Small Man ... Big Bat

Matt Heistand Arizona Daily Wildcat UA freshman shortstop Keoni DeRenne (11) gives hi-five to teammate Kenny Corley (33) after coming home during Arizona's game against San Diego. Despite his short stature, DeRenne has nailed five home runs and holds second place on the team for runs scored.

But for a guy his size, the impact might be a bit surprising.

"I just show that a little man can play a big man's game," DeRenne said.

Listed at 5-foot-7 in the media guide, DeRenne is by no means the most intimidating physical presence on the field.

But that hasn't stopped him from tearing it up at the plate. DeRenne is hitting .361 with five home runs and 38 RBI, and he's second on the team in hits (57) and runs scored (50).

"It's outstanding," senior second baseman Erik Mattern said of DeRenne's hitting. "I've never seen anything like it (from a freshman)."

DeRenne, though, has no idea where all of this hitting has come from.

"I guess it's because I've been so well coached all my life," he said. "It's helped me get a lot of confidence."

While rated as one of the top defensive players in the nation, DeRenne was no slouch at the plate during his years at Iolani High School in Honolulu.

He hit .531 with six homers and 41 RBI his senior year, striking out only three times all year and making only three errors on defense.

That, and DeRenne's baseball heritage, has not surprised UA head coach Jerry Stitt about the freshman's hot start.

"The one thing about Keoni is he has one of the most fundamentally sound swings," Stitt said. "His dad is one of the most respected baseball men in the country."

DeRenne's father, Coop, is a doctor who specializes in kinesiology, which DeRenne describes as "bio-mechanics, the study of baseball."

"Since I was born he's taught me a solid foundation in hitting and fielding," DeRenne said.

DeRenne's baseball lineage goes even further back, as his grandfather Wilbert "Lefty" Cooper won 216 games as a pitcher for three major league teams from 1912-26.

DeRenne used this heritage to his advantage in high school. During his senior year he was named Hawaii's player of the year. He was also ranked among the top 50 prospects in the country by Baseball USA and he was a second-team USA Today All-America selection.

When it came time for DeRenne to choose where to go to college, Stitt said two key factors made him choose Arizona.

"He could play shortstop as a freshman and start every day," Stitt said. "At some of the other places that were trying to recruit him, they had a guy in front of him."

One of those schools was perennial baseball power Mississippi State.

"We recruited him and it came down to us and Arizona," Bulldog head coach Ron Polk said. "I told him down the line that I'd like to get the chance to coach him."

Although DeRenne chose not to be a Bulldog, Polk will get his chance after all.

DeRenne has been invited to camp with the USA Baseball Team this summer and Polk is the national team's head coach.

"Keoni performed very well in the fall trials," Polk said after DeRenne went 2 for 4 with a triple. "He's off to a great start this year, too."

Polk said DeRenne fits the bill for the national team because he can play both middle infield positions. Plus, he will be a junior when the next Olympics begin in Sydney, Australia in 2000.

Still, DeRenne said a College World Series title is his immediate goal.

"I can work on that for four years, but the Olympics is only a one-time thing," DeRenne said.

But despite all of these accomplishments, DeRenne is still a freshman.

And he's still short.

"At least 10 to 15 every day," DeRenne said when asked how many short jokes he hears from his teammates.

"He can't see on top of our cabinets," freshman designated hitter Josh France said of his roommate.

France is one of the tallest Wildcats at 6-foot-4.

"I always tell him he doesn't have to open the doors to get into the (bathroom) stalls," France said with a smile.

However, France doesn't believe DeRenne's hitting has been a surprise despite his height.

"No, he's that good. But people who may not know him might think that," he said.

Mattern said even though DeRenne is playing well "he's still got a lot to learn.

"You don't really have the ups and downs in high school that you do in college," he said. "But it's good for him to play on a veteran team, because he's learning a lot."

In terms of DeRenne's defensive skills, though, Mattern has nothing but praise for his double-play partner.

"He's anchored our defense," he said. "He's been a key factor for us all year. I think his solid defensive play has carried off on everyone."

In terms of his hitting, DeRenne said his home runs have been the biggest surprise.

"I didn't expect to hit five at this park (Frank Sancet Field)," he said.

The dimensions at Sancet are 340 feet down the lines, 380 to the power alleys and 400 to dead center. One of DeRenne's shots cleared the right field scoreboard, landing on or near Sixth Street.

"Hitting-wise I'm inexperienced," DeRenne said. "I should get better as the years go by."