University Southern California Trojans
Baseball Visits Washington State for Three Games
June 21, 1999 | Baseball
March 24, 1999
LOS ANGELES - The No. 22 USC baseball team - coming off its unprecedented 12th NCAA championship last season - is 14-15 overall and 5-1 in the Pacific-10 Conference this season. The Trojans, who have won seven of their last nine, travel to Washington State (15-7, 0-0) for three Pacific-10 Conference games this weekend (March 26-28). Friday's game is at 3 p.m., Saturday's game is at 1 p.m. and Sunday's game is at noon. It's the first time USC has visited Pullman since 1978 and the first time the Trojans and Cougars have met in a conference game since 1971. USC Coach Mike Gillespie needs only three wins for 500 in his 13-year career.
RANKINGS - USC, ranked No. 22 by Collegiate Baseball, is back in the polls this week for the first time since Feb. 22. Prior to this season, the last time USC was unranked was May 17, 1993. In the preseason polls, USC was ranked No. 1 by Baseball America and USA Today Baseball Weekly/ESPN. Washington State is ranked No. 29 by Collegiate Baseball.
SCOUTING THE COUGARS - Washington State, under fifth-year head coach Steve Farrington, has lost its last two games after winning six straight. The Cougars played their first home game of 1999 on Wednesday (March 24) and lost, 5-2, to Lewis & Clark State. Junior OF Ray Hattenburg, the team's top hitter among the regulars, is batting .385 with four home runs and 26 RBI. As a team, Washington State has a .309 batting average and a 5.34 ERA.
THE SERIES - USC leads the all-time series, 36-9, and has won the last 18 meetings, including seven straight in Pullman. The last Washington State win came on May 22, 1971, at the Pac-8 Playoffs in Pullman. This is the first time USC has visited Pullman since 1978 and the first time the Trojans and Cougars have met in a conference game since 1971.
LAST MEETING - USC beat Washington State twice, 9-6 and 4-0, to claim the 1995 Pac-10 championship. The Trojans won the Southern Division and the Cougars claimed the Northern Division to set up the best-of-three series at Dedeaux Field on May 18-19.
PITCHING ROTATION - USC will put junior LHP Barry Zito (4-2, 3.15), sophomore LHP Steve Smyth (4-5, 5.32) and senior RHP Justin Lehr (2-1, 5.23) on the mound. Washington State is expected to go with junior LHP Wade Parrish (4-1, 1.88), senior RHP Jamaal Gaines (2-2, 5.13) and junior LHP Todd Meldahl (3-0, 3.79).
CLOSE CALLS - The Trojans' record could very easily be different. USC's 15 losses have been by a total of 29 runs. Eleven of the 15 losses have been by one or two runs, as the Trojans are 1-7 in one-run games and 3-4 in two-run games. Only one of the losses has been by more than three runs. In six 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. Despite being a game under .500, USC has outscored its opponents, 202-170.
THE STRIKE(OUT) ZONE - USC pitchers have mowed down their Pac-10 opponents at an astounding rate, with 43 strikeouts in the Oregon State series, then 40 against Arizona ... Overall, USC has 261 strikeouts in 253 1/3 innings pitched ... Junior LHP Barry Zito, who has 68 strikeouts in 45 2/3 innings (an average of 13.4 per nine innings), 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.
HOME RUN HAPPENINGS - Junior C Eric Munson is No. 4 on USC's career home run list with 39. He'll next pass Morgan Ensberg, who had 40 from 1995-98 ... USC home run totals are down considerably from 1998, when USC hit a school-record 114 and averaged 1.72 a game. In 29 games in 1999, USC has hit 36 round-trippers and is averaging 1.24 a game. One possibe 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 two of their top returning sluggers, Brad Ticehurst and Jason Lane, were injured earlier in the season.
MORE NOTES - USC opened the Pac-10 season 4-0 for the first time since 1987 ... Sixty-four percent (130 of 202) of USC's runs have come in the fifth inning or later ... Due to defensive miscues, 18 percent (30 of 170) of the runs USC has allowed are unearned ... 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.
INJURY UPDATE - Due to injuries, USC's lineup had been intact for only three of the first 20 games. But USC has been healthy the last nine games, and not coincidentally, is 7-2 in those games. Senior OF Brad Ticehurst (bruised elbow/pulled groin; missing 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.
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 BACK - An impressive nucleus returns from the team that won the 1998 national championship. Altogether, 12 of 26 letterwinners from last season are back. Five starting position players return - junior C Eric Munson, sophomore SS Seth Davidson, senior 1B/LHP Jason Lane, senior OF Brad Ticehurst and senior OF Greg Hanoian. Several key reserves are back as well, including senior IF Dominic Correa, sophomore UT Josh Persell and junior 1B Carlos Casillas. On the mound, sophomore RHP Rik Currier is the only starter back, but other experienced pitchers such as Lane, senior RHP Steve Immel and sophomore LHP Ronald Flores are also in the mix.
WHO'S NEW - Newcomers make up a large part of the 1999 team. Thus far, seven of the 14 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 26 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 497-282-2 (.638) 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 536-243-1 (.688). When USC hosts San Diego State on March 30, it will be 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 Souths 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.
ON THE INTERNET - For all USC home games, Trojan fans can "watch" the game over the internet at www.usctrojans.com. Play-by-play and a live box score will be updated as it happens. Press releases, game recaps and historical archives can also be found on the site.
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 batting .306 with 10 home runs and 30 RBI. Munson is No. 4 on USC's career home run list with 39. He had a streak of eight straight games with at least two hits end in the Long Beach State finale (Feb. 21) and has had 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, one of the best power hitters around, is batting .310 with three home runs and 17 RBI. He's been banged up, missing five games with a pulled groin and four games with a bruised elbow. Brad is No. 17 on USC's home run list with 25 in his career. He went 3-for-4 with a home run and three RBI against Texas Tech (Feb. 12). 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 .289 with three home runs and 16 RBI. His season-best hitting streak is eight games. He went 3-for-5 with a home run and two RBI against Cal State Dominguez Hills (Feb. 2) and 3-for-5 against Long Beach State (Feb. 19). 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 .350 with one home run and 15 RBI. Davidson had a season-best eight-game hitting streak (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/OF, Sr., 5-11, 185, Sacramento) - Senior Dominic Correa has been one of USC's key players thus far, starting all 29 games and batting .299 with three home runs and 13 RBI. He had three hits in a game in four of USC's first five games, and also had a seven-game hitting streak. 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 once). He batted .278 as a reserve last season.
JUSTIN GEMOLL (#16, IF/OF, Jr., 6-2, 200, San Jose) - Junior Justin Gemoll's versatility has been useful during the early season, as he has started at five positions (all four infield spots and left field). He is batting .306 with two home runs and 11 RBI. He went 3-for-4 with five RBI against Long Beach State (Feb. 20). 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, 3B/C, 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 .268 with 20 RBI, and has had hitting streaks of five and seven games. 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 .286 with four home runs and eight 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 Self has started eight times in center field in place of an injured Brad Ticehurst, and is batting .280 with three RBI ... Sophomore UT Josh Persell has started six times and is batting .321 with three RBI ... Freshman OF Brian Barre has started four times and is batting .286.
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. He is 4-2 with a 3.15 ERA and has 68 strikeouts in 45 2/3 innings. 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). 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.
STEVE SMYTH (#18, LHP, So., 6-0, 195, Temecula) - Sophomore LHP Steve Smyth has been the busiest member of USC's staff in 1999. He has pitched in a team-high 13 games (five starts) and is currently the No. 2 starter. He is 4-5 with a 5.32 ERA and 39 strikeouts in 44 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.
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 2-4 with one save and a 6.08 ERA and has 37 strikeouts in 37 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).
ADDITIONAL PITCHERS - Veteran RHP Steve Immel (0-1, 6.23 ERA, one save), a senior, saw a great deal of work his first three seasons and is doing so again ... Sophomore LHP Ronald Flores (0-0, 1.80) 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, 2.50) of Portland Lutheran HS and RHP Pete Montrenes (1-0, 7.17) 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 .366 with six home runs and 19 RBI. He missed the first eight games recovering from a broken left thumb, suffered on January 23 during practice. He had four hits against Michigan (March 3) and has had three hits in a game three times. 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 3.00 ERA in six 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 2-1 with a 5.23 ERA and has 51 strikeouts in 51 2/3 innings. He pitched a three-hit complete-game with 14 strikeouts at Oregon State (March 14), and also earned a save against the Beavers (March 12). His first five starts resulted in no-decisions. He has also been used in relief and has a team-high two saves. Lehr pitched six no-hit innings against Texas Tech (Feb. 14) but eventually got a no-decision. He has also started at first base and designated hitter and is batting .266 with three home runs and 15 RBI. 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).
