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Pepperdine University Athletics

Number Project 9

General by Athletic Communications

The Greatest Waves at Every Number: #9

MALIBU, California – Who are the best Waves ever to wear a particular number on their jersey or cap? This series will aim to identify the most accomplished Pepperdine student-athletes, number by number.
 
Today, the greats who wore number nine are listed.
 
First, some caveats:
  • Student-athletes before a certain year may not be included, as complete numerical rosters only go back so far. For the eight sports that wear numbers, only women's soccer and women's beach volleyball have every roster available.
  • The complete numerical rosters for baseball (1971), men's basketball (1968-69), women's basketball (1979-80), men's volleyball (1975), women's indoor volleyball (1976) and men's water polo (1982) date back to the year shown here.
  • In some cases, additional standout student-athletes from prior to those years were identified.
  • Any student-athlete who received at least all-conference honors during this time, and others of note, were included based on current available information.
  • Pepperdine sponsored football between the years of 1946 and 1961. Fifteen football players have been inducted into the Pepperdine Athletics Hall of Fame and those former student-athletes have been included in this series.
BASEBALL 
  • Jesus "Carlo" Mejia (San Fernando, Calif./Los Angeles City College) was an All-American in 1975 and a two-time all-conference first teamer. He hit .344 in 1974 and .313 in 1975.
  • Rick Hirtensteiner (Ventura, Calif./Buena HS) was an All-American first team pick and the WCC Player of the Year in 1989. He made all-conference all four years (1986-89), three times on the first team. The outfielder batted .366 with 12 home runs and 41 RBI as a senior and hit .336 with 28 home runs for his career. He was a CoSIDA Academic All-American and the WCC Scholar-Athlete of the Year in 1989. He's been a member of Pepperdine's coaching staff for 20 seasons and the head coach for the past five years. Hirtensteiner was inducted into the Pepperdine Athletics Hall of Fame in 2015.
  • Steve Rodriguez (Las Vegas, Nev./Valley HS) was an All-American first team selection in 1991 and made the third team in 1992. He was the WCC Player of the Year and made the All-College World Series team in 1992, and was a three-time all-conference honoree. Rodriguez batted .419 in 1991 and .367 for his three-year career. He went on to play two seasons in MLB. He returned to Pepperdine and was head coach for 12 seasons, and is now the head coach at Baylor. He was inducted into the Pepperdine Athletics Hall of Fame in 2016.
  • David Sugden (West Vancouver, B.C./West Vancouver HS) was all-conference first team in 1998. The catcher batted .385 that season and hit .332 for his career.
  • Nick Gaudi (Lancaster, Calif./Paraclete HS) was all-conference first team in 2008 and 2009. The right-handed relief pitcher posted an 11-4 career record with a 3.34 ERA and 24 saves.
  • Joe Sever (San Jose, Calif./Bellarmine College Prep) was an All-American second team selection and the WCC Player of the Year in 2012, and a three-time all-conference honoree. The infielder batted .366 with 53 RBI that season and finished with a .320 average and 104 RBI for his career.
WOMEN'S SOCCER 
  • Nina Eriksson (Norrkoping, Sweden) was All-WCC second team in 1994. The defender appeared in 47 games over three seasons.
  • Laura Cole (Whittier, Calif./La Habra HS) was All-WCC first team in 2011 and honorable mention in 2008 and 2010. The midfielder/forward had 20 goals and 10 assists in 78 career games.
  • Rylee Baisden (Yorba Linda, Calif./Esperanza HS) was All-WCC first team in 2016 and honorable mention in 2015. The defender/forward had 12 goals and 10 assists in 78 career games.
  • Joelle Anderson (San Jose, Calif./The Harker School) was All-WCC first team in 2019 and second team in 2017 and 2018. With one season to go, she's already ranked in Pepperdine's top 10 with 21 career goals.
MEN'S VOLLEYBALL 
  • Robert McNutt (San Pedro, Calif.) was an All-American second teamer in 1984. The middle blocker posted 215 kills and 224 blocks that season.
  • Tom Sorensen (Racine, Wis./Racine Case HS) earned four All-American awards at three different numbers, including #6 and #7. He wore #9 as a 1991 sophomore and made the second team. The outside hitter had 2,207 career kills (#2 all-time at Pepperdine), plus 464 blocks, 429 digs and 155 aces. He was a 1996 U.S. Olympian. Sorensen was inducted into the Pepperdine Athletics Hall of Fame in 2015.
  • Alon Grinberg (Bat-Yam, Israel) was the NCAA Tournament MVP and made the All-American second team in 1992. The outside hitter averaged 4.80 kills per set in his only season with the Waves.
  • J.J. Riley (Honolulu, Hawai'i/Punahou School) made the All-American second team in 1998. The setter collected 3,788 career assists. He averaged 15.62 per set as a junior and 18.78 as a senior.
  • Andre Breuer (Berlin, Germany/Hawai'i) made the All-American second team in 2000. The outside hitter averaged 6.00 kills per set in his only season with the Waves.
  • J.D. Schleppenbach (Ventura, Calif./Ventura HS) earned all-conference second team honors in 2010. The outside hitter had 908 career kills. He currently works at Pepperdine as the assistant dean for administration and executive finance director for the Law School.
WOMEN'S INDOOR VOLLEYBALL 
  • Debo Costello (Alameda, Calif.) was a great outside hitter in the program's early years (1977-79).
  • Lisa Bevington (Santa Maria, Calif./Hueneme HS) was All-American honorable mention in 1988 and made the All-WCC first team in 1987 and 1988. The middle blocker had career totals of 803 kills, 581 digs and 363 blocks.
  • Debbie Merandi (Lake Arrowhead, Calif./Rim of the World HS) earned three All-WCC honors, including the first team in 1991. The middle blocker had 593 kills, 378 digs and 292 blocks in her three seasons.
  • Karen Benkovsky (Lake Forest, Calif./Washington) made the All-WCC second team in 1997. The outside hitter had 431 kills and 585 digs in her three seasons.
  • Melissa Snow (Porterville, Calif./Monache HS) made the All-WCC first team in 2001 and second team in 1999. The outside hitter collected 1,052 career kills and 1,179 digs.
  • Kiah Fiers (Palos Verdes Estates, Calif./Peninsula HS) earned All-WCC honors all four years, including the first team in 2007 and 2009. The setter had 4,410 career assists, averaging 11.67 per set over her four seasons.
  • Jasmine Gross (Portland, Ore./Jesuit HS) made the All-WCC first team in 2016 and 2017. The middle blocker had 575 kills and 333 blocks in her two seasons with the Waves.
MEN'S WATER POLO 
  • Greg Lonzo (Mira Loma, Calif./Jurupa Valley HS) made the All-American first team in 2001, second team in 2000 and third team in 1999. He scored 175 career goals, including 59 in 2000.
  • Marko Asic (Laguna Niguel, Calif./Dana Hills HS) just wrapped up his career as a four-time All-American, making the second team in 2016 and honorable mention three times. He scored 240 career goals, including 69 in 2016.
 
 
 
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