UNLV baseball team hoping for fast start in Santa Barbara

Thursday, Jan. 29, 1998 | 9:26 a.m.

Although he isn't quite sure what to expect from the opponent, UNLV baseball coach Rod Soesbe knows exactly what he wants his team to accomplish during its three-game season-opening series at UC Santa Barbara.

"We're looking to go down there and win three games," Soesbe said of the 1998 season opener which begins Friday afternoon at Caesar Uyesaka Field on the UCSB campus. "We don't really know what to expect from Santa Barbara because we haven't played them in a year so we don't know most of their players and it's tough to get much of a scouting report ... but we feel like we're ready to go down and play."

Undoubtedly, the Rebels also are ready to atone for a miserable 24-31 season in 1997 -- Soesbe's first as head coach -- in which UNLV posted the worst earned-run average (7.43) in the program's history.

Soesbe is counting on the addition of three pitchers from the junior-college ranks and the maturation of some of his younger returning pitchers to turn things around on the mound this season.

"The pitching was young and inexperienced (last year) and we just didn't get it done on the bump," Soesbe said. "We feel like we strengthened the staff, plus the guys that we had got better. We feel like we had good enough arms last year, we just didn't pitch real well and that was due more to inexperience than anything else."

UNLV will start junior right-hander Bryan Gidge, a transfer from Yakima Valley Community College in Washington, in Friday's season opener. Gidge will be followed in the rotation by returning letterman Mike Zipser, a junior right-hander, and Bill Scheffels, a returning junior right-hander.

The Rebels' lineup is set in the field, with the exception of second base where Chris Gillette, Bobby Pierce and Ace Bedich are waging a tight battle for the starting spot.

"We have a good battle there," Soesbe said. "It's kind of a nice balance with those kids; Gillette may be a little further along offensively where Bedich turns the double play a little bit better and Pierce gives us a left-handed hitter in the lineup when we play him.

"All three are playing pretty good so we just need to find the right guy. Gillette can also play third if we need to move (third baseman Kevin) Eberwein and Pierce can play third. We've got a little bit of versatility in the infield and we feel like all those kids can contribute."

The remainder of the starting infield will have Tony DeMarco at first, Eliott Sarabia at short, Eberwein at third and Sean Campbell behind the plate.

The outfield features three returning players in left fielder Chris Adolph, center fielder Nate Smith and right fielder Ryan Ludwick. Ludwick was one of the Rebels' offensive leaders last season, batting .354 with a team-leading 16 home runs and 68 RBIs.

After watching his team scrimmage the past three weeks, Soesbe said he is confident the Rebels' pitching will be better this season and the offense won't suffer too much from the loss of leading hitter Ryan Hankins.

"We feel like we've had some real good practices in the spring," Soesbe said. "We have simulated game situations and we've done that real well so we're kind of anxious to go down and play somebody new.

"We've had some awful good practice and some awful good efforts by kids. The attitude has been good and the kids are getting a little antsy and ready to play."

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