USD Magazine, Summer 2002

teammate. A few games lacer, in a regular-season march-up against Pepperdine, second base– man Mike McCoy severely sprained his wrist on a check-swing. Hill was forced co juggle his line-up and send less-experienced players co the infield, and suddenly the Torero jugger– naut was more of a jalopy. As the ream headed into a key home series in mid– April against Santa C lara -

in T housand Oaks, Cali£, where he compiled a 194-76 record in six seasons, Hill had com– pleted his fifth year of coaching at the Universiry of San Francisco when the USD job opened up. Within four years, Hill recruited players and a coaching staff who nor only were expected co challenge for the ride, bur co claim ic. Selected by che WCC coaches in a preseason poll as che probable ride winner, the 2002 Toreros included pitcher Barrett, who as a sophomore cook first-ream conference honors, pitcher-outfielder Tom Caple, who Collegiate Baseball predicted would be the WCC Player of the Year, power-hitting third baseman David Bagley and right fielder Joe Lima, a versatile player who scarred at three different positions in his fo ur years at USD. The ream appeared at first co be fulfilling che prophecy. By lace March, with a 25-6 scare char included a season-opening 10- game winning streak and a victory over crosstown rival San Diego Scace Universiry, Baseball America magazine ranked the ream 15th in the nation, the highest racing ever for a USD baseball squad. A spot in the NCAA Tournament seemed assured. In the same week the rankings came our, however, the baseball gods turned their backs on the Toreros. Shorcscop Ben Quinto broke his jaw in a bizarre on-field collision with a

The Toreros gather for prayer before a home game against San Diego State University.

having lost four of che previous six games and dropped co second place in the West Division - seniors Assael and Lima called a players-only meeting. T he upperclassmen knew if they didn't seep up, the year would be a soon-forgotten memory of what could have been. "Ir wasn't one of chose things where you call our the guys who aren't doing their jobs, bur we said, 'We're che best ream chis school has ever had, and we need co scare playing like ic,' " Barrett recalls. "We had some inj uries, bur che guys who filled in were doing a good job. We were in a slump, just not playing smart baseball, so ic was good char Joe and S.C. snapped us our of char." If anyone could help snap the slump, Ricky Barrett could . USD's dream of win– ning its first wee title rested in large part on his powerful left arm . The junior was coming off a 2001 season that included a 9-3 record and attracted serious atten– tion from major league scouts - midway through the 2002 season , Barrett had received pre-draft questionnaires from 29 of the 30 major league teams. By the April 12 game against Santa Clara, Barrett had compiled a 6-1 record and was expected to give the Toreros a win whenever he took the mound . The lean six-foot Sacramento native had a fastball that was routinely clocked at a major– league caliber 90 miles per hour, and he could make the knees of hitters buckle with a curveball so biting that teammate Lima once described it as "unfair."

"Ricky is a great athlete, but the really great thing is that he doesn 't rely only on his athletic ability," Hill says. "He is a very focused individual and he works very hard to make himself better. He knew we were counting on him to be solid every time out, and he responded to that incredibly well. He lifted the whole team ." Bagley says he always breathed easier seeing Barrett's name in the lineup, know– ing he and his teammates' job would be much easier. "He's got a great arm, but what I like is that he is a bulldog," Bagley says. "He bat– tles and battles and isn't afraid of anyone. It was great to go out there knowing the other team would be lucky to get any runs at all." Barrett faced a mountain of pressure this season, but he handled it coolly. When he took the mound, he threw out thoughts of the major league scouts in the stands - all the 20-year-old thought about was winning the game. "It (a pro career) will take care of itself," Barrett sa id after a mid-season practice at Cunningham Stadium. "There will be time to deal with that after the season . This team has a chance to do something spe– cial, so I'm just doing everyth ing I can to contribute and enjoy it. " In an era when mediocre pitchers land multi-million dollar signing bonuses and players' egos swell to the size of stadiums, Barrett's team-first attitude - shared by all the Toreros - made this group special. "This team got along better than any club we've had," says assistant coach Chris Cannizzaro, who, after a 13-year major league career that included a stint

TH! GOLDH l\1U1 Midway through the season, pitcher Ricky Barrett was scouted by 29 of the 30 major league teams.

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SUMMER 2002