University Southern California Trojans
Trojans Host Michigan, Visit UCLA
June 21, 1999 | Baseball
March 2, 1999
LOS ANGELES - The USC baseball team coming off its unprecedented 12th NCAA championship last season is 5-11 overall in 1999. This week, the Trojans play Michigan (2-1 plays at UCLA on Tuesday) for only the second time ever on Wednesday (March 3) at 7 p.m. at Dedeaux Field. Then, USC visits crosstown rival UCLA (11-11 hosts Michigan on Tuesday) this weekend (March 5-7) for three non-conference games at Jackie Robinson Stadium. Friday's game is at 6 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday's are at 1 p.m. USC has yet to win on the road this season.
THE RANKINGS
USC is unranked in all three polls for the first time since
May 17, 1993. In the preseason polls, USC was ranked No. 1 by Baseball
America and USA Today Baseball Weekly/ESPN.
Michigan is not ranked. UCLA is No. 30 in Collegiate Baseball.
SCOUTING THE WOLVERINES
Michigan, under fourth-year head coach Geoff
Zahn, opens the season with 22 straight games on the road. The Wolverines
started the season at San Diego over the weekend and won two of three. Last
year, Michigan finished 21-27-1 overall and 9-15 for a fifth-place tie in
the Big Ten Conference. Michigan and USC have met only once, an 11-3 Trojan
victory in the 1978 College World Series, when the Trojans won their 11th
national championship.
SCOUTING THE BRUINS
UCLA, under 25th-year head coach Gary Adams, swept
California in a non-conference series last weekend. Sophomore 1B Garrett
Atkins is hitting .390 and sophomore OF Bill Scott is batting .338 with
five home runs and 29 RBI. The Bruins have a team batting average of .273
and a team ERA of 5.14. USC leads the all-time series, which began in 1923,
220-96. The Trojans won four of six last season, including all three at
Jackie Robinson Stadium.
PITCHING ROTATION
USC will put junior LHP Barry Zito (1-2, 3.86),
sophomore RHP Rik Currier (1-2, 6.41) and senior RHP Justin Lehr (0-1,
5.90) on the mound. UCLA is expected to go with sophomore RHP Jon Brandt
(4-1, 2.79), freshman RHP Josh Karp (2-1, 4.38) and sophomore RHP Chad
Cislak (0-1, 6.23).
CLOSE CALLS
The Trojans' record could very easily be different. USC's 11
losses have been by a total of 20 runs. Eleven of USC's 16 games have been
decided by two runs or less, but the Trojans are 1-5 in one-run games and
2-3 in two-run games. None of the losses have been by more than three runs.
In four 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 six games under .500, USC has only been outscored by one run,
112-111.
M.A.S.H. NEWS
Due to injuries, USC has had its starting lineup intact
only three times, including the last two games. Senior CF Brad Ticehurst
(pulled groin; missed five games), sophomore SS Seth Davidson (broken
jaw/pulled quadricep muscle; missed five games) and senior UT Jason Lane
(broken thumb; missed eight games) were all back in the lineup together
over the weekend.
NOTES
Junior C Eric Munson is No. 4 on USC's career home run list with
37. He'll next pass Morgan Ensberg, who had 40 from 1995-98 ... USC is 0-7
on the road this season ... Sixty-three percent (70 of 111) 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, 22 percent (25 of
112) of the runs USC has allowed are unearned.
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.
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, 13 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 12 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 four different positions. Freshman 3B
Beau Craig has started 14 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:
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.
COACHS CORNER
Mike Gillespie, in his 13th season as the Trojans' head
coach, has a 488-278-2 (.637) 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). He served as one of the assistant
coaches for the 1997 USA Baseball Team.
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. 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 is projected as the No. 2 overall
selection, first among all college players. Other Trojans ranked among the
top 100 college prospects are Barry Zito (15th), Brad Ticehurst (65th) and
Justin Lehr (93rd). Five of USC's seven fall letter-of-intent signees are
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.
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 off to a big start in the 1999 season,
batting .397 with eight home runs and 25 RBI. He had a streak of eight
straight games with at least two hits end in the Long Beach State finale
(Feb. 21). He has had nine 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." 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. Munson is No. 4 on USC's career home run list with 37.
BRAD TICEHURST (#7, CF, Sr., 6-2, 195, Los Alamitos)
Senior centerfielder Brad Ticehurst, one of the best power hitters
around, is batting .325 with two home runs and nine RBI. He was sidelined
for five games with a pulled groin, but returned to play the final two
games of the Stanford series (Feb. 27-28). 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 .290 with one home run and six RBI. After hitting safely in the
first eight games of the season, he had a stretch (dating back to last
season) where he hit safely in 23 of 24 games (going hitless only in the
1998 national championship game). 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 has been slowed by injury in 1999, but
is back in the lineup. He is batting .318 with seven RBI. 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. He had a career-high four hits against the Longhorns
(Feb. 6). As a precaution against re-injury to the jaw, he'll wear a chin
strap-type of device in the field and a batting helmet with a football-like
facemask at bat. 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.
DOMINIC CORREA (#6, IF/OF, Sr., 5-11, 185, Sacramento)
Senior Dominic Correa has been one of USC's best hitters thus far,
batting .354 with two home runs and four RBI. He had three hits in a game
in four of USC's first five games. Before the season, he didnt figure to
be a starter, but injuries and one player leaving moved him into a starting
position. That position could either be left field or various infield
positions. He batted .278 as a reserve last season.
JUSTIN GEMOLL (#16, IF, Jr., 6-2, 200, San Jose)
Junior Justin Gemoll's versatility has been useful during the early
season. He has started at third base, shortstop, second base and left
field. He is batting .283 with two home runs and seven 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, 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. He is batting .283 with 10
RBI and opened the season with a five-game hitting streak. He has seven
hits in his last 14 at-bats. 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 but chose to come to USC.
ADDITIONAL HITTERS
Junior Carlos Casillas has fared well as a first
baseman or designated hitter, batting .273 with three home runs and four
RBI ... Sophomore UT Josh Self started three times against Long Beach State
(Feb. 19-21) in center field in place of the injured Brad Ticehurst, and is
batting .444 (4-for-9) with two RBI ... Freshman OF Brian Barre has started
four times and is batting .308 ... Sophomore UT Josh Persell has started
six times and is batting .261.
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 1-2 with a 3.86 ERA and has 28 strikeouts in 25
2/3 innings. 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.
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 1-2 with a 6.41 ERA and
has 12 strikeouts in 19 2/3 innings pitched. 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 the busiest member of USC's staff in
1999. He has already pitched in nine games and is 3-3 with a 5.19 ERA. He
has started twice, but all three of his wins have come in relief. Smyth is
a transfer from Cypress JC.
ADDITIONAL PITCHERS
Veteran RHP Steve Immel (0-1, 7.00 ERA), a senior,
saw a great deal of work as both a starter and a reliever his first three
seasons and will do so again ... 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 (0-0, 8.68) of
Ocean View HS and RHP Tim Petke (0-0, 3.38) of Portland Lutheran HS.
USC PITCHER/HITTERS:
JASON LANE (#24, UT/LHP, Sr., 6-2, 210, Sebastopol)
Senior Jason Lane, who put together a fantastic season both as a hitter
and a pitcher in 1998, missed the first eight games recovering from a
broken left thumb, suffered on January 23 during practice. He has done very
well since his return, batting .371 with two home runs and nine RBI. He has
already had three hits in a game three times. He has not yet begun pitching
in 1999. 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 0-1 with a 5.90 ERA. All four of his
starts have resulted in no-decisions. He has 23 strikeouts in 29 innings
pitched. 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 .308 with three home runs and 12 RBI. When
he comes to the plate as the pitcher, Justin is batting .500 (6-for-12). 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).
