When New Coach Frank Sanchez Views His Waves, He Can See a ... : Diamond in the Rough

MALIBU — Frank Sanchez inherited the roster, and while picking through the booty he has found both gems and baubles.

Sanchez, the first-year Pepperdine baseball coach, is used to handling riches, having spent the past 10 years as an assistant at USC. His job in Malibu brings more responsibilities and a need to polish a tarnished jewell.

Promise lost its luster last season when the Waves missed the NCAA regionals after finishing a disappointing second in the West Coast Conference under Pat Harrison, who resigned to become coach at Mississippi.

The year was an odd mix of highs and lows, a roller-coaster ride Sanchez wants to avoid.

Pepperdine was a respectable 33-19, defeated nonconference powers USC, Cal State Fullerton and Texas, and finished the season with six consecutive victories.

Yet the Waves dropped a WCC game to lowly Portland and three of four to Santa Clara, the eventual conference champion.

The Waves were second in the nation in earned-run average and fielding percentage, but batted only .269 with a paltry 22 home runs.

There is little reason to expect dramatic change. Many of the team’s top pitchers return, including All-American left-hander Randy Wolf, but not many strong hitters have been added.

“Hopefully we don’t have to score too many runs,” said Sanchez, who was the coach at Hart High for five years before leaving for USC. “We play sound defense and have good pitching.”

It had better be good right away. Pepperdine’s first 14 games are against Division I powers, including UCLA, California, USC, Cal State Northridge and Fullerton.

The early schedule might result in a rocky start but should prepare the Waves for WCC play. To qualify for a regional, the WCC champion must defeat the Southwestern Athletic Conference champion in a best-of-three series.

The Waves, ranked No. 37 by Collegiate Baseball, open the season at noon today with a home game against Nevada, which was 30-19 last season. Wolf, who was 7-3 with a 2.02 ERA last season, will start on the mound and bat cleanup.

When Wolf doesn’t pitch, he will be the designated hitter.

“He is very, very important to us,” Sanchez said. “He takes it a step further than ability because his makeup is outstanding. He goes to war every time he steps on the field.”

Wolf batted .258 with two home runs in 89 at-bats last season. He wasn’t afraid to run aggressively and slide head-first, something a coach normally doesn’t want to see from his top pitcher.

But Wolf’s presence in the everyday lineup underscores the Waves’ paucity of proven hitters.

Batting at the top of the order are solid contact hitters Chris Cosbey and Josh Oder, both juniors. Cosbey, the center fielder, worked his way into the lineup early last season and batted .292. Oder, an outfielder, was perhaps the team’s most consistent hitter, batting .322 with nine doubles and driving in 29 runs.

Expected to deliver on offense and defense is David Matranga, a sophomore whose strong showing in the Alaskan Summer League earned him a Team USA tryout. Matranga, who batted .292 last season, will hit third and has moved from second base to shortstop.

“He’s a player we are building around,” Sanchez said. “He is an outstanding college shortstop.”

Batting fifth and playing third base will be Tyler Ferrer, who redshirted last season at UC Santa Barbara. The second baseman is Rob Reid, a fifth-year senior attending graduate school who batted .247 in a utility role.

Pedro Loza, perhaps the team’s fastest player, has converted from center field to first base. The sophomore batted .241 last season.

“He is tremendously athletic, and it looked to us after numerous attempts at trial and error that first base is a spot he can allow his athleticism to flourish,” Sanchez said.

Joining Oder and Cosbey in the outfield is Mark Lopez, a senior from Chatsworth High whose arm and speed have kept major league scouts watching him for years. He has yet to produce, however, and batted .196 last season.

“Mark has had a frustrating career, but he doesn’t point any fingers,” Sanchez said. “He realizes this is his last shot and he has a different outlook. He’s been working tremendously hard.”

Also working into the lineup is catcher Michael Kramer, a third-year sophomore who has not played in a college game. Kramer beat out three others for the job, earning the privilege of handling an experienced and talented pitching staff.

In addition to Wolf, ranked No. 11 by Baseball America on its list of professional prospects among college players, right-hander Andrew Shibilo will be watched by scouts.

Shibilo, a 6-foot-6 sophomore eligible for the June draft because he is 21, was 5-1 with a 3.33 ERA, striking out 46 and walking 11 in 54 innings.

Left-hander Will Ohman, a redshirt freshman, and A.J. Samadani, a right-handed junior transfer from College of the Marin, fill out the starting rotation.

Right-handed submarine pitcher Eric Brubaker is an experienced closer who had nine saves last season and has 15 the past two years. He is recovered from shoulder surgery last fall.

The primary set-up reliever is fifth-year senior John Workman, a right-hander who was 4-2 in 30 appearances last season.

“Workman can fill many roles,” Sanchez said. “He may start some games.”

But all the good pitching in the world won’t matter if the Waves can’t score runs.

“We must establish the fundamentals of offensive baseball,” Sanchez said. “We must advance runners, steal bases and get timely hits.”

If not, Pepperdine could be as easily discarded as a piece of costume jewelry.