or among the worst in the nation in any given game," says sophomore pitcher Chad Cislak.

With four wins against teams ranked in the top 10 in the nation, the Bruins have shown that they are capable of contending for a national title. But with losses against teams such as UC Santa Barbara, McNeese State and Northwestern State, it seems that the Bruins play to the level of their competition - something that can be attributed directly to their youth.

The Bruins only have two seniors on the roster and start five sophomores in the field. Their pitching rotation does not feature one upperclassman.

"Our inexperience shows too much at times," said head coach Gary Adams. "We have mental lapses and a lack of mental toughness at times.

"But improvement will come with experience. This team has worked like crazy, I know we will get better in our weakest areas."

The weakest area this year has been the offense, something very uncharacteristic of past Bruin teams with sluggers such as Eric Karros, Troy Glaus, Jeff Conine and Eric Valent.

As a team, UCLA hits only .256, which ranks them seventh in the conference. Three Bruin sophomores are setting the pace - first baseman Garrett Atkins leads the team in hitting with a .380 clip, second baseman Chase Utley has the home run lead with five, and Bill Scott leads the team in runs batted in with 21. Scott is also the second-leading hitter at .291.

Adams is concerned about the offense, but remains confident.

"We want our hitters to pick it up a notch, which they will because it takes a while for hitters to catch up with pitchers."

In the beginning of the season, the bottom of the lineup was producing, with senior catcher Jason Green (.213, 0 home runs, 12 RBIs) putting together a five-game hitting streak. Freshman designated hitter Adam Berry (.262, 4 home runs, 8 RBIs) hit three of the first four Bruin home runs, but the production came at a time when All-Americans Utley and Atkins were slumping.

Now that the top of the lineup is hitting well, Green and Berry have cooled off.

Certain guys have been hot while others aren't," said Scott. "We need everybody to put it together at once."

Junior transfer Brian Baron has been consistent in right field, batting .290. Senior co-captain Jack Santora has provided a spark at the top of the lineup, hitting .288 with four doubles.

Defensively, the Bruins are playing well. The defense is on track for only 47 errors, which is half of the team's total for 1998.

The improvement can be attributed to two key position changes, and the consistency of Santora and junior Aldo Pinto on the left side of the infield.

At third base last year, Atkins has moved across the diamond to first base, a position that seems to suit him better.

"I feel good at first," said Atkins. "And it helps the team out, which is important."

The other key change involves Utley, who was inconsistent at best as a shortstop last season. Utley has moved to second base and has cut his errors down to four.

Santora has been spectacular at shortstop, with only six errors so far this season. Pinto is one of the most consistent players on the team and has taken over at a position that may be the deepest on the team.

Senior catcher Green is the other co-captain. He has been the most consistent, setting the tone defensively.

"Green is a great catcher, he's played very well for them," said California interim head coach Dave Lawn. "He's the glue that holds them together."

Ironically, the biggest question mark prior to the season has turned out to be the team's strength. With an abundance of talent, the pitching staff was supposed to be good, but their youth led to questions about consistency.

These questions have been pleasantly answered, as the staff has posted a 4.78 ERA, good for second in the conference. The team ERA last year was an astronomical 8.51.

So far, sophomore Jon Brandt has emerged as the ace of the staff, compiling a 3-1 record with a 2.25 ERA. He was named Louisville Slugger Player of the Week in early February after striking out 17 batters against McNeese State.

The second starter, freshman Josh Karp (1-1, 4.82 ERA), has had his ups and downs but has been in a groove of late, allowing only six runs in his past 16 innings.

"Karp has shown a lot of heart. He's pitching like a junior rather than a freshman," Adams said.

Ryan Carter (0-4, 6.5) and Bobby Roe have been the other two starters and both have shown signs of breaking through. Roe possesses an impressive 2.59 ERA, though Adams says he may be more valuable out of the bullpen.

The only pitcher on the staff who's role has yet to be determined is Cislak (0-1, 3.46), who made his first start of the season on Wednesday at Cal State Northridge. Pitching coach Tim Leary drastically changed Cislak's mechanics and he has been getting his work mostly out of the bullpen.

"I just want to contribute from any role," said Cislak. "The talent is there on our staff. This wins will come regardless of who is in what spot."

Kurt Birkins (0-2, 3.60) and Brian Strelitz (0-0, 10.38) are the left-handed and right-handed options out of the bullpen, respectively. Both are freshmen, and both have pitched well in jams. Strelitz' ERA is deceiving due to one bad outing vs. Georgia Tech.

Adams is pleased with the staff thus far. "We want our pitchers to continue doing what they've been doing in terms of allowing fewer runs than last year."

Facing their first conference opponent, Cal, this weekend, UCLA is looking at the Golden Bears as a measuring stick heading into conference play. Cal will be a good test before the Bruins approach the tougher games against ranked teams.

"Cal is a lot like us - young and inconsistent," said Adams.

With a 6-9 record, the Golden Bears shouldn't be overlooked. Sophomore third baseman Xavier Nady leads Cal's offense with six home runs and a .351 average. Nady was named top draft prospect by Baseball America for 2000.

The rest of the offense is struggling, but the Bruins will face three tough pitchers in John Shirley (1-1, 1.32), Ryan Atkinson (1-2, 5.06) and Jason Dennis (1-3, 5.93).

"This is the time when we have to start establishing ourselves as a contender," said Cislak.

Adams agrees. "It's still early, but this is where we need to start putting it all together."

The rest of the Pac-10 awaits the young Bruins, with five teams ranked in the top 20 in the nation by the Coaches' Poll.

No. 6 Stanford is 10-4 and has what Adams calls "great arms and great pitchers." Their staff is led by Jason Young, who is 3-1 with 2.31 ERA after three complete games.

USC, always a powerhouse, is 9-6, but has been struggling of late due to some key injuries. They are led by player of the year candidate Eric Munson, a catcher who is hitting .329 with six home runs.

"'SC has been bombed by injuries, but they are the strongest team in the conference when healthy," said Lawn.

Both Arizona schools are ranked as well, with Arizona at No. 7 and Arizona State at No. 10, but they have both played a weak non-conference schedule and have not been tested.

Shelley Duncan has been the man for the Wildcats, blasting eight homers to go along with his .333 average. Arizona State has feasted on opposing pitching, racking up a .351 average, as four starters are hitting higher than the .400 mark.

Washington may be the surprise team in the conference, as they have a plethora of young arms to choose from. Jeff Heaverlo is 1-0 with a 2.38 ERA for the 4-2 Huskies, ranked 24th in the nation.

The depth in the Pac-10 is unmatched by any conference in the nation, but Adams is looking forward to heading into the toughest part of the schedule.

"You might as well play the best to see how good you are," Adams said.

And in the deep Pac-10, the best is exactly what the Bruins will be facing. With their youth and inexperience causing a Jekyll and Hyde effect, UCLA will have to put together all aspects of their team to compete in what promises to be an exciting conference race.

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