University Southern California Trojans
Trojans Host Arizona this Weekend for Three Games
June 21, 1999 | Baseball
March 17, 1999
LOS ANGELES - The USC baseball team - coming off its unprecedented 12th NCAA championship last season - is 12-13 overall and 3-0 in the Pacific-10 Conference for a first-place tie this season. The Trojans, who have won a season-high five in a row, host No. 23 Arizona (19-9, 2-1) for three Pac-10 contests at Dedeaux Field this weekend (March 19-21). Friday's game is at 7 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday's are at 1 p.m. The Saturday game will be televised live by FOX Sports Net. USC Coach Mike Gillespie needs only five wins for 500 in his 13-year career.
THE RANKINGS - USC is unranked in all three polls again this week. 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. Arizona is currently ranked No. 23 by USA Today Baseball Weekly/ESPN and No. 30 by Collegiate Baseball.
SCOUTING THE WILDCATS - Arizona, under third-year coach Jerry Stitt, has won four of its last five and took two of three from UCLA last weekend to open Pac-10 play. As a team, the Wildcats have a .306 batting average and a 4.99 ERA. Sophomore SS Keoni DeRenne is batting a team-high .375 with 25 RBI and junior C Dennis Anderson is hitting .361 with 26 RBI.
THE SERIES - USC leads the all-time series, 91-82-1, and has won 27 of the last 31. The Trojans have won five of six games in each of the last four years (that will change this year, because this is the only series between these two teams in 1999).
LAST YEAR - USC won two of three at Dedeaux Field on Feb. 20-22, then swept the Wildcats at Arizona on March 20-22 (USC has won 16 straight in Tucson).
PITCHING ROTATION - USC will put junior LHP Barry Zito (3-2, 3.49), sophomore LHP Steve Smyth (4-4, 4.69) and senior RHP Justin Lehr (1-1, 5.20) on the mound. Arizona is expected to go with junior RHP Josh Pearce (4-1, 4.89) and junior LHP Mike Crawford (2-3, 4.87). Sunday's starter is TBA.
CLOSE CALLS - The Trojans' record could very easily be different. USC's 13 losses have been by a total of 22 runs. Fourteen of USC's 25 games have been decided by two runs or less, but the Trojans are 1-7 in one-run games and 3-3 in two-run games. None of the losses have been by more than three runs. In five 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, 169-149.
NOTES - USC last opened the Pac-10 season 3-0 in 1990 ... USC pitchers had a total of 43 strikeouts in three games at Oregon State, then had 17 against Cal Lutheran for a total of 60 K's in the last four games ... Junior C Eric Munson is No. 4 on USC's career home run list with 38. He'll next pass Morgan Ensberg, who had 40 from 1995-98 ... Junior LHP Barry Zito had 16 strikeouts in seven innings at Oregon State (March 12), the most by a Trojan since at least 1987 (as far back as USC single-game records are currently available) ... Sixty-four percent (108 of 169) of USC's runs have come in the fifth inning or later ... USC's five-game losing streak was its longest since 1988 ... Due to defensive miscues, 19 percent (28 of 149) of the runs USC has allowed are unearned.
INJURY UPDATE - USC has been relatively healthy the last five games, and it showed with five victories. USC's lineup had been intact for only three of the first 20 games. Senior OF Brad Ticehurst is in the lineup, but he has been limited to playing designated hitter because of a bruised elbow. He missed four games because of the elbow and five games with a pulled groin. Sophomore SS Seth Davidson (broken jaw/pulled quadricep muscle; missed five games) and senior UT Jason Lane (broken thumb; missed eight games) also missed time early in the season but are both healthy and playing.
HOME RUN HAPPENINGS - USC home run totals are down considerably from 1998, when USC hit a school-record 114 and averaged 1.72 a game. In 25 games in 1999, USC has hit 30 round-trippers and is averaging 1.20 a game. One possibility 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, have been injured for parts of the season.
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 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 13 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 22 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 495-280-2 (.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. 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 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.
TIME CHANGE - The March 28 contest at Washington State has been changed to a noon start.
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 .330 with nine home runs and 28 RBI.
Munson is No. 4 on USC's career home run list with 38. 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 11 multiple-hit games overall. 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 .309 with two home runs and 11 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 24 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 .311 with two home runs and 12 RBI. He has had hitting streaks of
eight, five and six games and has not gone hitless two games in a row in
1999. 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 .349 with one home run and 12 RBI. Davidson had an 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). 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 25 games and batting .309 with three home runs and nine RBI.
He has a current six-game hitting streak. He had three hits in a game in
four of USC's first five games. 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. 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 .289 with two home runs and 10 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 .262 with 17
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 .239 with four home runs and seven 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) ... 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 .269 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 3-2 with a 3.49 ERA and has 52 strikeouts in 38
2/3 innings. Zito tied a career high with 16 strikeouts in seven innings in
a win at Oregon State (March 12). It was the most strikeouts 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 already pitched in 12 games (four starts) and is currently the
No. 2 starter. He is 4-4 with a 4.69 ERA and 33 strikeouts in 40 1/3
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.
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 2-3 with one save and a
5.68 ERA and has 31 strikeouts in 31 2/3 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 Ks in 71 1/3 IP).
ADDITIONAL PITCHERS - Veteran RHP Steve Immel (0-1, 5.84 ERA, one save), a senior, saw a great deal of work as both a starter and a reliever his first three seasons and is doing so again from the bullpen ... Sophomore LHP Ronald Flores (0-0, 2.25) is the younger brother of USC's all-time winningest pitcher, Randy Flores ... A few freshmen have made contributions this season, including RHP Jeff Bruksch (0-0, 2.08) of Beverly Hills HS, RHP Pete Montrenes (1-0, 6.86) of Ocean View HS and RHP Tim Petke (0-0, 3.21) of Portland Lutheran HS. Montrenes started and threw six scoreless innings against Cal State Los Angeles (March 9). 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.
USC PITCHER/HITTERS:
JASON LANE (#24, UT/LHP, Sr., 6-2, 210, Sebastopol)
- Senior Jason Lane, after an early-season injury, has done very well since
his return, batting a team-high .368 with four home runs and 17 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 2.70 ERA in 3 1/3 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. At least initially, he is
USC's No. 3 starting pitcher. He is 1-1 with a 5.20 ERA and has 45
strikeouts in 45 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 .286 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).
