USD Baseball 1999

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1 '999 Torerro Bas,eball 1999 Torero Baseball Preview

CATCHING

If p itc hing poses some concern fo r Hill, at least one half of the

battery remains constant.

"Tony Betancourt has been preparing hi s who le li fe fo r thi s opportunity, He provides great leadership fo r thi s team and he has a chance to pl ay in the maj or leagues," Hill said , Having such an ex perienced bac kstop can only improve a young staff and the Toreros ' pitching staff is in capabl e hands according to Hill. " Hi s experi ence definitely he lps. It lowers our ERA signifi cantl y, He does a ll kinds of things to help us w in , He handl es th e pitching staff, bloc ks and rece ives and throws we ll." Others seeing duty behind the pl ate include Alan Leuthard (E l Cajon, CA) and fres hman, Andrew Slani a (Houston, TX).

Toreros ' outfi eld unit is highli ghted by seni or center fi elder, Juan Garcia (Barce lona, Spain). Garcia hit .308 last season and led the team in sto len bases ( I0), " Juan Garcia is poised fo r a ste ll ar season. He is the best center fi elder in the confe rence," stated Hill. Hill is also high on junior left fi e lder, Dav id Wri ght who earned All-WCC Second Team honors in 1998, " He may be the best pure hitter on the team and has made himself into a good corner outfi elder," Hill sa id. DH: So Much Power••. Rich Hill has many options at the des ignated hitter spot, but the fro nt-runner is j unior Marty Hayes (Anaheim Hills, CA) who posted impressive numbers last season. "Marty Hayes is on the verge of doing something great in the middl e of the lineup . He can put it all together. He can hit fo r average and th e power is just about there," Hill sa id. Chri s Kahl (Reno, NV) and Chri s Li os i (San Diego, CA) may see time at the spot as defensive repl acements. WEST COAST CONFERENCE PICTURE Coach Hill ex pects another ti ght race in the West Coast Conference thi s season as the middl e of the pack continues to close the gap between the upper and lower echelon. "There's a tremendous amount of parity in the WCC. Pepperdine, Santa C lara and Loyo la Marymount are all at the top ti er. Sa in t Mary's and Portl and have new coaching staffs . For all the talk of parity in the conference, Hill is optimisti c about the chances fo r the Toreros thi s season. "For the first time in many years, almost any team ca n w in the who le thing," Hill stated.

INFIELD: Power and Poise

USO appears loaded in the infi eld w ith three returning

starters,

Kev in Reese return s after posting one of the most impress ive offensive campaigns in Torero baseball hi sto ry in 1998 , He led USO in hits (88), batting average (,3 79) and set a schoo l record in putouts (492), " Kev in is our most potent offensive player. He is the fi ercest competitor on thi s team. Fres hman, G reg Sain (Torrance, CA) is ex pected to make an immedi ate impact. " He doesn ' t look li ke a freshman out there. If he can make some adjustments at th e pl ate, he can be a rea l fo rce in thi s league, He is truly a blue chip pl ayer. " OUTFIELD: Power to Spare After posting a sc hoo l record .965 fi elding percentage in 1998, US O baseba ll is once aga in stocked in the outfi eld, The