Broncos migrate to Schott Stadium

By Brian Witter

On the eve of a new era for the Santa Clara baseball program, the Broncos are a month away from the end of a season plagued with sudden injury and defeat.

However, mounting enthusiasm over the program's anticipated move from the archaic Buck Shaw Stadium to the long-awaited, $8.6 million Stephen Schott Stadium on Saturday has quite reasonably eclipsed team play this year.

Originally picked in the West Coast Conference poll to finish fourth, Santa Clara has bleakly fallen to last place in the West Division with a record of 4-13 (18-23 overall). After winning several of their series early in the season against non-conference teams like Utah, Cal Poly and Brown University, the Broncos failed to win a series against a league opponent until two weeks ago at Loyola Marymount.

"I think that we obviously caught a very hot couple of teams in Pepperdine and USF in our first two series," fourth-year Head Coach Mark O'Brien said. "When a few of our guys struggled to swing the bat early on in those games, it became pretty contagious, which is often the case on any team, and developed into an offensive problem for us. And then, the injuries started to just pile up."

O'Brien, who recently netted his 100th win at Santa Clara, refers to the substantial number of players who have missed games this season because of injuries. Last year's Defensive Player of the Year, junior shortstop Michael Lange, missed 16 games after the first series of the year due to the irritation of an old hand injury, resulting in his missing most of last season. Freshman pitcher Mike Stutes encountered some strain during an April 9 game against San Diego which prompted his leave. Another formerly lauded recruit and current freshman pitcher, Donald Brandt, has only made four appearances this year because of an aggravated infliction. Two Santa Clara mainstays and top hitters, senior outfielder Nic Crosta and junior third baseman Michael Thompson, were also out for a short while because of routine injuries and missed their share of games.

The Broncos' starting rotation, briefly jostled after the loss of its two freshmen starters, saw the addition of veteran senior pitcher Anthony Rea, who has posted an ERA of 3.84, lower than any other regular starter. He has also made the transition from closer to starter without much conflict. It is O'Brien's hope that his starters can attempt to remain composed down the stretch while his bullpen picks up the slack. Currently, the Broncos are giving up the most hits in the league yet, posting the second-most strikeouts behind San Diego.

"The bottom line is that guys have gotten hurt, and we need everyone else to step up to fill that void," O'Brien said. "This is a dynamic group of players who know how to play together well. We have all the foundations for the advancement of this program and I think it's possible that we can improve sooner rather than later. There's been a tremendous amount of excitement in both the dugout and front office recently."

Following a farewell to Buck Shaw on April 29, the Broncos will play their first game in their new home against Gonzaga in front of a sold-out crowd the next day. Not only will the stadium be an enticement for students and alumni to attend more games, but Santa Clara's recruitment program is also expected to see a boost with the new facility.

"When we start playing in that new stadium, I think that there's going to be a significant increase in the adrenaline level of our players," senior pitcher Anthony Rea said. "We'll be able to see achievements not only long term, but I think it will have such a positive effect that there will be success in the interim as well."

Following the festivities of Schott's opening, the Broncos will play a one-game stint at Sacramento State before opening a home series against San Francisco on May 6. The Dons swept Santa Clara in late March and are in first place in the WCC with a conference record of 14-4. The remainder of their schedule will be against teams who have bested the Broncos, with series against Pepperdine and Portland, and match with longtime Bay Area rival Stanford on May 10.

With a team on the brink of losing their season, not to mention eight graduating seniors, Santa Clara baseball still has a bright future. A newfound environment may bring with it new opportunities which could have a profound effect on the program, according to its members.

"Saturday will be a good starting point for us to get back on track," junior catcher Kris Watts said. "Everyone needs to stop worrying about the numbers and just have fun with the new stadium, because that's what it's really all about. And with an attitude like that, it'll no doubt increase our confidence and motivate us to compete well with other teams who will be troubled by our self-composure."

* Contact Brian Witter at (408) 551-1918 or bwitter@scu.edu.