USD Magazine, Summer 2003

Toreros Claim Se,ond . Conseiutive WCC Championship Ir was, as Yogi Bera might say, like deja vu all over again. As they did in 2002, rhe 2003 Torero baseball ream got some eighth,inning heroics in the deciding game against Pepperdine to wrn ~e West Coast Conf(:fence tide and the automatic berth in the NCMTournament that .got;s 'with it. This year, tt was a Josh Hansen home run d1ar-gave US,Q the .margin of victory; and ag-ain USD cele- brated a championship on the M.ilibu field of their archri als. Unfortunately, the NCMTourna,.– ment was also reminiscent of 2002, when USO was forced to play a perennial powerhouse on their- own field. This year, Toreros defeated Arizona in the double-elimination format, bur fell ro seventh-ranked Cal State Fullerton and to Notre Dame. Coach Rich Hill says the program is stronger because of the tough defeats. "We had tht, winning run at the plate late in both games we lost," he says. "Now'we've been ro the tournament rwice, know what to expect and how better to prepare for it, and we're very excited about next year."

Barrett - earned him a promotion this year to rhe organization's A-league ream, rhe Peoria, Ill., Chiefs. McCoy has struggled with the bar since the move, a development he finds as perplex– ing as he does frustrating. "Ir's not like the pitching is char much better," he says, "bur for some reason the hits aren't faUing. The ream has been great, celling me they know I can hit, and they are going ro keep me in rhe leadoff spot, bur it gets frustrating ro come our, day after day, and do my best bur go O for 4. Ir rakes a lot of mental discipline nor to get down, and I'm working hard on that." The seniors also fared well. Sam Assael's bar elevated him ro the power-hitting No. 4 spot for the Lakeland, Fla., Tigers. Joe Lima earned a starting job at second base for the Idaho Falls Padres, a rare achievement for an undrafted free agent. Lima moved up this year to the A-league Fort Wayne Wizards of Indiana, then closer to home with the Lake Elsinore, Calif., Storm. Lima says college ball helped him make rhe rough adjustment to rhe professional level. Ar 23, he is considered a senior citizen on his ream, bur he says the hard-throwing A-league pitchers, most of whom are in the 19-ro-21 age range, are the same type he faced while at USO. "Some of the pitchers throw harder, bur there's nothing here I haven't seen before," he says. "I just try to have a short memory at the plate, focus on each at-bar, nor worry if I struck out the last rime and nor get over– confident ifl gor a base hir. " Two Down, One Out T he early success led the players ro hope that their major league careers might nor be far away. Bur the long first season exacted a physical roll. Among the victims was Barrett, whom the Twins wanted to play in an instructional league over the winter. After nine months of hard labor, however, his once powerful left arm needed a rest. This spring, after several uncharacteristic outings for the Quad City, Iowa, River Bandits, he sought advice - nor from his pitching coach, but from the ream physician. In May, Barrett underwent shoul– der surgery. After a long rehabilitation process, he hopes to be ready for spring training next year. "Rehab is about the most boring thing in the world, doing the same exercises over and over, bur it's worth ir," Barrett says. "There is no way I'm going ro give up after coming

this far. Quitting has never entered my mind. I'm going to work hard, ger this our of the way and give it my best when I get back." The shoulder problems - a common ail– ment among baseball players - continued. Bagley first had shoulder surgery before his sophomore year at USO; his second surgery came on Halloween 2002. Soon after, Assael also had shoulder surgery. After seven months of rehab, Bagley joined the A-league South Georgia Waves. The Waves are easing him back, using the third baseman primarily as a designated hitter for now. For Assael, however, rhe surgery speUed rhe end of his playing career. The Tigers had signed other catchers, and suddenly there was no room for an old man of 23 with a bum shoulder. Assael says he was nor sur– prised or disappointed when a Tigers official called with the news he had been released. Now working in San Diego as a represen– tative for Gallo wine, Assael says he doesn't consider his wish to be a dream denied. His body didn't hold up, bur he proved he had rhe ability to play professional baseball. "I had surgery scheduled for the week after I got the call the Tigers wanted to sign me, bur I didn't tell them that," he says. "I knew my shoulder would never hold up, but I wanted to test myself at that level and prove I belonged there, and I did that." For Bagley, Barrett, Lima and McCoy, rhe chase continues. The roads they travel may, like Assael's, end abruptly, or may wind for

years and ultimately go nowhere. Or they may lead to the big leagues. Bur for now the end of the road is irrelevant; the journey is what matters. And Assael has a message for his former Torero teammates, who are still reaching for rhe brass ring. "I wish them aU the luck in the world and I am rooting hard for them, but even if none of them plays in the majors, I think we have done something very important" he says. "We

Sam Assael now bats for Gallo Wine.

had a dream and we went for it. We played professional baseball, and there are a lot of guys who never get that opportunity. I feel blessed I got a shot and I'm comfortable that I gave ir everything I had. I'll never look back on basebaU with regret. " +

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SUMM ER 2003