USD Baseball 1998
"A Tribute To J.C."
1998: John Cunningham's 35th and Final Year as Head Coach
'98 USD Baseball Media Guide
Senior lefthander and pre- season candidate for Con- ference Player of the Year.
Senior shortstop and an A ll WCC Ho no rab le Mention selection in '96, Jeff Powers
Se ni o r ri g hth ande r Travis Farrell
Head Coach John Cunningham
J.C. is retiring aft er 35 years of coaching at USO. Please see middle insert : "A Tribute To J.C."
Table of Contents
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USD Ath letic Department Directory Uni versity Profile ....... ...... .. .... Director of Athlet ics - Tom Iannacone . Head Coach - John Cu nningham USD Assistant Coaches ...... West Coast Conference ......... ....... 1998 Prev iew ........ ....... .... ...... . Player Biographies - Returners Player Biographies - Newcomers .... 1998 Team Roster ......... .... . 1998 Team Photo Cunn ingham Stadi um Final 1997 USD Game Results USD Record Book Final 1997 USD Statistics .. ..... ........ ..
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...... 3 ...... .. 4-5 .... 6 ....... 8-9 .... 10-20 .... . 21 ... . 22-23 ........ 25 .... 26-30 ·····7
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··········3 1 ..... ... . 32-40 ......... .. 4 1
Toreros In The Pros Torero Athletic Fund Donors/Co rporate Sponsors ...... 42 Media Covering The Toreros . .................. 43 1998 Torero Schedule ....... ....... ......... ...... ......... .... .... . OBC
USD Athletic Dept. Athletic Dept. Phone (619) 260-4803
Gary Becker Director of lntramurals Noah Stanley Asst. Intramural Director Mary Johnson Director of Summer Camps Carolyn Greer, M.A., A.T.,C. Head Athletic Trainer Suzi Higgins , M .A., A.T.,C. Assistant Athletic Trainer Bill Tillson, M.S., A.T.,C. Assistant Athletic Trainer Steve Brown Strength Coach Ted Gosen Sports Information Director Mike Daniels Asst. SID, Baseball Contact
Tom Iannacone Director of Athletics Dan Yourg Asoc. Athletic Director Brian Fogarty Dir. Athletic Development Wendy Guthrie Asst. Athletic Director Renee Wiebe Asst. Athletic Director John Martin Director of Facilities Joan Wolf Pauline Thonnard Jennifer Dominelli Georgia Gordon Secretaries Sara Hickman Academic Support Coard.
SPORTS INFORMATION OFFICE (619) 260-4745 SPORTS INFORMATION FAX (619) 292-0388 BASEBALL PRESS BOX (619) 260-4600, ext. 2055 TORERO HOTLINE (6 19) 260-2323 USD ATHLETICS WEB SITE: http://sa.acusd.edu/athletics 1998 USO Baseball MediaGuide
Produced by the USD Sports Information Office Design, Edit & Layout: Mike Daniels, Ted Gosen Photography: Brock Scott - Scott Photo Printing: Kings Printing University of San Diego Archtves
The University of San Diego Location The University of San Diego is an independent Catholic institution of higher education. Founded in 1949, USD is located on 180 acres overlooking Mission Bay, San Diego Harbor and the Pacific Ocean. The campus is named Alcala Park and located just 10 minutes from downtown San Diego. Academics USD enrolls more than 6,600 students who have a choice of more than 50 undergraduate and graduate degree pro- grams. The University includes the College of Arts and Sciences, and the Schools of Business Administration, Edu- cation, Law and Nursing. Class size generally averages between 18-25 students with the student to teacher ratio being 18:1. Over 97 percent of USD's full-time faculty hold doctorates.
Student Life
Student activities in- clude cultural events , dances, boat cruises , beach parties , BBQ's , concerts, comedy nights, symposia and much more. Students participate in a wide range of volunteer projects such as adult lit- eracy tutoring, senior citi- zen outreach, and house building in Tijuana. Over two-thirds of the USD community partakes in in- tramural sports.
The Campus The USD campus is one of the most architecturally unique institutions found in the country, featuring 18 major buildings designed in an ornamental 16th century Spanish Renais- sance style. Since 1984, USD has completed nine major construction and expansion projects. A landscaped fountain plaza was finished in the fall of 1995, connecting the en- trances of the lmmaculata and Hughes Administration Center. In 1992, the university completed the 45,000 square foot Loma Hall, which includes an expanded bookstore, class- rooms and labs. In 1990, the renovated Katherine M. and George M. Pardee Jr. Legal Research Center opened. Plans are currently in the works for a new 5,000 seat arena, the Jenny Craig Pavilion, to be constructed between the football and baseball stadiums. Athletics USD is a member of the West Coast Conference and competes in 16 intercollegiate sports on the NCAA Division I level. Men's sports include: baseball, basketball, crew, cross country, golf, football, soccer and tennis. Women's sports include: basketball , crew, cross country, soccer, softball, swimming, tennis and volleyball. -2-
Director of Athletics
Tom Iannacone is in his tenth year as the University of San Diego Director of Ath- letics. He assumed the position Sept. 1, 1988 after a nationwide search. In the last nine years behind his direction and leadership, Torero Athletics has enjoyed successes both on and off the playing field . His accomplishments at USO include an
internal reorganization of the athletic department, plus im- provements in the major areas of personnel, scholarship assis- tance, facilities, promotions and marketing, fund raising, drug education, academic support, and a university approved plan for scholarship support and sports sponsorship. In addition, he was instrumental in USO gaining membership to the Pioneer Football League, which began play in 1993. He is a member of the I-AA Athletic Directors Association Executive Commit- tee; and is past Chainnan of the West Coast Conference Athletic Directors Committee. During lannacone's tenure, facilities at the USD Sports Center, along with all athletic fields , have seen vast improve- ments. Improvements at the Sports Center include complete renovations of both the north and south wings that added offices for administrators and coaches; additional locker rooms for women's basketball , volleyball and women's soccer; an athletic department conference room; and an academic sup- port room. Torero Stadium, where football and men's and women's soccer compete, was widened to accommodate soccer, and added a state-of-the-art lighting system and scoreboard. On the playing fields, USO has sent 19 teams '.o NCAA Tournaments since lannacone's arrival in the Fall of 1988. Additionally, the school has captured five conference cham- pionships; nineteen NCAA All-Americans; fifteen CoSIDA/ GTE Academic All-Americans; eleven conference Coaches of the Year; ten conference Players of the Year; and three West Coast Conference Scholar-Athletes of the Year. Prior to USD, Iannacone built an impressive list of creden- tials at St. Francis College as Director of Athletics between 1984-87. His major contributions included the expansion of sports offerings and scholarships for both men and women, improved budgets, renovation of athletic facilities , the hiring of additional staff, and the establishment of a master plan for the future and continual development of athletics. He served as assistant Director of Athletics at Fordham University between 1977-84. Along with his administrative duties, he was assistant football coach for the Rams. In 1983 he was presented the prestigious Jack Coffey Award by the Alumni Association for his outstanding contributions to Fordham athletics. Prior to Fordham, Iannacone taught physical education and coached track and field , and football in Connecticut Public School Districts from 1964-76. A 1964 graduate of the University of Connecticut, Iannacone received his master of science degree in physical education from Southern Con- necticut State University in 1973. Tom and his wife, Cynthia, have three children : Tom Jr. , Jennifer and Eric. All three are graduates of the University of San Diego.
-3--
Coach ohn Connin ham
The 1998 season will be Head Coach John Cunningham's 35th and final year at the helm of the Univer- sity of San Diego base- ba 11 program . Cunningham , an American Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Farner, has led the Toreros to 16 win- ning seasons includ- ing two World Series
appearances. Last season , Cunningham recorded his 800th victory, an 11-2 win over Brigham Young on March 18, and ranks in the top forty in all-time victories by Division I coaches . A native San Diegan, Cunningham attended St. Augustine High School and then went onto college at the University of San Francisco. A basketball and baseball standout, Cunningham also made the President's Honor Roll six times at USF as well as achieving membership in Alpha Sigma Nu , the Na- tional Jesuit Honor Society. As a basketball player, he was named All-Conference and listed as Honorable Mention on the Catholic All-American lists. As a senior in 1959, he was named USF's Athlete Of The Year. In 1960, he took part in the U.S. Olympic Basketball Team Trials and was a member of the All-Army bas- ketball team. After a tour in the armed forces and a brief stretch in the Baltimore Orioles organization, Cunningham was hired by former USO athletic director Phil Woolpert (and Cunningham's collegiate coach) in 1962 as an assistant basketball coach. He took over the baseball coaching duties in 1964 for Mike Morrow. Over a span of 34 years, Cunningham's teams have won thirty or more games seven times (71 , 78, 79, 80, 81 , 87, 93) with four of his squads advancing to postseason play.. His 1971 and 1978 squads won regional titles and advanced to the Division II College World Series. He was named District VIII Coach Of the Year in 1971 . In 1979, the Toreros moved into the Division I ranks and in his first year at that level , Cunningham guided the Toreros to a 32-19-1 record and fourth place finish in the Southern California Baseball Association . In 1985, USO joined the West Coast Conference and over the past 13 years in the league, Cunningham has won 314 games and has more overall victories (814) than all of the other seven coaches combined. In 1993, he was named WCC --4--
Coach John Cunningham
Co-Coach of the Year after guiding the Toreros to a team record 36 wins. Cunningham was recognized by his peers on January 5, 1991 when he was inducted into the Ameri- can Baseball Coaches Association Hall Of Fame. An active member of the ABCA for 34 years, Cunningham joined 142 amateur baseball coaches in this elite group. Cunningham resides in Escondido and has one son, Geoffrey, who is a graduate of USO.
Collegiate Coaching Record w L I PCT. NCAA
Year 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1987 1988 1989 19 .387 .447 .350 .351 .564 .568 .513 .463 .ro5 .487 .615 .545 .545 .547 .386 .362 .310 .509 .574 .500 .417 .429 .386 .538 .679 .536 .480 .464 .558 12 19 17 21 :J) 26 14 26 13 24 22 17 19 22 23 15 19 :J) 26 16 24 19 33 22 32. 19 30 25 30 25 '29 24 17 27 :J) 36 17 39 26 25 31 23 28 28 22 31 24 32 21 34 28 24 36 17 '29 25 25 27 Tl Tl 25 27 21 34 :J) 16 12 19 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 l .435 Regionals (0-2) .739 World Series (4-2) .619 Regionals (5-3) 0 .roo World Series (5-3) 1 l 1 l 1 1 1 · 1985 1986 2 l 0 I 0 2 0 0 I 0 1 2 481 Career 814 800 18 .502 -5- Assistant Coaches #6 JAKE MOLINA Coach Jake Molina is beginning his thir- teenth season as an assistant coach at USO. Molina's background prior to USO in- cludes seven years of junior college coach- ing. He was head coach at Santa Monica College from 1974-77, before taking over the San Diego City College position from 1978-84. At SDCC, Molina led the 1980 and 1981 teams to conference championships. Molina also managed the Spanish National Team for six summers. He was the head coach for the Spanish Olympic Team at the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona. A native of San Diego, Molina graduated from UCLA in 1971 with a degree in Physical Education and received his master's degree in Physical Education in 1972 from San Diego State. Jake and his wife Sherri have one son, Nathan. #32 GLENN GODWIN Coach Glenn Godwin begins his thir- teenth year as the pitching coach for USO. A 1982 graduate of USO with a degree in Business Administration, Glenn played for Coach Cunningham's 1981 and 1982 teams. In 1982, Godwin had a 14-4 record in 21 appearances. Along with his 2.92 ERA, Godwin fanned 142 batters in 148 innings and is one of eight USO All-Americans. Godwin was drafted by the Oakland A's organization in 1982 and played A ball for 2 1/2 years between 1982-84. Godwin completed his MBA at USO in May of 1987. For nine summers Godwin managed a baseball team in Sweden, and guided the team to two Swedish National Championships. #40 JACOB 5LANIA Jacob Slania is in his second season as a coach with the Toreros, but sixth year with the program. A 1995 USO graduate and currently en- rolled in the university's law program, Slania was a four-year starter and the West Coast Conference's Scholar Athlete of the Year in 1995. Slania was twice selected Second Team All WCC and was also a three-time All Academic Team selection. Slania was also named USD's Most Improved Player in 1994. Slania also has been involved in promoting baseball inter- nationally and was the manager of the Norwegian National Baseball Team in 1996. That summer, Slania managed his team to the first ever international competition championship, winning the Nordic Cup. Slania is single and resides in San Diego. His brother has been signed to play at USO next year. --6- West Coast Conference The wee enters its 31 st year of competition and will have a slightly different look to it. All eight teams return , but they will be split into two brackets for scheduling purposes. Teams will play each team they are grouped with in their division in two three-game series and face teams from the other division once. A total of 30 games will be played to determine the conference champion and who receives the automatic berth to the NCAA tournament. In 1999, plans are for the league to clean ly divide into two divisions a "West" and a "Coast" split that separates traditional travel partners and creates and east-west divisional setup. 1998 marks the third season that the conference has been in its current alignment with Portland and Gonzaga joining the WCC in baseball in 1996. USO joined the confer- ence in 1985 and the other five members have been with the conference since its inception. Other members include: Pepperdine, Loyola Marymount, Santa Clara, Saint Mary's, and San Francisco. The wee has taken part in four College World Series with Pepperdine being crowned champion in 1992. The Waves were also the league's automatic qualifier to the NCAA Regionals in 1995, 1993 and 1991 whi le Loyola Marymount represented the wee in 1990. Both teams ap- peared at the NCAAs in 1989. Santa Clara advanced to the NCAA Regionals in 1994. Last season, Santa Clara advanced to the NCAA tour- nament after winning the conference by three games over Pepperdine. Santa Clara lost in the Western Regional to Fresno State. 1997 wee Standings wee OVERALL w L T CE w L Santa Clara 23 5 0 41 20 Pepperdine 20 8 0 3 34 25 San Francisco 17 11 0 6 29 27 San Diego 13 15 0 10 25 27 Saint Mary's 12 16 0 11 21 34 Loyola Marymount 11 17 0 12 21 39 Portland 9 19 0 14 20 33 Gonzaga 7 21 0 16 19 33 Player of the Year: Mike Frank, Santa Clara Pitcher of the Year: Randy Wolf, Pepperdine Co-Freshman of the Year: Matt Riordan (LMU), Steve Schenewerk (PEP) Coach of the Year: John Oldham, Santa Clara T 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 1 WEST COAST CONFERENCE 400 Oyster Point Blvd ., Suite 221 South San Francisco, CA 94080 (650) 873-8622 Fax: (650) 873-7846 Michael Gilleran Commissioner Don Ott Assistant Commissioner Assistant Commissioner Membership Services Public Relations Assistant Administrative Intern Teresa Kuehn Jennifer Markey Mark Papadopoulos Jeanette Morganti -7- 1998 Preview What might be one of .the best shots at the West Coast Conference title for the University of San Diego Toreros is coming in Head Coach John Cunningham's 35th season. The 1998 Toreros return six everyday starters and nearly the entire pitching staff from last year's squad that finished as the second best staff in the country (3.91 ERA). Cunningham has also kept his bench nucleus together with a total of 18 players re- turning from last year. Cunningham is only bringing in four newcomers to this year's team to try to fill the holes left by the graduating seniors from last year. The mix of talented newcomers and award winning veterans will attempt to give Cunningham his first wee title and his 17th winning season. (1-r) B. Mazone, K. Reese, M. Vallecorsa, T. Farrell The run to the title will start with a pitching staff that was ranked #2 in the nation in ERA and saw two returners ranked in the top ten in the WCC in ERA. The Toreros lost their top pitcher to the Boston Red Sox, but return All WCC Second Team member Brian Mazone (who ranked second on the team in wins and strikeouts, ninth in the league in ERA and first in shutouts) , and the team leader in ERA, junior, Mark Vallecorsa , who also ranked fourth in the WCC (2.86 ERA). Senior Travis Farrell will also be in the starting rotation and sopho- more Kevin Reese will move into the bullpen and join Mike Amundson as a reliever. Offensively, the Toreros lost the team's batting cham- pion and stolen base king , Jeb Dougherty, to gradua- tion but return the top run producer Brian Mazone , who plays first when he is not pitching . Mazone hit .338 to rank eighth in the WCC and knocked in a team high 34 runs. Junior catcher Tony Betancourt tied for the team lead last year in RBl's with Mazone, and led the team in home runs with 7. He has led the team in both categories over the past two seasons and earned WCC Honorable Mention honors in '97. -8- 1998 Preview Returning to the starting lineup for '98 are sopho- more second baseman Sean Skinner, senior short- stop Jeff Powers , sophomore third baseman Tony Lopresti and outfielders Juan Garcia and Chris Humpert. Skinner hit .299 in his freshman season , the second highest freshman batter behind catcher Alan Leuthard who hit .313. Powers numbers dropped a little in '97, but was a wee Honorable Mention selec- tion in his sophomore year. LoPresti had 18 RBl's and 40 hits in his freshman season and was a defensive standout at third base. Garcia will move to right field this season after spending most of his time in center during his first two years while Humpert takes over centerfield duties. Only four newcomers are on this year's squad and three of them are infielders. The lone pitcher of the group is David Waters , a 6-0 freshman out of Horizon High in Scottsdale, AZ. Joe Lima (6-0, Fr, Mira Mesa High), Dominic Repetti (6-3, Jr, De Anza College) , and Dion Light (6-1 , So , Riverside C.C.) will battle for playing time on the left side of the infield . This year's non-conference schedule opens with a trip to the Univer- sity of Arizona in January . The Toreros February schedule includes a trip to Hawaii to take on Hawaii- Hilo, co-hosting of the San Diego Baseball Classic and a three-game series with Minne- sota at the end of the month . The wee schedule will have a different look this year, be- ing split into two di- visions for sched- u Ii ng purposes . The Toreros will Junior catcher Tony Betancourt play home-and-home series with the three teams in their division (Coast) beginning on the road with San Francisco on March 6th. Pepperdine and Gonzaga are the other two teams in the Toreros division . USO will face the teams from the West division (Santa Clara , St. Mary's, Portland , and Loyola Marymount) just once. All series will be three games in length . -9-- Torero Returners #4 JEFFPOWERS SCOTTSDALE, AZ Junior: Batted .284 in 33 games played with 17 starts at shortstop. Sophomore: Selected to WCC Honor- able Mention team .. . Scholar Athlete... USD's Gold Glove Award winner and team's Most Improved .... Two game winning hits. Freshman: Played in nine- teen games with 16 at-bats... First collegiate hit came against Pepperdine (April 29). Chaparral HS: Helped the Firebirds to a 4A State Championship by batting .417 with 28 RBI and an impressive .567 on-base percentage.. .Named to All- Region first team and all-city honors...Also played varsity soccer at Chaparral. Personal: Communications major... Brother, John, played at Arizona and is in Padres org... Father, Mike, SR 55 6--0 185 3V played at UC Santa Barbara and spent lime with San Francisco Giants org.. . Uncle, Steve Powers, was MVP at the 1976 College World Series as an Arizona Wildcat... 1997 "Golden Gloves" boxing champion and Western Territory Moi Tai kickboxing runner-up.. . Western Regional Champion in Grappling and Ken Po Ka- rate in '95 and '96... Born March 20, 1976 in Mesa, AZ.. H HR RBI BA SB FD% R Year GIGS AB 2 .929 2 .928 0 .926 4 .928 .284 .253 .063 .249 19 0 37 0 1 0 fi1 0 67 8 146 27 16 0 229 35 33117 54152 19/4 106173 1997 1996 1995 Career 6 18 0 24 #7 DAVID WRIGHT MEDFORD, OR 1997: Did not play. Freshman : Appeared in 38 games with eight starts... Batted .303 with 20 hits and 9 RBI ... Triple against San Jose State (2-12)... Stolen base versus St. Francis (2-16) .. . Went 3-for-4 versus Or- so OF egon State (2-15)... Selected to All Tournament Team of Arthur J. Gallagher Classic. South Medford HS: All South- ern Oregon Conference selection for two years... Starting short- stop... Batted .422 with ten home runs during senior year... Pan- ther team reached state playoffs junior and senior years... Also played basketball. 5-11 170 1V Personal: Major is Business... Also recruited by Portland, Willamette and Cal Poly... Chose USD for its academic reputation and baseball program... Brother, Rob played basketball and baseball at Pacific Lutheran... Born November 23, 1976 in Medford, OR. H HR RBI BA SB FD¾ R Year GIGS AB 1997 1996 38/8 66 career 3818 66 -DNP-- 12 20 0 .875 .875 .303 .303 9 9 20 . 0 12 -10- Torero Returners I #8 DANGIESE SAN CLEMENTE, CA Sophomore: Made five appear- ances all in relief. Freshman: Appeared in 14 games with eight starts... Recorded a 4-2 record in wee play... Complete game against Portland (3-29-96) and only allowed one run with four strikeouts... Career high six K's in win versus Gonzaga. Rubidoux HS: Named All Ivy JR p 6-2 190 2V League for the Falcons along with All County as a senior. . Selected as team Most Valuable Player... Coached by Ray Marisnick... Played club ball for Riv- erside Royals... Also played soccer. Personal: Business major. .. Sought after by UC Riv- erside, Chapman and Whittier. .. Chose USO for its baseball program and quality of school. .. Born May 19, 1977 in Anaheim, CA. Year GIGS W L SV IP H K BB ERA 1997 5/0 4.1 8 3 5 46.7 56 29 33 50.8 64 32 38 12.46 5.68 6.38 0 4 4 0 0 0 0 4 4 1996 14/8 Career 19/8 #9 CHRIS LIOSI SAN DIEGO, CA 1997: Ranked fifth on the team in batting with a .300 average... Had three multi-hit games... Played in 41 games with nine starts. 1996: Appeared in eleven games with four starts... Knocked in run versus Cal Poly SLO in first game of series. Noteworthy: Attended UNLV in 1995, but returned to San Diego to be closer to home. Mission Bay HS: Played for a team ranked 20th in the JR OF 6-3 190 nation during senior season and 7th during junior campaign... Also played football and was selected First Team All League and Spe- cial Teams MVP. Personal: Major is Ocean Stud- ies... Recruited by San Francisco State and UNLV... Born June 10, 1976 in Las Vegas, NV. 2V ear GIGS AB 1997 41/9 50 1996 11/4 11 Career 52/13 61 R H HR RBI BA SB FD% 10 15 0 2 0 0 12 15 0 9 .300 4 .943 .000 0 .857 1 10 .246 4 .897 -11- Torero Returners #17 MARKVALLECORSA SAN DIMAS, CA Sophomore: Led the team with a 2.86 ERA in 14 appearances... Started in eight games and posted a 3- 4 record ... Struck out 32 batters, ranking fourth on the team .. . Strongest outing came against St. Mary's, go- ing 71 /3 without allowing a run in 2-0 win. Pitched five- hit complete game at USF (5-10). Freshman: Scholar Athlete... Appeared in 15 games with four starts, compiling a 1-2 record ... 18 strikeouts .. Pitched 5 1/3 innings with three K's in 6-3 victory over USF (5-12)... Struck out five in 4+ innings of relief against UNLV (3-15). Noteworthy: Selected in the 1995 draft by the Los Angeles Dodgers. Damien HS: 50 strike outs in 49 innings pitched senior JR p 6-0 165 2V season... Named Most Valuable Pitcher for the Spartans.. . Selected as a Inland Valley All Star... Junior year pitched 45 innings with 30 strike outs. Personal: Accounting major... Recruited by Cornell, UC Santa Barbara and Gonzaga .. . Selected USO because of its quality education... Last name is pro- nounced Valley-kors-uh... Born October 4, 1976 in Covina, CA. BB ERA K IP H Year GIGS W L SV 2.86 5.52 3.70 63.0 65 32 16 29.3 36 18 20 92.3 101 SJ 36 4 2 6 0 0 0 1997 14/8 1996 15/4 Career 29/12 3 1 4 #18 CHRIS HUMPERT ARCADIA, CA Sophomore: Played in 39 games with 27 starts... Hit both home runs on the road (at UCLA 4-22, at USF5- 10)... 13 of 20 hits came in conference play. Freshman: Batted .328 in freshman campaign... JR OF Started in 18 games and played in 36... Only made one error in 49 attempts. Club: Batted .420 for the Arcadia Astros and was a Babe Ruth All Star. Arcadia HS: Team went 22-3 dur- ing senior season as a member of the Pacific League... Team was ranked in Top 20... Had a .410 batting average during senior year. 6-0 200 2V Personal: English/Sociology major... Received inter- est from Cal State Northridge... Father, Ron, played baseball at New Mexico Highlands... Born November 12, 1976 in West Covina, CA. H HR RBI BA SB FO'/o Year GIGS AB R 1997 39/27 97 1996 36/18 67 Career 75145 164 .954 .980 .957 .206 3 .328 0 .256 3 8 8 12 20 2 9 22 1 21 42 3 16 -12- Torero Returners I #19 KEVIN REESE SAN DIEGO, CA so Freshman: Made 11 pitching appearances in '97 while splitting time at first base as well. .. Played in 47 total games... Batted .263 with four home runs and 22 RB l's... p Had eight multi-hit games... Had 2- 4 record as a pitcher... Named to Bombs at the Beach All Tourna- ment Team. 6-0 190 Mission Bay HS: Mizuno HS All American... First Team All State... CBCA South All State Team selec- tion ... Western League Co-Player of the Year for two years... Voted as Mission Bay's team MVP... Team went 29-5 during senior sea- son and were state champions... CIF and Western League champions.. . Ranked #7 in USA Today. Personal: Undeclared major... Also recruited by Naval Academy, Loyola Marymount and San Francisco... Born March 11, 1978 in San Diego, CA. Year GIGS W L SV IP H K BB ERA #20 DAVID LEMBO MESA, AZ Freshman: Saw action in 17 games and received SO starts vs. Gonzaga... Recorded four-game hitting streak in mid-April. 1 B Mesa HS: All East Valley Conference selection... Hon- 1V 1997 11/5 Career 1115 2 2 4 0 4 0 33.1 28 16 28 4.86 33.1 28 16 28 4.86 orable Mention All State... Team ranked #4 in the state and won 5-1 O two league championships... All Conference during junior year.. . Also played football and was an 205 All State First Team selection. Personal: Undeclared major... Chose USO for its education and 1V baseball program... Born Septem- ber 13, 1977 in Mesa, AZ. Year GIGS AB R H HR RBI BA SB FU% 1997 17/2 23 Career 17/2 23 5 5 5 5 0 2 0 2 .217 0 .217 0 .875 .875 USO Fax-on-Demand USO Baseball information is now available 24 hours a day via Fax-on-Demand. This service is intended for working media members. Please observe the follow- ing steps: • Dial (770) 399-3066 (from fax handset) • Enter Passcode #9378 • Select from USO- Baseball Menu - #1755 News Release #1756 Statistics/Results/Latest Box #1757 Schedule/Roster -13- Torero Returners #21 KEVINGRAY YORBA LINDA, CA so p 1997: Did not play. Troy HS: Selected to the All Free- way League team during senior campaign... Team MVP... Base- ball team ranked #16... All Free- way League during junior year... Also played football and was an all-league selection. Personal: Undeclared major.. . Also recruited by Loyola Marymount and Redlands ... Chose USO for strong academic 6-2 185 1V reputation, baseball program and location.. . Brother, Brian played baseball at Clairemont McKenna ... Born May 5, 1977 in Yorba Linda, CA. #22 BRYAN BEALER MEDFORD, OR so p Freshman: Made 12 apperances with six starts... First collegiate win came Feb. 16 vs. Portland State... Re- corded 22 strikeouts. Noteworthy: Drafted in the 30th round by the Kansas City Royals. North Medford HS: Selected to First Team All Southern Oregon Conference... Second Team All State... Team went 20-7 during senior season and ranked third in state .. . Played basketball during sophomore year. 6-3 200 1V Personal: Undeclared major... Also recruited by Oregon State, Portland State, Gonzaga... Chose USO because of baseball program and school size... Born December 7, 1977 in Loma Linda, CA. IP H K BB ERA Year GIGS W L SV 0 6.11 1 1 35 .1 43 22 21 35.1 43 22 21 3 1997 12/6 Career 12/6 3 0 6.11 USD Most Valuable Players 1960 Jim Fiorenza 1980 Mike Saverino 1981 Bill Pinkham 1982 Glenn Godwin 1983 John Mullen 1984 AndreJacas 1985 Paul Van Stone 1986 DavidJacas 1987 Sean Baron 1988 Dave Rolls 1989 Andy Roberts 1990 R. Doane, T. Cheek 1991 Kevin Herde 1992 Kevin Herde 1993 Kevin Herde 1994 M. Saipe, J. Stepner 1995 T. Burgus, L. Williams 1996 Jeb Dougherty 1961 Dick Wilbur 1962 Curtis Hart 1963 John Pearce 1964 John Baumgarten 1965 Pat Barry 1967 D.Carpenter,T.Thompson 1968 Tom Thompson 1969 Gary Myron 1970 John Wathan 1971 Dave Gonzalez 1972 Kerry Dineen 1973 Kerry Dineen 1974 Rick Garner 1975 Ted Schultz 1976 Dan Flanagan 1977 Hank Ashworth 1978 Paul Mendes 1979 Don Slater 1966 Ed Green Tony Betancourt 1997 Brian Mazone -14-- Torero Returners #23 ELI CECIL FALLBROOK, CA Sophomore: Ranked fourth on the IP.am in batting with a .310 average... Had two three-hit games (3-18 vs. BYU, 3-26 vs. Pt. Loma) .. Scored game-winning run in bot- tom of tenth in win over Pt. Loma (3-26). Freshman : Played in four games with three RBI and two hits .. Started versus St. Francis (2-16) JR OF 6-0 170 Fallbrook HS: Al l Palomar League First Team mem- ber three out of four years... Batted .355 with five home runs for the Warriors who won 20 games... Played wide receiver on football team and voted All Palomar League three times. Personal: Communications major. .. Also recruited by Arizona, UCLA and Portland ... Chose USO for its loca- tion, baseball program and reputation ... Born Decem- ber 1, 1976 in South Laguna Beach, CA. 2V H HR RBI BA SB FD% Year GIGS AB R 1997 37/16 71 .667 .000 .667 .310 1 .500 0 .320 1 10 22 0 6 0 3 2 0 4 1996 4/1 Career 41/17 24 0 9 75 10 #24 SEAN SKINNER PHOENIX, AZ so Freshman: Hit .299 during freshman campaign and ranked sixth on the team... Played in 38 games with 29 starts... Recorded eight multi-hit games....963 fielding percentage ranked fourth on team... Named to San Diego Baseball Classic Al l Tournament Team . Horizon HS : Selected to All Arizona State tear7 as well as Super Nine, Al l Region and All City during senior season... Horizon team went 30-2 and was ranked number one in the state and 5th in the coun- 2B 6-3 185 try... Team won three Desert Val- ley League titles and two state titles during his years.. Also played basketball two years. Personal: Communications ma- jor.. Also recruited by Utah .. Chose USO for its academics and baseball program... Father, Mike, played at Potomic State and for the Pittsburgh Pirates... Born June 13, 1978 in Phoenix, AZ.. 1V H HR RBI BA SB FD% R Year GIGS AB 1997 38/29 97 Career 38129 97 1 1 .299 11 .299 15 29 0 15 29 0 .963 .963 -1~ Torero Returners #25 ERROL SMITH SAN DIEGO, CA so Freshman : Played in 29 games with 12 starts .. . Hit lone home run of season on Feb . 20 against Missouri .. . Had multi-hit games at San Diego State (2-22) and vs. Portland State (2-17). OF St. Augustine HS: All CIF selec- tion during senior year... All County pick... Team went 24-8 and was ranked fourth in the county. Personal: Undeclared major.. Born February 25, 1978 in San Diego, CA. 5-10 190 1V Year GIGS AB R 1997 29/12 56 3 H HR RBI BA SB FD¾ 11 11 5 .196 0 1.000 5 .196 0 1.000 Career 29/12 56 3 #26 GEOFF BABBITT ENGELWOOD, CO so p 1997: Did not play. 1996: Appeared in four games with one save during freshman sea- son... Struckout five in 6 1/3 in- nings pitched... Recorded save ver- sus UC Riverside (2-27) pitching to only three batters in one inning of relief. 6-1 185 Cherry Creek HS: Played for state champion Bruins senior season .. . All Centenial League selection ... All State Honorable Mention... Also played football and named First Team All League. Personal: Accounting major... Also recruited by Dartmouth, Penn and Denver.. Chose USO for its academics, location and size... Born September 22, 1976 in Denver, CO. Year GIGS W L SV IP H K BB ERA 1996 4/0 Career 4/0 0 0 0 0 6.3 7 5 6.3 7 5 7.11 7.11 1V -16- Torero Returners t/27 MARTY HAYES ANAHEIM, CA so 1B Freshman: Played in 31 games with 18 starts... Led team in fielding percentage (.989) with only two errors in 184 chances... Hit .229 with two home runs. Servite HS : First Team All Goldenwest League selection.. Team Coach's Award winne r... Team went 20-7 during senior season and advanced to second round of CIF playoffs. 6-2 185 Personal: Business major... Chose USO for its academic program, small school size, and athletics... Father, Mike, played baseball and ran track at St. Norberts in Wiscon- sin... Born February 1, 1978 in Milwaukee, WI. 1V FD% .989 .989 H HR RBI BA Year GIGS PB R 1997 31/18 70 Career 31118 70 9 9 10 .229 0 10 .229 0 16 2 16 2 #29 MIKE AMUNDSON NEWBURY PARK, CA so p Freshman : Tied for team lead in saves... Made 22 appearances, all coming in relief except one... Struck out 26 batters in 32+ innings pitched... Got first colle- giate win in 12-11 victory over Pt. Loma (3-26). Newbury Park HS: All County... Student Sports All America during senior yea r... Second Team All County and Second Team All Marmonte League during junior year.. . Also played on CIF Champion football team during sophomore year. 6-2 195 Personal: Undeclared major... Also recruited by UCLA and Fresno State... Chose USO for academics, baseball program and coaching staff... Father, Curt, played baseball and football at Cal Lutheran... Born December 20, 1977 in Westlake, CA. 1V ERA 6.61 6.61 IP H K EB 32.2 34 26 21 32.2 34 26 21 Year GIGS W L 9/ 4 2 4 2 1997 22/1 Career 2211 -17- Torero Returners #30 ALAN LEUTHARD EL CAJON, CA so Freshman : Ranked third on the team in batting aver- age (.313) in overall games and led the team in batting in conference games (.373)... Selected as USD's Most Improved Player... Hit three home runs, two coming in conference games (4-20 vs. LMU, 4-26 vs. Portland)... Hit game winning grand slam in 10-6 win over UC Riverside (4-8)... Ten multi-hit games... First collegiate home run came in 2 for 4, 4 RBI performance vs. UC Riverside. El Cajon Valley HS: First Team All Grossmont League selection for three years... Team MVP for junior and senior seasons.. . Team advanced to second round of CIF. C ~9 180 1V Personal : Undeclared major... Chose USO because of its small school size and proximity to home... Born May 10, 1978 in San Diego, CA. Year GIGS AB R ,1997 45/30 115 19 Career 45130 115 19 H HR RBI BA SB FD% 36 3 36 3 19 .313 5 19 .313 5 .941 .941 #31 TRAVIS FARRELL ENCINITAS, CA Junior: Made ten appearance with six starts and went 1-2... Struck out 20 batters in 42 2/3 innings .. . 17 of 20 stike outs came during comference play. Sophomore: Ap- peared in eleven games with eight starts... 4.97 ERA ranked third on the team... Longest outing was a six-inning, five hit performance in a 11-2 win over Gonzaga (3-24). Noteworthy: Attended Dartmouth SR p 6-2 200 College in 1994-95, playing for the 19-17 Big Green. Torrey Pines HS: Selected First Team All CIF as a senior... Falcons won CIF crown... Led county in stolen bases with 38.. . Batted .448.. . Named to All Academic team... Also played football. Personal: Major is Business Administration... Born No- vember 27, 1975 in San Diego, CA. 2V Year GIGS W L 91 IP H K EB 42 .2 37 20 27 38 .0 46 11 21 80.2 83 31 48 1997 10/6 1996 11 /8 1 Career 21/ 14 2 1 4 .85 4.97 4.91 2 3 5 0 0 0 -18- ToreroReturners #35 JUAN GARCIA BARCELONA, SPAIN Sophomore: Played in all but five games and re- ceived 38 starts... Batted .266 with 16 RBIs... Lone home run came on Feb. 25 at Cal State Northridge.. Perfect 3-for-3 in stolen bases during league play. Freshman: Recorded game winning hit versus San Francisco (5-11 )... Stole five bases to rank fourth on the team... Played in 44 games... Knocked in ten runs... Triple came against St. Francis (2-16)... Seven game hitting streak in mid-March.. . Made four appearances on the mound with one victory before moving to the outfield. USD HS: Compiled a 9-1 record and was named All Western League. Spain : Has played on the Spanish National and Junior .R OF 6-4 200 2V National Teams... Will play on '98 World Cup team .. . Team won Spanish National Championship in 1993. Personal : Also recruited by North Caro- lina, Wyoming and Cal State Northridge.. Chose USO because of the baseball pro- gram and the city... Born July 11, 1976 in Barcelona, Spain . Year GIGS AB R H HR RBI BA lB FD¾ 1997 49/38 128 25 1996 44/36 11 0 16 41 #36 TONY BETANCOURT SAN DIEGO, CA JR Sophomore: Led the team with seven home runs and tied for team lead in RBIs (34).. Batted .293 while playing in 49 games. Freshman: West Coast Confer- ence Freshman of the Year... Second Team All wee .. 34 1 29 0 63 1 16 .266 4 10 .264 5 26 .264 9 .962 .943 .951 Career 93174 238 C USO co-MVP... Mizuno All Ameri- can .. Ranked seventh in the league in batting, fifth in hits and seventh in RBl's... Ninth player in USO history to record 70 hits in one season.. Two- time West Coast Conference Player of the Week (4/16, 5/14)... 22 multiple- hit games. Rancho Bernardo HS : Won Gold Glove award senior season... Se- 5-9 195 2V lected All League First Team member... Coached by Sam Blalock... Also played soccer and was selected to Honorable Mention team. Personal : Undeclared major... Chose USO for its aca- demics and close to home... Born May 4, 1977 in San Diego, CA. Year GIGS AB R H HR RBI BA lB FD¾ 1997 49/45 174 30 1996 55/53 208 31 Career 104198 382 61 51 7 70 6 121 13 34 .293 3 43 .337 3 T1 .317 6 .972 .961 .967 -19- ToreroReturners #37 TONY LOPRESTI SAN DIEGO, CA so E ~o Freshman: USO Rookie of the Year. .. Started in 46 games... Bat- ted. 282 while knocking in 20 runs and hit two home runs ... Led Torero freshman in hits (40)... Had 13 game hitting streak (April 18 VS. LMU - May 3 vs. Pepperdine) .. First collegiate home run came vs. Portland (4-26). 205 USO HS : Two-time All CIF selec- tion __ Twice selected to the All- League Team... Team MVP for junior and senior years.. Four year member of the varsity team . Personal: Philosophy major... Chose USO for the base- ball program and academics... Born September 10, 1978 in San Diego, CA. 1V HR RBI BA SB FD% H Year G'GS AB R 1997 52/46 142 18 Career 52/46 142 18 .942 .942 18 .282 2 18 .282 2 40 2 40 2 #38 BRIAN MAZONE ENCINITAS, CA SR p Junior: Second Team All wee selection.. Team MVP and RBI percentage champion .. Batted .338 to rank second on the team .. Tied for team lead in RBIs... Had 7-6 record on the mound in 15 6-4 starts.. 3.25 ERA ranked fourth on team .. .409 On Base Pct. ranked second on the team .. 200 Played in every game. Sopho- more: First Team All wee selec- tion... Led the wee with a 1.85 ERA in league games .. 3V Also led the league in innings pitched (58.3) and com- plete games (5) in wee play... Recorded a 3.74 ERA overall, good for· ninth in the league... Named USD's Most Outstanding Pitcher. . Recorded save against Loyola Marymount (4-28) in lone relief appearance, pitching three innings. Freshman : USD's Rookie of the Year. .. Made 20 ap- pearances and five starts... Picked up first career save against St. Mary's (March 18)... First victory came in relief against Cal State Northridge (Feb. 21). San Dieguito HS : AII-C IF-San Diego Section Second Team... Compiled a mound record of 8-4 with a 1.34 ERA in 83.3 innings worked... First Team All-Palomar League selection ... Union-Tribune Scholar-Athlete. Personal : Business major... Chose USO because of academic reputation , small school, and to be close to home .. . Born July 26, 1976 in Mission Viejo, CA. ERA 3.25 3.74 5.67 3.96 Year G'GS W L 9/ EB K IP H 6 0 5 1 3 1 14 2 94 65 36 113 64 36 62 24 25 269 153 97 97.0 98.2 54.0 249.2 1997 15/15 7 1996 17/16 5 1995 20/5 2 Career 52136 14 -20-- Torero Newcomers #11 Infield JOE LIMA Fr. 6-0 170 San Diego, CA/Mira Mesa HS HS: Two-time All Eastern League selec- tion for Mira Mesa High... Eastern League Player of the Yea r during junior year.. Team won league titl e during sopho- more and junior years. Personal : Biology major .. Chose USO for the baseball program and academics .. Born July 16, 1979 in La Jolla, CA. DOMINIC REPPETTI #12 Jr. 6-3 190 Infield Cupertino, CA/Manta Vista HS JC : Played two years of junior college ball at De Anza College. HS: Won the Outstanding Athlete Award during senior season. Personal : Biology major .. Chose USO for the baseball program and academ- ics... Born August 23, 1976 in San Jose, CA. #14 DAVIDWATERS 6-0 Pitcher 190 Fr. Scottsdale, AZ/Horizon HS HS: Team was state champions for two yea rs and league champs for three years... Ranked #1 in state... All Confer- ence pitcher in Desert Valley League .. Second Team All Region. Personal : Business Administration major .. Also recruited by Grand Canyon, Pepperdine, and Utah.. Chose USO because of location and school's reputa- tion... Brother currently attends USO and sister graduated from USO .. . Born April 25, 1979 in Stockton, CA. #34 Infield DION LIGHT So. 6-1 210 Chino, CA/Riverside C.C. HS: Al l CIF, All Inland Valley, and All League during senior season... Also an All League selection during junior and sophomore years.. . Also played football and was All Baseline League. Personal: Ocean Studies major. .. Chose USO because of campus environment. .. Attended Riverside Community College last year... Born May 6, 1978 in Hunting- ton Beach, CA. -21- HOMETOWN/LAST SCHOOL Riverside, CA/Rubidoux HS Scottsdale,AZ/Horizon HS San Dimas, CA/Damien HS San Diego, CA/Mission Bay HS Medford, OR/North Medford HS Englewood, CO/Cherry Creek HS Newbury Park, CA/Newbury Park HS Yorba Linda, CA/Troy HS filI R/R R/R I.A., I.A., R/R R/L R/R R/R R/R I.A., EXP. 'N HS 'N BD. WT. l Hf. 6-2 6-0 6-0 6-0 6-2 6-3 6-1 6-2 6-2 6-4 YR JR FR JR so so so so so NAME Giese, Dan Waters, David Vallecorsa, Mark Reese, Kevin Gray, Kevin Bealer, Bryan Babbitt, Geoff Amundson, Mike NO. 8 5-19-77 4-25-79 10-4--76 3-11-78 12-7-77 9-22-76 12-20-77 11-27-75 7-26-76 5-5-77 14 17 19 IV IV IV IV lV 'N 21 .c I., 22 .... 26 29 31 38 L r Encinitas, CA/Dartmouth SR SR Farrell, Travis Mazone, Brian Encinitas, CA/San Dieguito HS so JR 30 IJR SIR El Cajon, CA/El Cajon Valley HS San Diego, CA/Rancho Bernardo HS 180 195 5-10-78 5-4-77 lV 'N 5-9 5-9 Leuthard, Alan Betancourt, Tony c.,l -5 36 u TRIBUTE TO JOHN CUNNINGHAM (TORERO BASEBALL, 1962-98) John Cunningham announced that the 1998 base- ball season would be his 35thnndfinal season as head coach of the USD Toreros. The following four-page special insert of photos highlights his 35 years with USD. John Cunningham embarked upon his collegiate baseball coaching career in 1964 succeeding respected Mike Morrow, who initiated baseball at USD. TRIBUTE TO JOHN CUNNINGHAM (TORERO BASEBALL, 1962-98) John Cunningham accepts award from Joe Torre, former major league player and manager, fo r being named the District VIII Coach of the Year in 1971. At the I 981 USD Alumni Game, Cunningham pre- sents former Torero John Wathan with a plaque for being the first USD baseball player to have played in a World Series. Wathan played and was later head coach of the Kansas Ci(v Royals. TRIBUTE TO JOHN CUNNINGHAM (TORERO BASEBALL, 1962-98) Cunningham induc1ed il/{O !he American Baseball Coaches Associalion 0 11 January 5, / 99 1 in New Or- leans. Wi1h him is son, Geoffrey. and his Hall of Fame sponsor, Johll Wcahan. Cunningham induued info !he ABCA with Gordon Gillespie (St. Francis- IL). Rober! Hannah (Delawa re). Jerry Kindall (Ari-:.ona), Ron Maestri (New Orleans) and Ken Schreiber (LaPorle High School, Indiana). Cunningha111, shown here in ji-ont of USD /eam bus school purchased in / 99 / . JC was responsible for geuing 1he school's first two buses - one from 1he Marines in / 966 and a GMC ,node/ in 1978. He has accumulated over400,000 miles piloting Torero teams. TRIBUTE TO JOHN CUNNINGHAM (TORERO BASEBALL, 1962-98) CUNNINGHAM BASEBALL STADIUM HH BALL I::! STRIKEH OUT \::! UH AT BAT I 2 3 4 s 6 7 8 9 to R H E To show their appreciation for his 25 years of ser- vice to the University of San Diego, USD officials named the baseball stadium after him in 1988: Cunn ingham Baseball Stadium. Cunningham, shown here with longtime Torero as- sistants Glenn Godwin (#32) and Jake Molina (#6). The 1998 season is the 13th year for both assistants. Cunningham takes great pride in tending to one of the finest baseball facilities on the west coast. On behalf of the University of San Diego and all former Torero baseball players. THANK YOU "J.C." ! wr. HOMETOWN/LAST SCHOOL Scottsdale, AZ/Chaparral HS San Diego, CNMira Mesa HS Cupertino, CNDe Anza College Phoenix, AZ/Horizon HS Anaheim Hills, CNServite HS Chino, CA/Riverside C.C. Medford, OR/South Medford HS San Diego, CA/UNL V Arcadia, CN Arcadia HS Fallbrook, CA/Fallbrook HS San Diego, CNSt. Augustine HS Mesa, AZ/Mesa HS San Diego, CA/USDHS EXP. BIRTH. fill: Hf. 6--0 6--0 YR SR FR JR so so so so so so JR NO. NAME UR R/R R/R UR R/R R/R R/R R/R 3-20-76 7-16-79 8-23-76 9-13-77 6-13-78 2-1-78 5-6-78 9-10-78 '3\1 HS 185 170 190 205 185 185 210 205 170 190 200 170 190 200 Powers, Jeff 4 Lima, Joe 11 2JC 6-3 Repetti , Dominic Lembo, David Skinner, Sean Hayes, Marty Light, Dion LoPresti , Tony 12 2:0 24 27 34 37 "' I-, Cl.I '0 °Ql .... I.C = IV lV IV 5-10 6-3 6-2 6-1 6--0 IJC l i lV lV 'N 'N 'N IV 'N 11-23-76 R/R 5-11 Wright, David 7 "' I-, 9 6-10-76 R/R 6-3 6--0 6--0 Liosi, Chris Cl.I '0 °Ql I.C .... = 0 11-12-76 R/R JR JR so JR Humpert, Chris 18 23 25 35 12-1-76 2-25-78 7-11-76 R/R R/R R/R Cecil,Eli 5-10 Smith, Errol Garcia, Juan Barcelona, Spain/USDHS 6-4
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