Baseball Winter Notebook
12/26/2008 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
MALIBU, Calif. -
PRESEASON HONOREES (SO FAR): The 2009 Louisville Slugger pre-season All-American baseball teams, selected by Collegiate Baseball Newspaper, feature Pepperdine’s Bryce Mendonca (San Leandro, Calif./Chabot JC) and Nick Gaudi (Lancaster, Calif./Paraclete HS) ... Mendonca, a first team honoree, is expected to play at second base this coming season ... He batted .332 with 13 doubles and 24 RBI in 2008 in addition to swiping a WCC-leading 32 bases en route to being named to the conference’s first team ... Gaudi, who last week was tabbed to the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) Pro-Line Athletic pre-2009 All-America second team, was placed on the Louisville Slugger/CBN third team ... An All-West Coast Conference first team honoree in 2008, Gaudi compiled 15 saves, a 5-1 overall record and a 2.68 earned-run average.
PRESEASON POLLING: Two publications of note released their 2009 NCAA Div. I Preseason Polls during the week of Christmas ... Pepperdine was ranked 12th of 30 clubs by
BRETT HUNTER RECOGNIZED: Here’s what Bleacher Report had to say about former Pepperdine hurler Brett Hunter, who it ranked as the Hawaii Winter League’s No. 3 prospect ... “Don’t let the 5.59 ERA fool you. In just 9.2 innings out of the bullpen, the Pepperdine alum was lights out, striking out an astounding 18 batters while yielding just four hits. His fastball sat at 95-97 mph and occasionally hit triple digits, and his curveball was just as filthy. Hunter was wild at times, as he tried to shake off the rust that was the result of him sitting out most of the spring with an elbow injury. The A’s haven’t announced whether he’ll start or relieve as a pro. If it’s the latter, he could evolve into a Brad Lidge-style shutdown closer.” ... Hunter recently received an invitation to
REMEMBERING 1992: Although this highlight video was posted on facebook.com about five months ago, it’s never a bad time to relive the 1992 College World Series, which was won by a young Pepperdine squad led by current head coach Steve Rodriguez ... The video can be found by clicking here.
