Search

ARCHIVES
CONTACT US
WORLD NEWS

Time to play ball!

There's nothing like baseball in January.

The Wildcat baseball team will get an early start on the 2000 NCAA baseball season as they take on St. Mary's (Calif.) in a three-game series starting today at 3 p.m.

According to UA head coach Jerry Stitt, the first series of the season should set the tone for the entire year.

"I expect the guys to play hard," he said. "They're all fired up about the first series of the year. They'll go out there ready to play."

Since the series' inception in 1995, UA holds a 3-2 record against the Gaels. St. Mary's, a Catholic school out of the West Coast Conference, won both contests in 1995, while UA swept a three-game series last season.

In that series, the Wildcats won by a combined some of 35-8. Ben Diggins, then a freshman, shut out the Gaels in the final game of the series, a 9-0 victory.

Not that Stitt is taking anything for granted.

"Baseball is baseball," he said. "One good pitching performance can change any game."

The Wildcats' starting lineup, still somewhat tentative, will be decided before game time. The pitching rotation seems to be the only thing set in stone.

Diggins (8-6, 6.95 ERA in '99), the ace of the staff, will start in today's game against St. Mary's Jason Morgan-Voyce. Diggins will face some of the nation's best pitching prospects as the team's No. 1 starter.

In Saturday's 1 p.m. tilt, Mike Crawford will take the mound for UA. The right-handed senior will face off against the Gaels' Mike Byer, who went 1-7 with an ERA over 5.0 in 1999.

Left-handed sophomore Brian Pemble will take the hill for the Wildcats on Sunday afternoon against St. Mary's Evan Rust. That game also begins at 1.

With the exception of Crawford, the UA pitching staff is glaringly young. According to Stitt, the team's younger players need to follow the example set by Wildcat upperclassmen.

"It's important that the juniors and seniors on this team take us where we want to go," Stitt said. "The young guys need to take their cues from the veterans."

Despite the fact that the lineup is still up in the air, look for sophomore Chris Cunningham to see substantial time behind the plate. Cunningham and freshman Ken Riley expect to battle for the starting job throughout the season.

Ryan O'Donnell, a 6-foot sophomore, will likely be the team's designated hitter. Junior Trevor Mote, a junior college transfer, will see time at second base, as he and sophomore Brad Hassey will compete for the starting position.

The team's first 15 games, which include series against San Francisco, Brigham Young and New Mexico, will all be held at Sancet Field.