Bruins favored to finish on top in Six-Pac

The Pacific 10 Conference Southern Division, nicknamed the Six-Pac, includes four teams ranked in the top 15 of the latest Baseball America poll. With three of the top projected picks in the June amateur draft coming from the conference, the Six-Pac will again be action-packed.

Teams are ranked in projected order of finish:

UCLA (currently 16-2-1)

Head coach: Gary Adams

1996 Record: (36-28 overall, 16-14 conference)

1997 Outlook: Experience will be the key to the Bruins' success in the Six-Pac and will put them slightly ahead of the other squads. Adams, entering his 23rd season as the head coach, has the luxury of having 22 letterwinners returning from a team that took third in the conference last season.

The leader of UCLA's offense is junior third baseman Troy Glaus. He is a first-team preseason All-American selection in both Baseball America and Collegiate Baseball. He was also the projected Baseball America national player of the year and is predicted to be a top-five pick in the June draft.

UCLA's pitching staff is anchored by junior left-hander Jim Parque. Parque was named to the 1996 All-Pac-10 Southern Division team, and is also a possible top-five pick.

UCLA is currently ranked No. 2 in Baseball America.

Southern Cal (16-3)

Head coach: Mike Gillespie

1996 Record: (44-16-1 overall, 24-6 conference)

1997 Outlook: Pitching. That's one area that Gillespie's team is certainly not lacking in. It's nice when a team has the 1995 Pac-10 pitcher of the year and the 1996 Pac-10 pitcher of the year on the same staff. The 1995 winner, senior Randy Flores (9-1, 3.50 ERA), is likely to become the first pitcher ever to earn four-straight All-Pac-10 first team honors.

Following Flores in the rotation is Seth Etherton (12-3, 3.94), who went undefeated in all 10 of his conference starts last season.

With the loss of outfielders Jeff Inglin (.394,14 home runs, 72RBI) and Jacque Jones (.375-10-56), the Trojans will probably not have the offensive punch to three-peat as Six-Pac champs, but they will still give rival UCLA a run for its money.

USC is currently ranked No. 3 in Baseball America.

Stanford (11-6)

Head coach: Mark Marquess

1996 Record: (41-19 overall, 19-11 conference)

1997 Outlook: A nice mix of young players in the field and an experienced pitching staff will provide a winning combination for Stanford.

Marquess looks to two-time All-American junior Kyle Peterson to anchor a pitching staff that may be second only to USC in the Six-Pac. Jeff Austin and Chad Hutchinson, a combined 23-11 last year, will pitch in the number two and three spots. Hutchinson, a freshman All-American, was the starting quarterback for the Cardinal during the fall.

Stanford looks forward to having senior first baseman Luke Quaccia in the lineup for the entire season. Stanford went 22-7 when he broke into the lineup in March, and finished the season hitting .369. Stanford needs another big season from junior catcher Jon Schaeffer and slick-fielding sophomore center fielder Jody Gerut if they are to play well in the conference.

Stanford is currently ranked No. 9 in Baseball America.

Arizona State (10-8)

Head coach: Pat Murphy

1996 Record: (35-21 overall, 14-16 conference)

1997 Outlook: Strong in the field and weak on the mound will be the Sun Devils' 1997 story. Junior outfielder Dan McKinley will carry the offensive load after finishing last season batting .386 with a team-high 98 hits and 57 RBI. Arizona State hopes to get a big season from junior outfielder Mikel Moreno. Moreno lead the team in doubles, runs, stolen bases and total bases last season.

Pitching could be a trouble spot for the Sun Devils. The ace of the staff will be sophomore left-hander Phill Lowery, who finished his freshman All-American season 5-1 with a 4.71 ERA and 56 strike outs.

Arizona State is currently ranked No. 15 in Baseball America.

Arizona (14-9)

Head coach: Jerry Stitt

1996 Record: (24-32 overall, 7-23 conference)

1997 Outlook: First-year head coach Jerry Stitt has the task of pulling the Wildcats out of last place in this competitive division. While producing runs should not prove to be a problem for Arizona, keeping opponents from doing the same could be.

Senior designated hitter Jeff Gjerde leads the offensive attack for the Wildcats. Gjerde finished the 1996 season hitting .364 with eight home runs and 65 RBI. Gjerde has been versatile for Arizona, as last year he played right field, left field and first base.

The big question for Arizona will be the pitchers ability to stop the big hitters of the conference. Junior right-hander Darrell Hussman will be the ace of the staff after finishing last season 2-4 with a 7.59 ERA. Junior left-hander Rob Shabansky will also be looked upon to have big innings for the Wildcats.

California (9-8)

Head coach: Bob Milano

1996 Record: (27-29 overall, 10-20 conference)

1997 Outlook: Milano has a young team that will quickly learn about the harsh realities of Six-Pac baseball. The team consists of five seniors, five juniors, eight sophomores and 18 freshmen.

Cal's sophomore shortstop Brian Oliver was last season's offensive leader when he hit .335 with 14 doubles.

Senior leadership will be provided by second baseman Ivan Lewis, who over the past two seasons has hit over .300 and led the Pac-10 in steals.

Pitching will also be a weak spot for the Golden Bears. Closing games will be on the shoulders of senior Drew Fischer, whose 15 career saves rank third all-time in Cal history. Sophomore Ryan Drese will be the Bears No. 1 starter.