JANE LEE
Assistant Sports Editor
It was a mix of blue jerseys and orange jerseys. It was a match between the old and the young. It was a game that featured college kids and what sometimes appeared to be middle-aged Bad News Bears.
The game was a chance for current and former Pepperdine baseball players to tell their stories and share with each other the appreciation of the game that brought them together in the first place. It was, in all its glory, the annual Pepperdine alumni baseball game.
Sophomore center fielder Adrian Ortiz collected a pair of hits and scored twice to lead the 11th-ranked Waves to a 6-2 victory over the alumni Saturday afternoon at Eddy D. Field Stadium. Freshmen Chase d’Arnaud, Ryan Heroy and sophomore Matt Aidem also had base hits in their Pepperdine debut to contribute to the win.
“It’s nice getting back on the field and playing a different team,” Ortiz said. “We’re so used to playing against ourselves, so coming together as one team brings unity.”
Pepperdine also received solid pitching from sophomores Brian Ozols, Nick Gaudi and senior Brian Minkel. The trio limited the alumni to a pair of runs and six hits.
“The Waves played well and their pitchers, who did not throw much last year, threw very well against some active minor leaguers,” said alumni Head Coach Robert Sexton, a Pepperdine professor of economics who has been coaching the alumni team for four years.
In addition to seeing a preview of this year’s team, fans were treated to the talent of many past greats who once donned the Pepperdine blue and orange.
Bringing in the offense for the alumni were Ryan Beglin, who hit a home run, and Reuben Gonzalez, who singled and scored.
But for a team that returns 24 letterwinners from last year’s club that posted a 41-23 overall record, won the West Coast Conference title for the second straight year and concluded the year ranked No. 23 nationally, some may wonder why the score wasn’t a little more lopsided like 2005’s 16-1 Pepperdine victory. The Waves said they weren’t going easy on the veterans.
“Not on purpose,” Pepperdine fourth-year Head Coach Steve Rodriguez said. “Our guys were facing some minor league pitching and they were pretty good, so I think it was a good learning opportunity for our guys.
“The team’s performance was a little sluggish, but that was expected considering the whole day is mostly about the alumni and them having fun.”
Much fun was had, as players swapped stories and fans watched alumni face the youngsters to kick off the baseball season.
“My favorite part of the alumni game is watching everyone participate and reminisce about old times,” Rodriguez said. “It gives everyone a chance to remember the great times they had at Pepperdine.”
Sexton shared the thoughts of Rodriguez .
“My two favorite moments this year were the 55-year-old (Jack Perez) that pitched a shutout inning throwing in the upper 30’s, and our All-American catcher (junior Chad Tracy) taking two nasty swings and coming up empty against a Sunday Adult League pitcher (Kipp Landis) throwing the old speed limit of 55,” Sexton said.
Sexton did note, however, that the game really is not about winning.
“We have some players that have not played in a long, long time and others that are just out of shape,” he said.
And for current Pepperdine players, catching up with past teammates never grows old.
“It’s nice to see alumni, the people who already went through what we’re going through right now,” Ortiz said. “We don’t get to see them much so it’s kind of weird playing against them, but it’s really fun to talk with and yell at them.”
Sophomore pitcher Drew Saberhagen agreed with his teammate, saying, “It’s definitely great to see all the guys. It’s nice to hear all their stories and it’s interesting to see what they’ve been up to.”
The afternoon concluded with former Pepperdine All-American Steve Kleen receiving the John Scolinos Distinguished Player Award in a post-game ceremony. The award is annually presented to a Pepperdine baseball player in recognition of exemplary behavior during a season or career in the name of the legendary Scolinos, who was the head coach of the Waves from 1946-1960 and compiled a career record of 263-219 (.546).
“I think John Scolinos would be very proud to have Steve as the recipient,” Rodriguez said. “He is a great young man and a great athlete as well. I don’t think anyone would be surprised he received the award.”
Kleen was a unanimous first-team All-WCC selection after batting .350 with eight home runs and 58 RBI as the Waves’ first baseman and compiling a 4-3 record, 1.75 ERA and 17 saves, which ranked second in the country. His saves total also ranked second on Pepperdine’s single-season saves list, behind Jay Gehrke’s 18 in 1999.
“It was great seeing Steve get it,” said Saberhagen, who played with Kleen last year. “He used to lead our team in Bible studies, and he was always there to help us with things other than just baseball, especially us freshmen. He’s an awesome person and I can’t think of anyone better to receive it.”
Ortiz, also a former teammate of the highly-respected Kleen, agreed with Saberhagen.
“It was awesome watching him get the award,” Ortiz said. “He’s an awesome baseball player, a good student and he’s just really good with everybody. It’s an honor to know him and to be there to see him get the award.”
Now that the fun of the alumni game is over, Pepperdine will open its official season Friday when it hosts UNLV at Eddy D. Field Stadium beginning at 2 p.m.
The Waves were tabbed by Baseball America as the “sleeper” team to reach the College World Series, but based on their performance in the alumni game, Sexton has an important message for them.
“I hope you are better than that on Friday,” he jokingly said.
02-02-2006