Thursday, February 13, 1997
BASEBALL:
Consistent hitting, solid offense jumpstart the seasonBy
Kristina Wilcox
Daily Bruin Contributor
The UCLA baseball team is "el fuego," as SportsCenter’s Dan
Patrick would say.
Whether one prefers the linguistically appealing terminology of
Patrick or just plain English, it’s safe to say that the Bruins are
off to a hot start.
UCLA (10-1-1) is at its best since 1990, when the squad also
held a 10-1 record and proceeded to win 41 games.
The key so far has been the offense. As a team, the Bruins have
scored 10.2 runs per game.
"Tremendous hitting has overcome some of our mistakes on defense
and on the mound," head coach Gary Adams said.
From the top to the bottom of the lineup, the hitters have had
great success.
Leading off for the Bruins, left fielder Jon Heinrichs set a
personal career-high Tuesday afternoon with his fifth homer.
Heinrich’s offensive outbursts conjure up images of Rickey
Henderson.
Batting second is right fielder Eric Byrnes. Byrnes is
responsible for getting things done on the bases. He has stolen
five bases in six attempts.
"Eric is getting on base, getting his hits. He’s a threat on the
bases, which helps our offense," Adams said.
Following Byrnes in the lineup is third baseman Troy Glaus, who
Adams calls consistent. He is tied for the team lead with six home
runs.
Cleanup hitter Eric Valent had a four-bagger in Tuesday’s game
against USD, his sixth of the season. Last year, as a freshman, he
hit 12 all season.
"He’s one of the hardest workers on the team and he’s got some
talent," Adams said.
The hard work is paying off. Valent has hit safely in 11 of 12
games, with a .489 batting average.
That’s a tough act to follow for second baseman Nick Theodorou,
but he has proven quite capable of the task so far. Through
Tuesday’s victory over San Diego, he is sporting a 10-game hitting
streak. He is also second on the team for RBI, with 17.
On the mound, Adams couldn’t really ask for more. "We are
getting really good pitching. They could go after the hitter some
more though," Adams said.
Tom Jacquez and Jim Parque have stepped forward as the aces of
the starting rotation. In their latest outings, both pitchers have
lasted seven innings.
The defense, however, is still a problem for the team. "Defense
has concerned me more than anything else," Adams said. "It’s the
one area I’m not satisfied with."
Nonetheless, the offense has made the 10 wins possible.
* * *
This weekend, the club will look for three more, when they take
on non-conference rival Loyola Marymount.
PATRICK LAM/Daily Bruin
Troy Glaus is a factor in UCLA’s big start.