NOAH GODWIN
Assistant Sports Editor
Even though Pepperdine University took two weeks off for the Christmas holiday, the Pepperdine sports teams had to stick around and do what they do best. Pepperdine students may not have been focusing on sports during their time off. Here’s what happened.
Baseball
The defending West Coast Conference champion Pepperdine baseball team earned a No. 29 ranking by Collegiate Baseball. The Waves return seven starters from last year’s team and added the No. 7 recruiting class in the country.
Leading that incoming class are Jason Dominguez and Adrian Ortiz.
“Jason should get plenty of chances to demonstrate how talented he is right away, both in the outfield and on the mound,” Head Coach Steve Rodriguez said.
But don’t expect playing time for these young players to be easy to attain. Among the returning players are senior utility man Steve Kleen, who hit .373 last season, and catcher Chad Tracy, who led the Waves with 12 home runs.
“With the majority of our team back and so many good young players, we look really good on paper, but none of that matters if you can’t perform on the baseball field,” Rodriguez said.
Perhaps the most buzz surrounding this year’s team has been the addition of Ortiz, a freshman centerfielder from Puerto Rico who has been tabbed as the only player faster than Seattle Mariner outfielder Ichiro.
“Adrian was the fastest kid in last year’s (baseball) draft, and undoubtedly his speed will give us a good chance on defense, but what has really impressed me has been his ability to learn at such a rapid pace,” Rodriguez said.
Pepperdine will not have to wait long to be challenged this season with games against perennial-power University of Southern California, last season’s No.-3 team University of South Carolina, this season’s preseason No.-1 Tulane University, and defending national champion California State Fullerton.
“When we made the schedule, we wanted it to be challenging, but we had no idea, for example, that Tulane would shoot to a No.-1 ranking,” Rodriguez said. “We’re excited for those opportunities.”
WCC coaches picked the Waves to finish second in conference this season behind Loyola Marymount University.
“I expect Pepperdine baseball to be picked as one of the best teams in the conference every year, and as long as we keep performing at a high level, which this year will depend greatly on a bunch of young pitchers, we’ll keep getting picked to finish well,” Rodriguez said.
Men’s Basketball
Pepperdine’s men’s basketball teamhas played brilliantly of late in the confines of Firestone Fieldhouse, winning both conference games last week. But the Waves struggled to find that same stride over Christmas break on the road.
The Waves took down Mississippi Valley State University 74-62 in the consolation game of the Lobo Invitational on Dec. 29 behind senior forward Yakhouba Diawara’s 20 points. Pepperdine dominated the boards 40-24 thanks in large part to senior Glen McGowan’s 11 rebounds.
But the Waves were in the consolation game following a failed comeback against Troy State University on Dec. 28. The Trojans had 40 attempts from beyond the arc, connecting on 13. McGowan had another big game with 21 points and 11 rebounds, but his efforts were not enough as Troy held off the Waves 72-69. The loss cost Pepperdine a chance to play what would have been somewhat of a national showcase game against the highly talented Lobos from the University of New Mexico in the championship game.
The Waves got a big performance from Diawara in the 91-82 win over Arkansas State University on Dec. 22. Diawara scored 30 points and had 10 rebounds, both career highs.
But Pepperdine lost a heartbreaker to University of California Berkeley on a Richard Midgley 3-pointer Dec. 23. Midgley was 1-10 from the floor before hitting two 3-pointers in the final minute.
McGowan had 26 points and 12 rebounds but was the only Pepperdine player who scored in double figures.
Following a difficult 85-83 loss at UCLA Dec. 11, the Waves traveled to Illinois to play Bradley Dec. 18, and Pepperdine shot a season-low 17 percent from beyond the arc losing 76-58. McGowan led the way again with 18 points and 12 rebounds.
Women’s basketball
The women’s basketball team also ran into some difficult times over Christmas break, but the losses came on the road and against stiff competition.
Tulane University won its own tournament by beating the Waves 62-49 behind Lakethia Hampton’s 21 points Dec. 29.
Senior forward Jennifer Lacy scored 11 points and had 15 rebounds, but it would not be enough as Tulane finished strong to beat the Waves.
Pepperdine made it to the championship game with a 58-41 win over Georgia State University Dec. 28 after a 10-0 run in the second half by the Waves.
No. 16 Vanderbilt University got the best of the Waves Dec. 21 with a 78-46 victory. Lacy had 14 points, but the Waves were unable to stick with the Commodores.
Swimming
Pepperdine swimming received big performaces from junior Ketrina Lemmen and freshmen Kady Skora and Michelle Sutherland to push into 15th place. Stanford University won the event.
Lemmen swam the 100 freestyle in 53.77, Sutherland finished the 200 butterfly in 2:12.10 and Skora swam the 1,650 freestyle in 18:13.68.
01-13-2005
