The UCLA baseball team does not resume its activities until late September, but the program has remained busy during the offseason.
Aside from sending players to different parts of the country to participate in summer leagues, coach John Savage recently hired a pair of experienced assistant coaches, Rick Vanderhook and Steve Pearse, in hopes of taking a step closer to a national championship.
Vanderhook has been a prominent figure in the Southern California baseball scene for the past two decades, helping build Cal State Fullerton into a powerhouse as an assistant coach. In addition to helping Fullerton capture national titles in 1995 and 2004, Vanderhook played for the Titans’ 1984 championship team.
Like Vanderhook, Pearse reached the College World Series in Omaha, Neb., as a player, leading Fresno State there in 1988. Four years later, Pearse was back, this time as an assistant coach with California. Pearse, who will serve as the infield and base running coach, has extensive coaching experience at the collegiate level over the past 20 years. After coaching at Cal, he made stops at Fresno State, Long Beach State and, most recently, Pacific.
Vanderhook and Pearse “are two great baseball minds, with a ton of experience in very competitive conferences, in the postseason and in Omaha,” Savage said. “They are two guys that are still young and that were very, very excited to help our program get to the next level.”
For Savage, that next level is the College World Series. After reaching the NCAA Super Regionals in 2007, the team had high hopes for the 2008 campaign. Baseball America tabbed UCLA as the No. 1 team in the nation as the season opened. The Bruins were returning a deep core of players that many thought was fully capable of contending for a national title. Instead, the Bruins’ experienced lineup sputtered and failed to remain consistent throughout the spring.
Now Vanderhook, an esteemed offensive mind who helped develop players such as Phil Nevin, Mark Kotsay and Kurt Suzuki while at Fullerton, hopes to shake the offensive inconsistency by implementing a more assertive approach as the hitting coach.
“I think we have unbelievable athletes, but I want them to be more aggressive,” Vanderhook said. “The style that we’re going to play is the style that dictates what’s best for them. You have to take what you have talent-wise and adjust your style to what they do. Gabe Cohen, Cody Decker and Casey Haerther have big-time power. I want to play a game that (they) can prosper at.”
Savage sees great potential in Vanderhook’s ability to shape an ideal, as well as a potent offensive attack.
“I think he has a mindset of competitiveness and aggressiveness,” Savage said. “I think he knows how to expose weaknesses on a pitcher or a defense that will really help us with our offensive game. He’s a very experienced guy with a tremendous reputation on offense, and that will help our program.”
Vanderhook will strive to improve the program defensively as the outfield coach. While he admits to having been blessed with talented outfielders in the past, Vanderhook said he expects anyone to catch the ball when it goes up in the air. Whoever catches them, he said, is going to play. Vanderhook’s priority on defensive play is something Savage admires.
“I just have the utmost respect for his game management, for his offensive mind and for his ability to coach outfielders,” Savage said. “He’s just a great package when it comes to the development of players. It was an opportunity for us to hire a guy that really knows how to get to Omaha. It’s a great hire for UCLA.”
PLAYERS AT SUMMER LEAGUES: There are 14 UCLA players who are competing in various summer leagues throughout the country.
Three players ““ senior catcher Gino Aielli, freshman left-hander Mitchell Beacom, and sophomore Raul Duran ““ are playing in the West Coast Collegiate Baseball League. Aielli and Beacom are teammates with the Wenachee AppleSox in the state of Washington.
The Bruins also sent three pitchers to the prestigious Cape Cod League in Massachusetts. Junior right-hander Charles Brewer is playing for the Chatham A’s, junior right-hander Garett Claypool is a member of the Brewster Whitecaps and sophomore left-hander Rob Rasmussen is pitching for the Orleans Cardinals.
There are five players ““ sophomores Niko Gallego, Matt Grace, and Brett Krill, and seniors Eddie Murray and Brendan Lafferty ““ playing in the Northwoods League of Minnesota. Lafferty has been selected to play in the Northwoods League All-Star Game behind a stellar 0.56 ERA in three pitching appearances.
Sophomore outfielder Chris Giovinazzo and junior right-hander J.D. Haver are playing for the Maxim Yankees of the Independent League.
Redshirt freshman outfielder Marc Navarro is the lone Bruin in the Hawaii Collegiate Baseball League, suiting up for the Oahu Paddlers.
“The mindset (for summer leagues) is getting better, getting innings, getting at-bats and getting playing time,” Savage said. We want them “to develop themselves as everyday players so they can come back and compete for us. It’s just a great learning experience ““ you live with host families, you get to travel, and you play with other players from different programs. It’s a real good perspective. … It’s always been a reward for us.”
UPDATE ON DRAFTED PLAYERS: Former second baseman Alden Carrithers, who was drafted in the 15th round by the Detroit Tigers in the 2008 MLB Draft, has signed to play professionally. He is currently hitting .389 through seven games as a member of the Tigers in the Rookie Gulf Coast League.
Shortstop Brandon Crawford, who was drafted in the fourth round by the San Francisco Giants, has yet to sign a professional contract and could return to Westwood for his senior year.
Another player who has yet to sign professionally is incoming freshman Gerrit Cole. Cole, a dominant pitcher out of Orange Lutheran High School, was taken in the first round by the New York Yankees with the 28th overall pick.
Players who have not signed have until Aug. 15 to do so. Those who fail to meet the deadline forfeit their selection.
“Both (Crawford and Cole) have not signed,” Savage said. “We obviously hope that Brandon comes back. He’s been a great player for three years for us. We’ll have to see with Gerrit since he’s a first-round pick. So we’ll see what he decides. Hopefully he’ll be a Bruin.”