Wednesday, April 10, 1996
Adams reaches 900 win plateau in 27-year stretchBy Yoni
Tamler
Daily Bruin Staff
How does it feel to be in the record books? Just ask catcher Tim
DeCinces.
In last Saturday’s win over California, DeCinces doubled for the
11th time this season and the 49th time in his three-year career at
UCLA. That matched the school’s all-time record for doubles, a
record set by Lindsay Meggs, an infielder who played for UCLA from
1981-84.
It is only a matter of time before DeCinces, a junior, sets the
new mark for career doubles, a figure he could put out of reach
should he decide to remain at UCLA for his senior season.
DeCinces is currently in second place for catchers in the Smith
Award balloting, just behind backstop Javier Flores of Oklahoma. At
the end of last season, DeCinces was selected to the Smith Super
Team second team. Before Tuesday’s game against Long Beach State,
DeCinces was batting .273 with three home runs and 22 RBIs.
* * *
With approximately 10 invitations left to give for the 1996
Olympics in Atlanta, Team USA is reportedly looking at sophomore
Jim Parque to supplement a pitching staff in need of
left-handers.
Parque is among the nation’s pitching elite with a perfect mark
of 7-0 and a 3.38 ERA, and participated in the 1995 Olympic Tryouts
in Homestead, Fla. last summer.
* * *
For UCLA head coach Gary Adams, 1996 has been a year of
milestones as much as successes. Last weekend, Adams reached the
900-win plateau, putting him in 21st place among all-time coaches
in wins and is 17th in wins among active coaches.
Careful readers may recall Adams reaching his 700th win as head
coach of UCLA earlier this season.
But wins aside, the only thing Adams lacks in a coaching career
that spans 27 seasons is a NCAA Division I championship. In fact,
in Adams’ 22 years at UCLA, the Bruins have never made it to the
College World Series, reaching the NCAA Regional Finals three times
before losing. That comes as a surprise from a program which has
produced 26 professional baseball players, 10 currently in the
major leagues.
"I have tremendous regard for Gary, and I count him as one of my
good friends," said Arizona head coach Jerry Kindall, the senior
head coach in the Six-Pac and a peer of Adams’ for the past 22
years. "He’s the best thing to happen to UCLA in a long time Â
a very upright, honest, forthright person, a man you can trust. I’m
always very comfortable in his presence and I’m delighted that
people are recognizing his achievements."
FRED HE/Daily Bruin
Junior catcher Tim DeCinces has tied the UCLA career mark for
doubles with 49.