Stars players can make the grade

Steve Guiremand

Wednesday, April 19, 2000 | 9:48 a.m.

It remains to be seen whether the Las Vegas Stars are the best team in the Pacific Coast League this season.

But it would be hard to believe there is a smarter squad in triple-A baseball.

"I know we'd have a good chance at winning a spelling bee," Stars manager Duane Espy joked.

The Stars have four Stanford products on their current 23-man roster: outfielder Dusty Allen, second baseman Jed Hansen and pitchers Stan Spencer and Brandan Sullivan.

All four players had high school grade-point averages of 3.5 or better and all had SAT scores in the valedictorian range.

Allen had a 3.9 GPA and 1270 SAT at Edmond High School in Oklahoma City. He went on to earn a degree in psychology at Stanford.

Spencer had a 3.85 GPA and 1200 SAT at Columbia River High School in Vancouver, Wash. He earned his degree in economics.

Sullivan was a public policy major on "The Farm" after registering an impressive 3.85 GPA and 1200 SAT at noted Washington D.C. prep school St. Albans High School.

Hansen also was a psychology major at Stanford after compiling a 3.98 GPA and 1050 SAT.

"It was a great experience attending Stanford," Spencer said. "You couldn't have asked for anything more academically. And the baseball program was outstanding, too."

"Obviously, Stanford has had one of the more prominent baseball programs in the nation for some time," Espy said. "So that probably explains why we have so many of their players on one team."

* GAME RECAP: Salt Lake (8-5) pounded out 20 hits and scored six runs in the first inning en route to a 14-6 victory over the Las Vegas Stars (5-4) on Tuesday night before an announced paid crowd of 1,786 at Cashman Field.

Infielder Jay Canizaro hit a grand slam home run and drove in five runs to pace the Buzz.

Las Vegas starter Junior Herndon (1-1) faced seven batters without getting an out, allowing four hits and six earned runs before getting yanked.

* UP NEXT: The Stars host Salt Lake in a 12:15 game today at Cashman Field with right-hander Rodrigo Lopez (0-0, 1.80) opposing Buzz lefty Benj Sampson (1-0, 4.50). The series continues on Thursday night at 7:05 with right-hander Buddy Carlyle (0-1, 8.68) starting for the Stars against right-hander Mike Lincoln (0-1. 4.26).