Baseball Battles for First Place in Pac-10

April 14, 1999

LOS ANGELES - The No. 22 USC baseball team -coming off its unprecedented 12th NCAA championship last season, is 24-17 overall and 10-2 in the Pacific-10 Conference for second place this season. The Trojans travel to Stanford (26-9, 11-1) this weekend (April 16-18) for a three-game Pacific-10 Conference series that features the top two teams in the league. Friday's game is at 7 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday's are at 1 p.m. USC is starting a stretch of seven straight games on the road.

RANKINGS - USC is currently ranked No. 22 by Collegiate Baseball and No. 24 by Baseball America. In the preseason polls, USC was ranked No. 1 by Baseball America and USA Today Baseball Weekly/ESPN. Stanford is ranked a unanimous No. 2 by the three polls.

ON THE INTERNET - USC will broadcast all remaining conference games over the internet, including this weekend's series at Stanford. Go to www.usctrojans.com or www.broadcast.com to tune in. USC sophomore Isaac Lowenkron will call the action. Fans can also log onto www.usctrojans.com for press releases, game recaps and historical archives.

THE SERIES - USC leads the all-time series, which began in 1923, 188-129-3. Stanford took two of three non-conference games earlier this season (Feb. 26-28) at Dedeaux Field. The Cardinal won the first two by scores of 10-7 and 5-2, while the Trojans won the finale, 9-7. In the last game, USC's Jason Lane had a go-ahead double in the sixth inning and Steve Smyth pitched 3 2/3 innings of excellent relief to get the win. In 1998, the Trojans won two of three games at Sunken Diamond. USC has also won 10 of the last 14 meetings there.

PITCHING ROTATION - USC will put junior LHP Barry Zito (7-2, 3.61) and senior RHP Justin Lehr (5-1, 4.70) on the mound on Friday and Sunday, respectively. Saturday's starter is TBA. Stanford will go with sophomore RHP Jason Young (6-2, 2.65), sophomore RHP Justin Wayne (3-1, 5.74) and freshman RHP Brian Sager (3-0, 3.60).

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 11 games and is not expected back until the end of the regular season. USC's full lineup has only been intact for 13 of 41 games, including three of the first 20. USC is 9-4 with its complete lineup, 15-13 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.

WARMING UP - USC has been able to overcome its injuries and slow start, as the Trojans have won nine of their last 10 games. And since beginning the season 4-11, USC is 20-6. Also, the Trojans have opened the Pac-10 at 10-2 for the second straight year, and won their first four conference games for the first time since 1987.

THE STRIKE(OUT) ZONE - USC junior LHP Barry Zito ranks sixth in the country with an average of 12.7 strikeouts per nine innings (95 K's in 67 1/3 innings) ... Zito had 16 strikeouts 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 ... USC pitchers have mowed down their Pac-10 opponents at an astounding rate, with 143 strikeouts in 108 innings, including 43 against Oregon State and 40 against Arizona ... Overall, USC has 384 strikeouts in 360 1/3 innings pitched.

HOME RUN HAPPENINGS - Senior OF Brad Ticehurst has 28 career home runs, tying him for No. 11 on USC's list. His next home run will put him into the top 10 ... USC home run totals are down from 1998, when USC hit a school-record 114 and averaged 1.72 a game. In 41 games in 1999, USC has hit 53 round-trippers and is averaging 1.29 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.

CLOSE CALLS - The Trojans' record could very easily be different. Twelve of the 17 losses have been by one or two runs. The Trojans are 4-7 in one-run games and 3-5 in two-run games. Only two of the losses have 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.

MORE NOTES - 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 six straight starts and senior RHP Justin Lehr has won five straight starts, and both are 4-0 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.

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.

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.

COACH'S CORNER - Mike Gillespie, in his 13th season as the Trojans' head coach, has a 507-284-2 (.641) 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.

PAC-10 POWERHOUSE - USC is arguably the most successful Pacific-10 Conference team this decade. Here are the facts:

In the 1990s, USC has the best winning percentage (.665) of any Pac-10 team (entering the 1999 season).

The Trojans are the only Pac-10 team to have won a national championship in the last 10 years.

USC is the only Pac-10 school with seven 40-win seasons this decade, including the last five in a row.

USC is the only Pac-10 school to have finished in the Top 10 national rankings in seven of the last nine years.

The Trojans have reached the NCAA Tournament a league-leading eight times this decade (tied with Stanford), and have advanced to the regional final a Pac-10-best six years in a row.

USC is one of just two Pac-10 teams to reach the College World Series championship game this decade, and is the only one to have done it twice.

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).

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.

SILVER ANNIVERSARY - This season marks the 25th anniversary of Dedeaux Field, where USC has an all-time record of 543-244-1 (.690). 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.

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.

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.

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.

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, 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.

GREG HANOIAN (#25, RF, Sr., 5-9, 170, Huntington Beach)

Senior rightfielder Greg Hanoian, one of USC's most dangerous hitters, is batting .345 with career highs of six home runs and 37 RBI (tied for team high). His season-best hitting streak is eight games and he is tied for the team lead with 16 multiple-hit games. Hanoian went 5-for-6 with four RBI against California (April 10), 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.

BRAD TICEHURST (#7, CF, Sr., 6-2, 195, Los Alamitos)

Senior centerfielder Brad Ticehurst has had a solid 1999 season, as he is batting .303 with six home runs and 29 RBI. Brad is tied for No. 11 on USC's home run list with 28 in his career. He had a nine-game hitting streak (best by a Trojan in 1999). He was banged up earlier in the season, missing five games with a pulled groin and four games with a bruised elbow. Ticehurst 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.

SETH DAVIDSON (#2, SS, So., 6-0, 175, San Diego)

ophomore 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 .338 with one home run and 22 RBI. He is tied for the team lead with 16 multiple-hit games. 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. 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, 2B, Sr., 5-11, 185, Sacramento)

Senior Dominic Correa has been one of USC's key players thus far, starting all 41 games and batting .300 with six home runs and 26 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 six times). He batted .278 as a reserve last season.

JUSTIN GEMOLL (#16, 3B, 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 .298 with three home runs and 15 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 at third base but is now the starting catcher due to Eric Munson's injury. He is batting .305 with one home run and 30 RBI. He went 2-for-3 with his first collegiate home run and five RBI against UC Santa Barbara (April 13) and 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 - The trio of senior Justin Lehr, junior Carlos Casillas and sophomore Josh Persell have a platoon system going at designated hitter and first base ... Casillas has started 18 times and is batting .294 with five home runs and 13 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) ... Persell has started 14 times and is batting .321 with nine RBI. He went 3-for-4 with two RBI against Washington State (March 27) ... Sophomore UT Josh Self has started eight times and is batting .250 with three RBI. He has played in 34 games, mostly as a late-inning defensive replacement ... Freshman OF Brian Barre has started four times and is batting .353 with one home run and two RBI.

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 7-2 with a 3.61 ERA and has 95 strikeouts in 67 1/3 innings (12.7 per nine innings -ranks No. 6 in the nation). He has won six straight starts, including all four 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, who had a terrific freshman season, is looking for similar success with the Trojans this season. He is 3-4 with two saves and a 5.37 ERA and has 56 strikeouts in 52 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 17 games (eight starts). He is 6-6 with a 5.56 ERA and 54 strikeouts in 56 2/3 innings. Steve pitched five scoreless innings against UC Santa Barbara (April 13) to get a win, and went five innings against Michigan (March 3) to earn a win, allowing four hits, one walk and one run while striking out six. Smyth is a transfer from Cypress JC.

ADDITIONAL PITCHERS - Veteran RHP Steve Immel (0-1, 6.28 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, 3.80) of Portland Lutheran HS and RHP Pete Montrenes (2-0, 5.16) 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 .352 with nine home runs and 37 RBI (tied for team high). He missed the first eight games recovering >from a broken left thumb, suffered on January 23 during practice. He leads the team with 12 multiple-RBI games. He went 4-for-5 with two RBI against Michigan (March 3) and 3-for-4 with three RBI against California (April 12). Lane, who put together a fantastic season both as a hitter and a pitcher in 1998, got a late start as a pitcher in 1999 and is 1-0 with a 6.00 ERA in nine 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 5-1 with a 4.70 ERA and has 75 strikeouts in 74 2/3 innings. He has won his last five starts, including a 4-0 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 a team-high three saves. He also starts at first base or designated hitter and is batting .314 with four home runs and 23 RBI. He batted .500 (6-for-12) in the Washington State (March 26-28) series. He is batting .480 (12-for-25) 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).

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