Gwynn impressed during Santa Clara series

By Grant Hughes

One of the greatest athletes of the last quarter century dropped in on the Mission Campus last Friday, and unless you were paying close attention, you might have missed him.

This past weekend, at Buck Shaw Stadium, the Broncos hosted manager Tony Gwynn and his San Diego State Aztecs.

"I was never much for it as a player, and as a manager, I'm not real interested in taking up any of the spotlight," said Gwynn, who was all but invisible during the series.

Planted in the shadowy corner of the third-base dugout, Gwynn spent most of the three games hidden from view. His reclusive managing style should not be attributed to disinterest though, as he did emerge when Aztecs senior first baseman Rielly Embrey was slow to get up after diving for a line drive. Aside from that, Gwynn only left the dugout once during the three-game series to argue a call at home plate.

As a player, Gwynn was similarly indifferent to the spotlight and approached his job with precision and workman-like dedication. Speaking with him reveals that he treats his duties as a manager in the same way.

"I don't care what level of baseball it is, winning is about execution, and we didn't execute," said a visibly frustrated Gwynn after the Broncos came back from a 5-1 deficit to beat his Aztecs 7-5 on Saturday. "Everyone has got to be focused on the fundamental things it takes to win, whether that be hitting a cutoff man, base running, or whatever, you've got to be committed to that."

Gwynn's successes at San Diego State and as a professional show that he is well aware of what it takes to be a winner.

Primarily a left fielder and designated hitter during his three-year baseball career at San Diego State, Gwynn was a two-time All-American as an outfielder and led the Aztecs in hitting his final two seasons. In 1980, he hit .423. The following year, Gwynn was selected as a first-team NCAA All-American after compiling a .416 batting average with 11 home runs and 62 RBIs. He was a first-team All-Western Athletic Conference outfielder as well and his RBI total that season still ranks among the top 10 on the Aztec single-season list.

In addition to three years of baseball, Gwynn was also a point guard for the Aztec basketball squad for four seasons and was named to the All-WAC team on two occasions. He remains the only athlete in WAC history to be honored as an all-conference performer in two sports.

During his professional career, Gwynn's commitment to execution made him into one of the best pure hitters in baseball history. Gwynn concluded a 20-year major league career with the San Diego Padres in 2001. With a career batting average of .338, he won eight National League batting titles, five Gold Gloves and made 15 appearances in the All-Star Game. Gwynn hit over .300 for 19 consecutive seasons and was the only player in the last 60 years to threaten the .400 mark when he was hitting .394 in 1994 before the strike prematurely ended the season.

The success of Gwynn's professional career naturally lends him a great deal of credibility with his players. The emphasis he puts on execution is practically impossible for the Aztecs to ignore.

"He obviously knows what it takes to succeed and to be a winner," Rielly Embrey said. "It's not like you can argue with the guy about baseball. I mean, he's Tony Gwynn. What are you going to say?"

Given his expertise, Gwynn's praise of the Broncos' efforts last weekend carries added weight.

"You've got to give Santa Clara credit," Gwynn said after the Bronco rally on Saturday afternoon.

"They stayed in the game and fought back. That showed a lot of persistence and maturity. They had the attitude that they weren't going to lose today," he said.

The Broncos' comeback on Saturday was all the more impressive because it came against Ryan Schroyer, the Aztec closer and one of the best in the nation.

"To rally against a guy like Schroyer was a really good indicator of how this team can battle it out," Head Coach Mark O'Brien said. "The guys are not willing to give in."

Gwynn also commented on the younger Broncos who helped key the late rally, specifically freshmen leadoff and number two hitters Robert Perry and Nathan Faulkner.

"This was the first time I'd seen either of them and they both looked impressive," Gwynn said. "They looked like they had solid approaches when they stepped in there and showed good patience. They're both getting on base, that's about all you can ask at the top of your order."

Broncos Head Coach Mark O'Brien echoed Gwynn's praise of the freshmen.

"They're always on base, you know? Faulkner leads our team with seven pitches per plate appearance. That's incredible for a freshman," O'Brien said.

"Overall, Santa Clara is a program that's going in the right direction," Gwynn said. "They've got good coaching, some nice players and they showed they can grind out tough games."

Having taken two of three games from an Aztec team that Coach O'Brien believes will win a lot of games under Tony Gwynn in the near future, Santa Clara has a lot to build on heading to Sacramento this weekend for the River City Classic.

Next season, if the Broncos head down to San Diego to play the Aztecs, it will be a little harder for Tony Gwynn to fly so easily under the radar as the Aztecs play at Tony Gwynn Stadium, calling quite a bit of attention to the Aztecs' manager.

û Contact Grant Hughes at (408) 554-4852 or ghughes@scu.edu.