 
A diary by UCSB third baseman Dave Molidor May 14, 2001
What a weekend, huh? For those of you who didn't go down to Fullerton this past weekend, you missed seeing the Gauchos at their best. But most importantly, you missed the Licht-o-mites house-party in Huntington before the game on Saturday. Everyone was there. Saw some great pictures of D-Licht when he was a little tennis star. Bad look. But Mr and Mrs. Licht-o-mite, thank you, the food was great. So let's see. As usual as I start off every recap, Garcia "shoved" it on Friday. I am sick of using that term, but he does shove it, every time out. Jon Smith is our kind of pitcher. Lefty, straight fastball, up in the zone. We have so many big righthanded donkeys and we ate him alive. So that set the tone, as it does every weekend. Getting that first one out of the way every weekend takes so much pressure off. Everyone hit well and we played flawless defense. Saturday their freshman Merrell threw pretty well. We touched him up a bit but I can see how he has such a low E.R.A. He works down, throws hard and has good off speed stuff. Rylie (Ogle) kept us in the game again like he did againast Long Beach, and that is all we need. I always tell him after he gives up a run not to worry, because we are going to score 2 more the next inning. He is really hard on himself like I am. It is pretty frustrating when you don't play the way you KNOW you can. I think Rylie and myself are both going through that right now. But luckily, our teammates are picking us up. Spilly (Ryan Spilborghs) and Skip (Schumaker) made three awesome, potential game-saving cathes out there on Saturday, and I can't say enough about those guys defensively. They have been doing it all year, not to mention at the plate too. But I was really proud of Donny (Warrecker) on Saturday. He had good at bats all day and eventually got the game winning hit. This year has to be a bit disappointing for him, coming off the year he had last year, but he stepped up big time. That is what I love about this team. If one guy doesn't get it done, someone will pick him up. And when that guy can't do it anymore, someone else will step in and play well. (Jeremy) Sugarman came in on Saturday and threw three strong innings, and when he was done, Jamie (Gonzales) came in and picked up where he left off. That is what is winning these games for us. Pitching. And we have plenty of it. Sunday Bully (Jim Bullard) was fine, he just hung a couple of pitches. But then Moran came in, and dealt for three innings. Saarloos was good. He had a lot of movement. He ran out of gas in the ninth and we got to him. We were a foot or two away from winning that game. Bomber's (Tyler Von Schell) double almost got out, and Kolbach's liner hung up just enough for Stringfellow to get it. Spilly once again keeps the streak alive (29 straight games) and we fought back hard, but just came up short and I think Fullerton went away KNOWING that we are the better team. I mean, we hit seeds all weekend right at people! And I must say, one reason we are hitting so well is the work of Brian Allen, our graduate assistant. He works so hard to come up with new drills and ways we can improve our swings. I think we all appreciate the hard work he is giving to our program. Keep it up B.A. Personally, I am a little bitter right now. My swing is long and loopy right now and I can't remember the last time I was as disappointed as I was on Sunday. Words can't describe it. If I get a hit in that last inning, we probably win that game. I fouled off Saarloos' hanging slider simply because I dipped my shoulder. It was a flaw in my swing that could have cost my team a game. And I have a hard time accepting condolences because the good players step up in big games and I didn't. And now tonight I am going to a banquet to accept being athlete of the year for baseball. Sweet. The first time I really feel bad about myself all year, and I get a reward at a big banquet. And so many other people are playing so well. I almost feel guilty accepting the award. While I appreciate it, I think (James) Garcia is the most deserving. But what can I do? So, I can't change the past, but I can control the future, so I am going to be trying to correct my swing all week so I can help us get a Big West Championship. But I need not worry with this team, because I know that if I don't get it done, somebody else will. So, I hope we get every Gaucho fan in the county out for these games this week. They are our last home games of the year. I will see all of you this week. I love you all. And as always, stay positive and love your life. D-MO |
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