Head coach Andy Lopez said he didn't think his team's series win over two-time defending Pacific-10 Conference champs Southern California last weekend was a big deal, but that didn't stop a few national media outlets from taking notice.

Arizona (21-8, 2-1 Pac-10) made its first appearance of the year in yesterday's Baseball America and ESPN/Sports Weekly top 25 rankings. Lopez's squad debuted at 21st and 25th, respectively, in the two polls. The Wildcats hadn't been ranked in either poll since the 2000 season.

Sunday's 16-3 win over the Trojans clinched the series and capped a streak which saw Arizona win nine of 10 contests over a 12-day span. The Wildcats rebounded from a tough road loss at defending national champion Texas with a two-game sweep of Portland, a three-game sweep of Wagner ÷ in which UA outscored the Seahawks 48-1 ÷ and a pair of wins over New Mexico before taking two of three from USC.

But it was likely the team's first series win against USC in 10 years ÷ an accomplishment Lopez downplayed ÷ that vaulted it into the national rankings.

"It's good to beat anybody two out of three," Lopez said. "But to me, it's just another series."

The Wildcats had previously been ranked only in the Collegiate Baseball Newspaper top 30. UA moved from 20th to 17th in that poll following last weekend's wins.

Lopez prepares to take on alma mater

The team's first road series of the Pac-10 season will be played at a place Lopez used to call home ÷ the UCLA campus.

Arizona's second-year head coach formerly patrolled the left side of the infield as a shortstop and team captain of the 1975 Bruin team. After graduation in the spring of '75, Lopez was drafted in the ninth round of the MLB Amateur Draft by the Detroit Tigers. However, he decided to take up coaching instead and was hired as an assistant at L.A. Harbor Community College, which he attended for two years prior to transferring to UCLA.

"I got my college degree from UCLA," Lopez said. "I'm extremely fond of that place."

UCLA honored Lopez by enshrining him in its baseball Hall of Fame in 1994.

Strong pitching may force rotation shakeup

Recent strong pitching performances by underclassmen may lead to a shakeup in the Wildcat pitching staff as it enters the rigorous Pac-10 season.

"We're going to make a decision on the rotation this weekend," Lopez said. "I really don't know what we're going to do just yet, but it's a good problem to have."

Junior Richie Gardner, a transfer from Santa Rosa (Calif.) JC, has staked his claim for the No. 1 spot with a pristine 6-0 record despite suffering a stress fracture in his foot earlier in the season. Sunday, Gardner gave up a pair of runs in eight innings to secure the series victory.

Sophomore Joe Little seemingly has another rotation spot locked up with a 4-2 record and 3.06 ERA in eight starts.

Another transfer, redshirt freshman Kevin Guyette ÷ who spent last season at Georgia Tech ÷ has posted a 2-1 record in three starts with an ERA of 1.29.

Freshman John Meloan (2-0) further muddled the race for rotation spots with his second win of the season, when he gave up one hit in six innings during a 8-3 win over New Mexico on Thursday.

With so many newcomers fighting for starts, Lopez said the "odd man out" might be Sean Rierson. Rierson has a 4-1 record on the season but has an ERA of 6.00. His last time out, the junior surrendered seven runs on eight hits, lasting just 2 and 2/3 innings in a 12-2 series opening loss to USC on Friday.

However, Rierson has also shown flashes of brilliance this season. He has two complete games ÷ including a two-hit shutout of UC Irvine on Feb. 15 ÷ and has twice been named the Pac-10 Pitcher of the Week.