Washington State Cougars - Baseball - Washington State University Athletics

Baseball Travels to Take on No. 15 Arizona State

Cougars confident heading into series with Sun Devils.

April 8, 1999

THIS WEEK:

Wednesday, April 7 - WSU 14, Gonzaga 13, Bailey Field, Pullman, Wash.

Friday, April 9 - WSU at No. 15 Arizona State, 7:00 p.m., Packard Stadium, Tempe, Ariz.

Saturday, April 10 - WSU at No. 15 Arizona State, 1:00 p.m., Packard Stadium, Tempe, Ariz.
(Televised live nationally on Fox Sports Net (Ch. 40) with Tom Kelly and Jerry Kendall doing play-by-play)

Sunday, April 11 - WSU at No. 15 Arizona State, 1:00 p.m., Packard Stadium, Tempe, Ariz.

NEXT WEEK:

Tuesday, April 13 - WSU at Lewis-Clark State, 6:30 p.m., Harris Field, Lewiston, Idaho

Friday, April 16 - Arizona at WSU, 6:30 p.m., Bailey Field, Pullman, Wash.

Saturday, April 17 - Arizona at WSU, 1:00 p.m., Bailey Field, Pullman, Wash.

Sunday, April 18 - Arizona at WSU, 1:00 p.m., Bailey Field, Pullman, Wash.

LAST WEEK:

Thursday, April 1 - WSU 3, No. 3 Stanford 9, Sunken Diamond, Stanford, Calif.

Friday, April 2 - WSU 5, No. 3 Stanford 6, Sunken Diamond, Stanford, Calif.

Saturday, April 3 - WSU 0, No. 3 Stanford 9, Sunken Diamond, Stanford, Calif.

WSU LINEUP (17-12, 1-5) (TENTATIVE)

1B - STEVE CURRAN, Jr. (.294, 20 H, 17 RBI, 6 HR)
     Ray Hattenburg, Jr. (.366, 45 H, 21 R, 30 RBI, 4 HR, 9 2B)
2B - BOYD ROBERTSON, Sr. (.244, 22 H, 15 RBI, 3 HR)
     Bookie Gates, Fr. (.319, 30 H, 21 R, 18 RBI, 5 HR, 9 2B)
SS - SHAWN STEVENSON, Jr. (.312, 40 H, 26 RBI, 8 2B)
     Bookie Gates, Fr. (.319, 30 H, 21 R, 18 RBI, 5 HR, 9 2B)
3B - BOOKIE GATES, Fr.  (.319, 30 H, 18 RBI, 5 HR, 9 2B)
     David Perreira, Jr. (.311, 14 H, 7 RBI, 2 HR)
LF - RAY HATTENBURG, Jr. (.366, 45 H, 21 R, 30 RBI, 4 HR)
     Dusty Edler, RS-Sr., (.218, 12 H, 12 R, 7 RBI, 3 2B)
CF - STEVE GLEASON, Sr. (.263, 25 H, 20 RBI, 1 3B)
     Evan Hecker, Fr. (.167, 8 H, 8 R, .365 OB%)
RF - JASON GROVE, So. (.444, 28 H, 23 RBI, 8 HR)
     Brad Philley, RS-So, (.290, 9 H, 7 R, 5 RBI)
C -  JEFF SCHERER, Sr. (.337, 32 H, 16 RBI, 5 HR, 10 2B)
     Ryan Smith, Jr. (.231, 9 H, 5 RBI, 2 3B, 1 2B, 11 R)
DH - ZACH BODE, Jr. (.316, 18 H, 23 RBI, 6 HR, 3 2B)
     David Perreira, Jr. (.311, 14 H, 7 RBI, 2 HR)
P1 - WADE PARRISH, Jr. (L, 4-3, 3.29 ERA, 54.2 IP)
P2 - JAMAAL GAINES, Sr. (R, 2-2, 5.86 ERA, 43.0 IP)
P3 - TODD MELDAHL, Jr. (L, 3-2, 4.99 ERA, 52.1 IP)
R1 - Matt O'Brien, Jr.(L, 5-2, 2.16, 16.2 IP, 12 APP)
R2 - Reggie Rivard, Jr. (R, 1-1, 8.16, 14.1 IP, 15 APP, 5 SV)

COUGAR DIAMOND NOTES

COUGS TOUGH SCHEDULE CONTINUES WITH ARIZONA STATE IN PAC-10 PLAY: The Washington State baseball team had lost seven of eight games and saw its hot start diminish to a 16-12 record. After a series sweep by No. 2 ranked Stanford the Cougars are 1-5 and Pac-10 play.

"I don't think losing games to Stanford and USC are going to hurt us because they are two of the best teams in the conference, if not the nation," said head coach Steve Farrington.

The Cougars rebounded after the Stanford series to pick up a big win against regional rival Gonzaga 14-13 in a home run-filled game. WSU is now 17-12 overall, and will return to conference action this weekend with a three-game series against No. 15 ranked Arizona State (29-12, 5-4 Pac-10). Game times are scheduled for 7 p.m., 1 p.m., and 1 p.m. at Packard Stadium on the ASU campus.

Freshman third baseman Bookie Gates is the hottest Cougar at the plate hitting .412 (7-17) with a home run in the last four games. Gates hit a solo home run with a 3-2 count in the bottom of the eighth to tie the game against Gonzaga. For the season the freshman is hitting at a .319 clip with five home runs and nine doubles.

Catcher Jeff Scherer is also on a tear at the plate notching a .455 average and two home runs over the last week. For the season Scherer has kept his batting average above .300 all year and is currently at .337.

As a team the Cougars entered the season with the expectations of not being a power hitting club. With the loss of Casey Kelley's 25 homers and Greg Mitchell's 15, Farrington said the home run would not be as prevelent in the Cougar lineup. However, the statistics show differently as the 1999 club has 48 round-trippers through 29 games while the '98 club had 51 at this point. Jason Grove leads the squad with eight home runs and also the top hitter at .444. Steve Gleason has seven and both Zach Bode and Steve Curran have six apiece.

On the mound starter Todd Meldahl and Wade Parrish both picked up loses in the same weekend for the first time this year. Meldahl is now 3-2 while Parrish is 4-3 after starting hot at 4-1. Parrish, the normal Friday pitcher will pitch Sunday to rest a bruised calf he suffered against Stanford. Meldahl will pitch the opening game Friday.

Jamaal Gaines has been the most effective pitcher as of late despite picking up a no-decision in his last two starts. Gaines has left both his recent starts with a lead Arizona State holds a commanding 13-3 all-time series lead with the Sun Devils taking two of three last year in Tempe. The Sun Devils were runner-ups in last year's College World Series falling to USC 21-14 in the championship game.

1999 WSU BASEBALL RESULTS

Record: 17-12
Pac-10 Record: 1-5

  
2/12   at New Mexico State    W 21-7
2/13   at New Mexico State    L 7-9
2/14   at New Mexico State    W 23-14
2/15   at New Mexico State    W 22-10
2/19%  Gonzaga                W 10-2
2/20%  Gonzaga                L 5-10
2/21%  Gonzaga                W 6-3
2/26   at San Jose State      W 2-0
2/27   at San Jose State      W 6-3
2/28   at San Jose State      W 1-0
3/5 #  Minnesota              W 6-5
3/6 #  No. 13 Wichita State   L 6-9
3/7 #  No. 1 Florida State    L 5-8
3/13   at Cal-Berkeley        L 3-4
3/14   at Cal-Berkeley        Rain Out
3/15   at  Cal-Berkeley       W 10-7
3/16   at  Cal-Berkeley       W 5-2
3/17   at San Francisco       W 16-11
3/19 $ Oregon State           W 6-2
3/20 $ Oregon State           W 10-9
3/20 $ Oregon State           W 6-5
3/23   at Gonzaga             L 5-17
3/24   LCSC                   L 2-5
3/27   USC*                   L 5-6
3/27   USC*                   W 14-12
3/28   USC*                   L 4-10
3/30   GONZAGA                Postponed
4/1    at No. 3 Stanford*     L 3-9
4/2    at No. 3 Stanford*     L 5-6
4/3    at No. 3 Stanford*     L 0-9
4/5    ALBERTA (Exhib.)       L 11-14
4/7    GONZAGA                W 14-13
4/9    at Arizona State*      7:00
4/10   at Arizona State*      1:00
4/11   at Arizona State*      1:00
4/13   at LCSC                6:30
4/16   ARIZONA*               6:30
4/17   ARIZONA*               1:00
4/18   ARIZONA*               1:00
4/20   LCSC                   6:30
4/23   UCLA*                  6:00
4/24   UCLA*                  1:00
4/25   UCLA*                  1:00
4/27   LCSC                   6:30
4/28   Gonzaga                4:00
4/30   UW*                    6:30
5/1    UW*                    1:00
5/2    UW*                    1:00
5/8    CAL-BERKELEY*          7:00
5/9    CAL-BERKELEY*          1:00
5/10   CAL-BERKELEY*          11:00
5/13   at Portland            3:00
5/14   at Oregon State*       3:00
5/15   at Oregon State*       1:00
5/16   at  Oregon State*      1:00
5/20   at Washington          6:30
5/21   at Washington          6:30
5/22   at Washington          1:00
5/28-30     NCAA Regionals
6/4-6       NCAA Super Regionals
6/11-6/19   College World Series

*= Pacific-10 Conference Game
$ = Game played at Yakima, Wash.
%=Game played at Tri-Cities, Wash.
# = Hormel Foods Classic, Minneapolis, Minn.
All Game Times Pacific Standard Time

NEW PAC-10 FORMAT: The 1999 season marks a new era in Pacific-10 Conference baseball as the disbanded the former North and South divisions to form one unified league. Portland State dropped its program following the '98 season leaving only three teams in the Northern Divison. This year nine Pac-10 schools (Oregon does not have a team) will make up the Pac-10 baseball league with each team playing a 24-game schedule, with the regular season champion earning the conference automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. WSU will play Oregon State, Cal, and UW twice, but only one of the series will count towards the league standings.

WSU MOUND ROTATION

(Probable)
FRI Todd Meldahl (LHP)
SAT Jamaal Gaines (RHP)
SUN Wade Parrish (LHP)

COACH FARRINGTON: In his four years at the helm of the Cougar baseball team Farrington has posted a 109-143 record

in his first year with WSU his squad won the Pac-10 North crown and he was named the league coach of the year

before coming to WSU in the summer of 1994 Coach Farrington spent 11 seasons as the coach of Lower Columbia College in Longview, Wash

at the JC level Farrington posted a 280-149 record, with three NWAACC titles

he was the National Junior College Coach of the Year in 1992

at Washington State he has coached 17 players who are currently in the minor leagues and Mike Kinkade in the majors.

THE COACHING STAFF: Buzz Verduzco has been onboard as a Cougar assistant coach since 1990

he is a 1985 graduate of WSU where he played baseball for Bobo Brayton

his 67 games played in '85 is a WSU record

former major leaguer Russ Swan joined the coaching staff in 1998

Swan spent 11 seasons in the majors with Seattle, Cleveland, and San Francisco.

103 YEARS OF COUGAR BASEBALL: Baseball, the first sport played at Washington State University in 1892, completed its 103rd season of diamond action in 1998

during its first 103 seasons, WSU baseball teams won 65.8% of their games, posting a 2,202-1,170 record

WSU was 11-1 in 1892

the Cougars did not field baseball teams in 1893-94-95-97.

WSU ON THE RADIO: All Washington State baseball games are broadcast by Houser Communications in Colfax

airtime is 20 minutes before the start of the game...all games are scheduled to air on KCLX (1450 AM) with Alex Webster or Steve Grubbs calling the action

station subject to change.

OLERUD RANKS SEVENTH AS "PLAYER OF THE CENTURY"
Washington State baseball great John Olerud was recently ranked seventh as college baseball's "Player of the Century" by Baseball America. The top 10 players of the century were voted on by fans, coaches, and baseball writers and are listed below:

 1. Pete Incaviglia (Oklahoma State)
 2. Bob Horner (Arizona State)
 3. Robin Ventura (Oklahoma State)
 4. Burt Hooten (Texas)
 5. Dave Winfield (Minnesota)
 6. Phil Stephenson (Wichita State)
 7. John Olerud (Washington State)
 8. J.D. Drew (Florida State)
 9. Eddie Bain (Arizona State)
10. Derek Tatsuno (Hawaii)

Player Interviews: If you wish to talk to any of the Cougar baseball players for interviews, please contact Jeff R. Evans.

STEVENSON FILLING SHOES OF A BIGGER MAN: Junior shortstop Shawn Stevenson (Everett) enters his third season as a Cougar starter

last season he started 48 of WSU's 49 games and hit .328 with nine home runs as the Cougs leadoff hitter

over the summer he traveled to Mass., where he played for the Wareham Gatemen in the Cape Cod League

he hit .265 with a wood bat and in the field led all shortstops with a .974 fielding percentage

awarded the Sylvia and Bert Bigelow Award for team MVP honors

in Baseball America's preseason college baseball issue, Stevenson was named the top shortstop in the Pac-10

Stevenson is the Cougar record holder for consecutive games with a hit (28)

he went 8-for-13 at the plate against the Trojans with a grand slam home run and is now hitting .312 on the year

played spectacular defense at shortstop over the course of the last two weeks.

THE SOPHOMORE SENSATION ON THE MEND: Sophomore Jason Grove (Walla Walla, Wash.) started with a bang, and has since been hot after recovering from a broken thumb

he hit two home runs against USC with one landing on the WSU golf course and hit the game-winning home run against Gonzaga 4/7

Grove had himself quite an opening week in New Mexico going 12-for-22 at the plate with four home runs and 13 RBIs

in the third game of the series he connected on three home runs, tying a Cougar record last accomplished by Casey Kelley in 1998

two of his three home runs came in the first inning and all three were in consecutive at-bats

Grove was 5-for-7 in the season opener

for his spectacular play Grove was a top finalist for the Collegiate Baseball national player of the week

Grove is coming off a spectacular freshman year in which he was named an honorable mention freshman All-American by Collegiate Baseball

Grove hit .323 last season with 12 home runs and 13 doubles

in the outfield he had eight assists and a .982 fielding percentage

in the summer Grove played for the Kelowna Grizzlies in the Pacific International League where he hit 15 home runs

next summer he will follow in Stevenson's footsteps to play for Wareham.

AS SOLID AS SCHERER: Senior catcher Jeff Scherer (Kennewick, Wash.) had an opening week in New Mexico he soon won't forget

Scherer was 14-for-22 with six doubles and two home runs

he tied two school records in a 6-for-7 performance Sunday

his six hits and three doubles equaled Cougar records

in the series finale with NMSU he was 3-for-5 with two home runs and another double he has three home runs in the last five games.

THE ACE FROM OTHELLO: Junior Wade Parrish (Othello, Wash.) continued his form against NMSU that he showed as an all-league performer from a year ago

Parrish threw six innings, allowing just one earned run and struck out five against NMSU

Parish had a career-best start against SJSU with a two-hit, complete game shutout

he is 4-2 on the season with a 2.61 ERA

in two consecutive starts against Oregon State and USC, Parrish set a career best strikeout mark with 11 and 12

he was hit in the leg at Stanford and will likely take extra rest and start Sunday against ASU.

DOC MELDAHL: Junior lefty Todd Meldahl has been solid all year in the No. 3 spot of the starting rotation

he is 3-2 with a 4.99 ERA

threw eight and one-third scoreless innings against San Jose State, and then kept No. 1 ranked Florida State in check for six innings not allowing a run

he has left six of his seven starts with a lead

Meldahl was drafted out of high school by the New York Mets and played last summer in Flint, Michigan

he is an outstanding student majoring in mechanical engineering.

IRON MAN GLEASON: Two-sport star Steve Gleason (Sr., Spokane, Wash.) had a breakthrough year on the diamond last season when he hit .290 with six triples and six home runs

he started 35 games primarily in center field

his six triples ranked only one behind the school record of seven

on the gridiron Gleason was third on the team with 70 tackles

he was sidelined midway through the season with a knee injury

in WSU's '97 Rose Bowl season Gleason started every game at linebacker and was a honorable mention all-Pac-10 pick

Gleason hit his 12th career triple against the Zag's and is now tied for third on the all-time WSU record list

in 1999 Gleason is hitting .263 with seven home runs.

THE CANDADIAN CONNECTION: Two of the Cougars most dominating relievers hail from Alberta, Canada

Les McTavish (Jr., Slave Lake) and Reggie Rivard (Jr., Bonnyville) tied for the team lead last year with 19 pitching appearances each

McTavish ended the season with a 3-2 record and the team's top ERA of 4.70

Rivard, who has been coined the Canadian Express, leads the Cougs with five saves this year and has topped the radar guns at 93 MPH.

ALL-TIME NCAA DIVISION I VICTORIES:
Washington State baseball coaching legend Chuck "Bobo" Brayton's 1,162 victories ranks ninth all-time among NCAA coaches:

    Name               School            Yrs    Won  Lost   Pct
 1. Cliff Gustafson    Texas              29  1,427   373  .792
 2. Rod Deadeux        USC                45  1,332   571  .699
 3. Ron Fraser         Miami (Fla.)       30  1,271   438  .742
 4. Jack Stallings     Georgia South.*    38  1,229   767  .615
 5. Al Ogeltree        Texsas-Pan Am*     41  1,217   713  .631
 6. Augie Garrido      Texas*             30  1,204   558  .663
 7. Chuck Hartman      Virginia Tech*     39  1,200   609  .663
 8. Gene Stephenson    Wichita St.*       21  1,165   346  .770
 9. Bobo Brayton       WSU                33  1,162   523  .689
10. Bill Wilhelm       Clemson            36  1,161   536  .683
* = Active coach

THE HAWAIIAN PUNCH: Three members of WSU's 1999 baseball squad come from paradise, literally

Micah Banton, Lanakila Niles, and David Perreira

Perreira (Jr., Ewa Beach, Hawaii) transferred to WSU from the University of Hawaii in August has started sparingly at third base and designated hitter

Banton (Jr., Honolulu) is a speedy outfielder who will see backup duty in all three outfield positions and as a pinch runner

Niles (RS-Fr., Pearl City, Hawaii) is a crafty right-hander with four pitches

he could see duty out of the bullpen and spot-starting opportunities

Niles recorded his first collegiate win against NMSU.

GRANDPA ROBERTSON: At 25 years of age, senior second baseman Boyd Robertson (Richland, Wash.) could very well be the oldest player in collegiate baseball

born 10/28/73, Robertson attended Pacific University out of high school, then went on a two-year church mission to Brazil for the 1993-94 and 1994-95 academic years

Robertson attended one year of >junior college at Columbia Basin College before arriving at WSU in 1997

after a transfer mandated redshirt season in '97, Robertson played in 40 games (32 as a starter) in 1998 and hit .276

Robertson has played spectacular defense in the field at second and has connected on three home runs in 1999.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

Home Record 2-3
Road Record 10-6
Neutral Record 5-3
Day Games 14-9
Night Games 3-3
On Turf 1-2
On Grass 16-10
Pac-10 1-5
Pac-10 (non-counting) 5-1
Non-Conference 16-7
Vs. Left-Handed Starters 4-4
Vs. Right-Handed Starters 13-8
Against Top-25 Teams 1-7
One-Run Games 5-3
Two-Run Games 1-1
Extra Innings Games 0-0
Shutouts 2-1
Scoring First 10-4

Opponents Score First 6-8

Ahead After Five Innings 12-4
Behind After Five Innings 4-8
Ahead Going into Final Inning 15-0
Behind Going into Final Inning 1-12
Doubleheaders 3-1
WSU Scores over 10 runs 9-0
Opponents Score over 10 runs 4-3
Scoring Five or More Runs 15-7
Scoring Four or More Runs 15-8
Allowing Five or More Runs 10-11
Allowing Four or Less Runs 6-1
Hitting Multiple Home Runs 7-6
WSU is Errorless 2-3
WSU Commits an Error 15-9
WSU Outhits Opponent 11-0
Opponent Outhits WSU 5-11
February 8-2
March 8-7
April 1-3
May 0-0
Sunday 3-2
Monday 2-0
Tuesday 1-1
Wednesday 2-1
Thursday 0-1
Friday 5-1
Saturday 4-6
Current Win Streak 1
Longest Winning Streak 6
Longest Losing Streak 4
Largest winning Margin 14
In White Hats 1-2
In Crimson Hats 16-10

SCOUTING THE SUN DEVILS:
The Sun Devils are currently in fourth place in the Pac-10 with a 5-4 record they were swept by Stanford to open conference play, then took three from Cal and two from Oregon State

ASU finished second in the 1998 College World Series

ASU's head coach is Pat Murphy

Mark Ernster leads the Sun Devils at the plate with a .452 batting average while playing in 37 games thus far

he has 57 hits, 12 doubles, two triples, and three home runs

senior Andrew Beinbrink is hitting at a .428 clip and leads the team with nine home runs

Port Orchard, Wash., native Willie Bloomquist will match up against two of his former high school teamates

Ryan Smith and Zach Fisher both played with Bloomquist at South Kitsap High School

The Team USA player is hitting .382 in 1999 with 15 doubles and five home runs

on the mound ASU will throw Will Waldrip, Chuck Crumpton, and Chad Pennington

Waldrip, a junior transfer form BYU, is the staff leader with nine wins against only two loses

he also has an impressive 3.09 ERA

Crumpton is 5-1 and Pennington is 6-4

ASU has outscored its opponents 497-199 and are 19-3 at its home ballpark

they are 7-1 vs. left-handed starters and 22-11 against right-handed starters

ASU leads the all-time series 13-3 with the Sun Devils taking two of three last year in Tempe.

THIS WEEK IN THE PAC-10

Arizona (21-16, 4-8)
April 9-11, Oregon State
Arizona State (29-12, 5-4)
April 9-11, Washington State
California (15-22, 4-5)
April 9-11, at USC
Oregon State (11-21, 1-5)
April 9-11, at Arizona
Stanford (23-8, 9-0)
April 9-11, at Washington
UCLA (16-22, 2-7)
April 9-11, off
USC (20-16, 7-2)
April 9-11, California
Washington (16-12, 6-3)
April 9-11, Stanford
Washington State (17-12, 1-5)
April 9-11, at Arizona State

RECORD WATCH: Quick pull out your media guides, because several WSU baseball records have already been shattered in 1999 and several current Cougs are moving their way up the career record lists:

Career Triples:
Steve Gleason, 12, t3rd

Career Strikeouts:
Steve Gleason, 120, 4th all-time

Hits in a game:
Jeff Scherer, 6, 2/14/99 at NMSU

Doubles in a game:
Jeff Scherer, 3, 2/14/99 at NMSU

Triples in a game:
Ryan Smith, 2, 2/14/99 at NMSU

Career Runs Allowed:
Todd Meldahl, 167, 4th all-time

Home Runs In a Game:
Jason Grove, 3, 2/14/99 at NMSU

Team Hits in a Game:
25 to tie record, 2/14 & 2/15 at NMSU

Runs in Ninth Inning:
10, 2/15/99 at NMSU

STREAKING COUGS: The following Cougar players are currently riding multiple-game hitting streaks

Grove's dates back to the 1998 season

the school record is 28 games set by Shawn Stevenson in '98:

Jason Grove 1
Jeff Scherer 1
Ray Hattenburg 0
Boyd Robertson 1
Dusty Edler 0
Micah Banton 1
Shawn Stevenson 1
Zach Bode 1
Bookie Gates 4

COUGS CATCH FIRE ON SPRING BREAK TRIP TO BAY AREA: The Washington State baseball team had a great 6-1 road trip during their spring break March 13-20. WSU beat Cal two out of three in a non-Pac-10 counting series, then took a single game from San Francisco, and then completed their seven-game trip with a series sweep of Oregon State in Yakima, Wash. Ray Hattenburg had a hot stretch at the plate going 14-for-29 on the trip with three home runs and 10 RBIs. Zach Bode was equally impressive hitting .417 with 12 RBIs and four home runs. In a course of four consecutive games Bode hit a home run in each game and now has five on the season. Out of the bullpen Matt O'Brien picked up two wins. Starter Jamaal Gaines was also 2-0 on the trip to even his season record at 2-2.

FRESHMEN PHENOMS: So far 1999 has proved to be a great year for freshmen on the Cougar baseball squad

Niles was spectacular in his starting debut striking out eight in five innings to earn his first collegiate win

lefty Sean Donlin (Woodinville, Wash.) has been dominating out of the bullpen giving up only eight hits and two earned runs in six innings of work

Bookie Gates has taken over as the starter at third base and was named to the all-tournament team in Minnesota and is hitting .319 with five home runs

pitcher/ designated hitter Tyson Thompson has given quality innings out of the bullpen as well

Evan Hecker (Seattle, Wash.) started his first game as a Coug against Gonzaga early in the season and started sparingly in the outfield.

HORMEL FOODS CLASSIC: When the WSU baseball team ventured to Minneapolis March 5-7 for the 15th annual Hormel Foods Baseball Classic, they competed against three of the top collegiate baseball programs in the nation

the Cougs nearly defeated No. 1 Florida State and No. 13 Wichita State in consecutive games and beat the host University of Minnesota 6-5

Bookie Gates hit a phenomenal .537 (7-for-13) with three doubles and a home run

all games were played at the HHH Metrodome, the home of the Minnesota Twins.

PACIFIC-10 CONFERENCE STANDINGS

               PAC-10       OVERALL
             W L  Pct.     W  L Pct.
Stanford     9 0 1.000    23  8 .742
USC          7 2  .778    20 16 .556
UW           6 3  .667    17  9 .654
ASU          5 4  .556    29 12 .707
CAL          4 5  .444    15 22 .405
ARIZ         4 8  .333    21 16 .568
UCLA         2 7  .222    16 22 .421
WSU          1 5  .167    17 12 .571
OSU          1 5  .167    11 21 .344

THESE GUYS CAN COACH TOO: Steve Curran and Zach Bode spend their summers not playing baseball, but coaching it...the Cougar players helped coach Chaffey Baseball Club in Seattle...Chaffey is regarded as one of the best summer baseball progams in the state of Washington ...Curran and Bode are alumni of the Chaffey program...Boyd Robertson and Jamaal Gaines helped coach a Pony League team in Pullman...reliever Les McTavish was the pitching coach for the Lethebridge, Alberta Legion team. Justin Nakaishi coached a legion team in Utah.

THE TRADITION: The Washington State baseball program is one filled with a history of success, pride, and achievements. Among the facts:

l 89 winning seasons
l Only 14 losing seasons in 103 years
l 41 conference championships
l Five College World Series appearances
l 22 NCAA appearances
l 24 no-hitters
l Four coaches over the last 66 years
l Nine first-team All-Americans
l One college baseball player of the year
l 131 first-team all-league selections since '47

HATTIE: An ankle injury sidelined junior Ray Hattenburg (Spokane, Wash.) early in the '98 season, and he never recovered to regain his '97 stroke that saw him hit .339 (58-171)

in 1998 he hit .279 with two home runs

now a junior Hattenburg is 100% and ready to return to his old ways

an outfielder for the past two seasons, Hattenburg has moved to the infield and will start at first base and see action at third and even in the outfield

he has started 17 at first, three at third, seven in left, and one in right.

COUGS IN THE MINORS: At the end of the 1998 minor league season, 19 Cougars were wearing professional uniforms...they included:

Todd Belitz       P    St. Petersburg   A      Tampa Bay
Ken Cameron       OF   Arkansas         AA     St. Louis
Eric Estes        P    Mobile           AA     San Diego
Jason Goligoski   SS   Tulsa            AA     Texas
Burdette Greeny   P    Helena           R      Milwaukee
Jason Hairston    OF   Macon            A      Atlanta
Terrel Hansen     1B   Chico            --     Independent
Mark Hendrickson  LHP  Dunedin          A      Toronto
Jim Horner        C    Orlando          AA     Seattle
Kyle Kawabata     P    Clearwater       A      Philadelphia
Casey Kelley      1B   Boise            A      Anaheim
Mike Kinkade      3B   Norfolk          AAA    N.Y Mets
Tom McGraw        P    Ottawa           AAA    Montreal
Chad Miles        P    Lakeland         A      Detroit
Robert Ramsey     P    Trenton          AA     Boston
Rob Ryan          OF   Tucson           AAA    Arizona
Mark Small        P    Okla. City       AAA    Texas
Ole Vigeland      P    Pulaski          R      Texas
Dave Wheeler      P    Kingsport        R      N.Y. Mets

DRAFTED COUGARS: Five members of the Cougar Baseball team were drafted by Major League baseball teams following high school graduation. They are:

Tony Dawson - Oakland, 19th round, 1997
Dusty Edler - Toronto, 48th round, 1994
Todd Meldahl - NY Mets, 29th round, 1996
Brad Philley - Philadelphia, 33rd round, 1996
Tyson Thompson - Pittsburgh, 23rd round, 1998

COUGS IN THE MAJOR LEAGUES: Last year five former Cougar baseball players dotted the rosters of major league clubs. Aaron Sele of the Texas Rangers had a breakthrough season in '98 as he was selected to his first all-star game. John Olerud nearly became the second player to ever win a batting title in both the American and National League

The following players are listed with the teams they played with in '98 and their statistics:

1998 STATS POS TEAM AVG. HR G AB Scott Hatteburg C Boston .276 12 112 359 Mike Kinkade 3B NY (N) .000 0 3 2 John Olerud 1B NY (N) .354 22 160 557

1998 STATS POS TEAM W-L ERA G SO Aaron Sele RHP Texas 19-11 4.23 33 167 David Wainhouse RHP Colorado 1-0 4.91 10 3

CWS AND THE PAC-10: Capturing College World Series titles is nothing new for Pacific-10 Conference teams. Conference clubs have won the national baseball title 24 times since the CWS started in 1947, including 17 times in the last 31 years. In all, Pac-10 teams have played for the title 33 times, with 10 second-place finishes. At the CWS last year, Arizona State and Southern Cal combined for 35 runs before USC came away with a 21-14 win. It was the Trojans 12th CWS title all-time. The only years at least one Pac-10 team did not qualify for the CWS were 1969-89-91-96.

FORMER COUGS OPEN WITH BANG 1999: Here is how former Cougar players faired in their first week of action in the 1999 Major League Baseball season:

1999 STATS          POS  TEAM     AVG. HR  G AB
Scott Hatteburg     C    Boston  .500   0  1  2
Mike Kinkade        3B   NY (N)  .000   0  2  2
John Olerud         1B   NY (N)  .333   1  3 12

1998 STATS     POS  TEAM   W-L   ERA  G SO
Aaron Sele     RHP  Texas  1-0  4.23  1  6

1998 - A SEASON OF RECORDS: In 1998 Casey Kelley (Ellensburg, Wash.) etched his name into the record books with a Washington State and Pac-10 North record 25 home runs. The record mark broke John Olerud's 1988 record of 23. An amazing fact is 20 of his 25 long balls sailed to left field, his opposite field. Kelley finished ranked third nationally with .51 home runs per game and was named third team All-America by Collegiate Baseball

Kelley also set the record for 63 strikeouts in a season

Steve Gleason hit six triples, one off the school record of seven.

ON THE TUBE: In addition to every game being on the radio this season, the WSU baseball team will be on television several times during the course of the 1999 season

the following dates are when WSU is scheduled to be on TV with more games possibly added:

 4/10  at Arizona State, Fox Net    1:00 (Live)
 4/17  Arizona FSN (Delay)          1:00
 5/2   Washington FSN (Delay)       1:00
 5/16  at Oregon State  FSN (Delay) 1:00

PULLING DOUBLE DUTY: Cougar baseball players Steve Gleason and Brad Philley are also both starting linebackers on the Cougar football team

during spring football practices Philley will participate sparingly and Gleason, who is a senior on the diamond and a junior on the gridiron, will devote his time to baseball.

ONE TOUGH SCHEDULE: The NCAA doesn't compile a power ranking for college baseball, but if the 1999 WSU baseball schedule was put to a vote, it would be one of the toughest in the country

in all WSU will play six teams in Baseball America's top 25 and eight teams in Collegiate Baseball's top 30

the Cougars were 29th in both the Collegiate Baseball and Baseball Weekly polls the week of March 22.

Team             CB  BA  BW 
Arizona State    18  19  15
Arizona          NR  NR  NR
Florida State     2   1   1
Minnesota        NR  NR  NR
Stanford          2   2   2
UCLA             NR  NR  NR
USC              22  NR  NR
Washington       NR  25  NR
Wichita State    14  15  12

STEVENSON BREAKS SCHOOL RECORD: Junior shortstop Shawn Stevenson surpassed John Olerud as the record holder for most consecutive games with a hit in the early part of the 1998 season...the switch hitting leadoff hitter ended his streak March 6, 1998 with an 0-for-4 day against Ohio State...the streak ended at 28 games which dated back to April 13th of the '97 season in a game against Lewis-Clark State....Olerud set the previous mark of 22 games in the 1988 season in which he was voted Baseball America's player of the year...during the streak Stevenson hit .384 (48/125).

COUGS ADD TO WARDROBE: The Washington State baseball team will be making a fashion statement when they take the field this Spring. The Cougars have added a white, sleeveless jersey that will be accompanied with a crimson undershirt. The Cougars now have five sets of uniforms to take the field in. They include home whites and pinstripes, and crimson and gray mesh jerseys for the road. The Cougs will also feature an alternate white cap this year in addition to the standard crimson cap. Here is how the Cougs have faired in each set of uniforms:

White Home: 1-0
White Sleeveless: 3-4
Pinstripe: 3.5-1
Crimson Mesh: 9-4
Gray Mesh: 1-3

LAST YEAR VS. THE SUN DEVILS:
Hitting:
Zach Bode (1-1)
Jason Grove (5-12, 4 Runs, 2B, 3B, HR)
Ryan Smith (2-5, 2B)
Steve Curran (4-13, 2B)
Shawn Stevenson (3-13, 3 Runs, 2 RBI)

Pitching:
Jamaal Gaines (0-0, 2 App, 1.13 ERA, 8.0 IP, 7 K's)
Wade Parrish (0-0, 6.00 ERA, 6.0 IP)
Todd Meldahl (6.0 IP, 4.50 ERA, 1-0, 7 K's)