University of Arizona Athletics

THE SERIES: Arizona (22-25, 7-11) takes a week off from Pac-10 competition with a home series against Cal State Northridge. The three contests will be the Cats' final non-conference games of the season. UA dropped two of three to Washington State last week, though sophomore left fielder Kenny Huff provided a highlight by becoming the 10th Wildcat to hit for the cycle.

WILDCAT NOTES: Seven players equaled or surpassed their season highs in hits in the Cats' 21-3 victory over Washington State (4/22) ... The Cats' 10-5 victory at Oregon State marked the first conference game since an April 5, 1997 shutout of California in which Arizona pitchers did not give up an extra-base hit ... Arizona batters lead the Pac-10 in hits (567), doubles (102), triples (26) and total bases (910). Wildcat pitchers pace the league in strike outs (405) and pick offs (10) ... Arizona ended Stanford right-hander Justin Wayne's Pac-10 record-tying 16-game winning streak with an 8-5 victory in Palo Alto March 24 ... Arizona is 16-25 all-time against teams ranked No. 1 in Baseball America's poll, including a 5-7 mark under Jerry Stitt ... Shelley Duncan's consecutive-games played streak came to an end at 90 when he sat out a contest at Stanford (3/26) with a sore right elbow. Erik Torres had played in 80 consecutive games before sitting out the Cats' March 10 contest with UC Santa Barbara ... The Cats' three wins over Tulane (2/25-27) marked the first time the Green Wave had been swept in a series since losing three vs. Indiana (2/28-3/2/97) ... Wildcat pinch-hitters are 24-for-75 (.320-3-18) this year after batting .191-0-4 with just nine hits in 1999 ... Arizona's 23 runs at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (2/16) were its most in a single game since a 25-6 home victory over Portland State (2/13/98) ... Ryan O'Donnell collected a pair of two-run pinch-hit singles in the sixth inning of the Cats' 21-7 victory over San Francisco (1/29), matching Arizona's entire pinch-hit RBI total from a year ago with four ... The Cats scored 12 runs in the sixth inning of their Jan. 29 contest with USF, the most for an Arizona team in one inning since posting 16 in the seventh of a 40-10 victory over St. Francis in Tucson (2/22/95).

HUFF'S CYCLE: Sophomore left fielder Kenny Huff became the 10th player in Arizona history to hit for the cycle in the Cats' 21-3 home victory over Washington State (4/22). Huff tripled in the first, singled in the second, homered in the sixth, singled again in the seventh and doubled in his final plate appearance in the eighth. For the day Huff went 5-for-6 with two runs scored and four driven in. Huff is the first Wildcat to hit for the cycle since Menno Wickey did so vs. Hawaii-Hilo on Feb. 19, 1995. He is the first UA batter and only the fifth player ever to hit for the cycle in a Pac-10 contest.

DREAM TEAM: Baseball America named its college dream team in its May 1 issue and Arizona was the only school represented by two players. Junior Keoni DeRenne was listed as the starting shortstop, while sophomore right-hander Ben Diggins was named the lone pitcher on the 10-person squad. Five players on the team are from the Pac-10 and a sixth competes for a Wildcat non-conference opponent.

DeRENNE'S STREAK ENDS: Junior shortstop Keoni DeRenne's consecutive games played streak came to an end at 157 when he was forced to miss the Cats' April 21 game vs. Washington State. DeRenne pulled a hamstring on an awkward throw to first the previous day, causing him to leave the contest. His streak is the fifth longest in school history. DeRenne was on pace to join Chip Hale (1984-87) as the only Wildcats to have played in every game of his career. Here's a list of the longest consecutive games played streaks in Arizona history:

Player                  Years   Games
1. Chip Hale            1984-87 255
2. John Tejcek  	1990-93 202
3. Gar Millay           1984-86 197
4. Robbie Moen  	1990-93 183
5. Keoni DeRenne        1998-00 157

Earlier this season, two other lengthy consecutive games played streaks came to an end for the Cats. Right fielder Shelley Duncan had played in 90 straight contests before sitting out a game at Stanford (3/26) with a sore elbow. Third baseman Erik Torres' 80-game streak ended when he did not appear in a home game with UC Santa Barbara (3/10).

TORRES' HISTORIC DAY: Junior third baseman Erik Torres became the first Wildcat in 26 years to homer three times in one game at Washington (4/8). He became the third Arizona player ever to do so, joining Dennis Haines (at Texas-El Paso, 4/7/74) and Ron Hassey (vs. Weber State, 3/20/74) as the only Cats to go deep three times in a single game. Torres' is the 99th multi-homer game in Arizona history.

Torres entered the contest with just four home runs on the season and only 11 in his entire career. He had not started in the Cats' previous seven contests. Torres doubled his career high of six total bases in the contest. Arizona also matched its single-game home run record as a team in the Washington game, going deep six times.

WILDCAT RECORDS: Erik Torres tied Arizona's single-game record for home runs with six at Washington (4/8). In the same contest, the Cats tied their school mark for homers in a single game with six. Both achievements are Arizona records for a Pac-10 game ... Ben Diggins became the 10th pitcher in Arizona history to strike out six consecutive batters vs. UC Santa Barbara (3/12). He is the first Wildcat player to strike out the first six batters he faced and the first reliever to fan six hitters in a row ... Arizona's 15-12 loss vs. UCSB on March 11 lasted 4:05, tying the school record for the longest nine-inning contest. The record was previously set on April 26, 1981, when Stanford defeated the Cats, 21-13, in Tucson ... Shelley Duncan has a school-record six career multiple-home run games ... Arizona batters were hit by a school-record six pitches vs. Tulane (2/26) ... Shelley Duncan equaled UA's individual record for hit by pitches in a game with three vs. Tulane (2/26) ... The Wildcats tied their single-game school record for triples with five vs. New Mexico (2/5) ... Arizona pitchers set a school record by hitting six batters in a single game vs. San Francisco (1/30) ... Both Keoni DeRenne and Troy Gingrich tied Arizona single-game records with two sacrifice flies vs. Saint Mary's (1/21) ... Wildcat pitchers have thrown 66 wild pitches this season, tying the school record set in 1994 ... Tony Milo has broken Ben White's career record for home runs allowed, having given up 39 ... Though it pains me to say, Arizona set school records for runs allowed (32), earned runs allowed (25), total bases allowed (54) and largest margin of defeat (29) at Arizona State (3/4) and also matched the UA record for home runs allowed (7) in a single contest ... Causing me even more pain, Arizona allowed a school-record 26 earned runs vs. California (3/18) and broke the UA mark for most runs allowed in a Pac-10 series (51) in its three games against the Bears (3/17-19). Arizona State scored 49 runs against the Cats in Tucson, May 11-13, 1996. The Saturday and Sunday games, 26-6 and 24-14 losses, also marked the first time an Arizona team had allowed 20 or more runs in consecutive games.

SHABANSKY RETURNS: Senior left-hander Rob Shabansky made his first start since opening day, 1999, with three innings vs. Tulane on Feb. 27. Shabansky allowed two runs on four hits while striking out two to earn the victory.

DIGGINS' FIRSTS: Ben Diggins accomplished a pair of Arizona firsts in tying a school record with six consecutive strike outs vs. Santa Barbara (3/12). Though he is 10th Wildcat hurler to fan six straight batters, he is the first to do so in a relief appearance. He also became the first UA pitcher to strike out the first six hitters he faced.

DIGGINS MOVES UP: Sophomore right-hander Ben Diggins is the top-ranked collegiate prospect for the 2000 major league draft according to Baseball America. He moved up from his preseason ranking of No. 2 when he trailed California third baseman Xavier Nady.

Diggins has also been named the midseason national Sophomore of the Year by Baseball America. Teammate Shelley Duncan was also named to the magazine's All-Sophomore team.

DIGGINS vs. NADY: Prior to the season, California junior third baseman Xavier Nady and Arizona sophomore right-hander/designated hitter Ben Diggins were rated the top two collegiate prospects for the 2000 Major League Baseball Draft by Baseball America. Should Nady and Diggins be chosen with the top two picks (which belong to the Florida Marlins and the Minnesota Twins), it would mark just the eighth time that college players have gone one-two in the draft.

Only once before have the top two picks in the draft met in the season in which they were taken. In 1986, Arkansas' Jeff King was selected by the Pittsburgh Pirates and Texas' Greg Swindell went second to the Cleveland Indians. On March 21, 1986, Swindell pitched a complete game, two-hit shutout, striking out 12, in an 8-0 victory over Arkansas in Austin. King went 0-for-3 batting cleanup for the Hogs.

On March 17, Diggins threw a complete game in Arizona's 4-1 victory over Cal in Tucson. He struck out seven while walking just one. Nady went 1-for-3 and drove in the Bears' only run when he was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded.

DIGGINS ELIGIBLE FOR DRAFT: Sophomore right-hander Ben Diggins is eligible for the major league baseball draft following this season due to an exception in MLB's rules. Ordinarily, players at four-year colleges are not eligible for the draft until following their junior year. However, an exception to the rule allows players who turn 21 within 45 days of the draft to be eligible. Diggins turns 21 on June 13, less than two weeks after the draft.

HOT START: Sophomore right-hander Ben Diggins is the 16th Wildcat pitcher since 1960 to win his first seven decisions and is the first Arizona hurler in 25 years to start a season 8-0.

The last UA pitchers to win at least his first nine decisions were Dave Breuker and Mark Schimpf who started the 1974 campaign 15-0 and 13-0, respectively.

Breuker and Don Lee share the Wildcat record for best start. Lee went 15-0 in 1956. Schimpf holds the Cats' record for consecutive victories overall, having won 20 straight from 1973 -74. Here are best starts since 1960:

Player                  Year    Start   Season
Dave Breuker            1974    15-0    15-1
Mark Schimpf            1974    13-0    13-1
Dan Schneider           1962    13-0    13-1
Robert O'Brien  	1966    12-0    12-1
Leon Hooten             1969    9-0     11-3
Jim Ward                1960    9-0     13-1

DURAZO'S HIT STREAK: Junior first baseman Ernie Durazo's career-long 17-game hitting was snapped vs. Houston (3/14) when he went 0-for-4. In his third at-bat, Durazo was robbed of double by a diving catch by left fielder Tyson Schweitzer. His run was the longest by a Wildcat since Diego Rico hit in 21 straight Feb. 2-March 8, 1997. Only three players, Willie Morales (23), Rico and Robbie Moen (19), had longer hitting streaks in the 1990s than Durazo, who has hit safely in 36 of his 39 starts.

STITT'S 100TH: Arizona's 5-2 victory over Saint Mary's (1/23) marked the 100th of head coach Jerry Stitt's career. In just his fourth season, Stitt joins J.F. "Pop" McKale, Frank Sancet and Jerry Kindall as the only Arizona coaches to reach the century mark in victories.

BEST TOOLS: Baseball America has announced its list of "Best Tools" in the Pac-10, and three Wildcats were recognized. Junior Keoni DeRenne was named the league's top defensive shortstop as well as its best base runner. Senior center fielder Troy Gingrich was named the Pac-10's fastest runner. And sophomore right-hander Ben Diggins has the best fastball in the conference, according to BA. The magazine also names a preseason All-Pac-10 team to which Duncan was listed as an outfielder and Diggins as the utility player.

DIGGINS RECOGNIZED: Sophomore right-hander/designated hitter Ben Diggins earned both national player of the week honors from Collegiate Baseball and Pac-10 Pitcher of the Week recognition for his work during the Tulane series (2/25-27).

Diggins struck out a career-high 13 batters while throwing his second consecutive complete game Friday (2/25) in Arizona's 4-3 win. He allowed just two earned runs in becoming the first Wildcat pitcher since Ryan Frace in 1995 to pitch back-to-back complete games. Saturday and Sunday, while serving as the Cats' designated hitter, Diggins reached base nine times in 10 plate appearances. In the second game of the series (2/26), Diggins homered twice and set career-highs in hits (4), RBI (5) and total bases (10), leading UA to a 17-9 victory. For the week, Diggins compiled a 1.714 slugging percentage.

KNST-RADIO: KNST, AM-790, will carry 30 regular season games this season, including each Pac-10 contest, plus all postseason action. The station has served as UA's flagship station for 19 years. Sports director Brian Jeffries and Ryan Radtke will handle the play-by-play duties.

DUNCAN SETS MARK: Sophomore right fielder Shelley Duncan posted back-to-back two-home run games against Nevada (2/12-13), becoming the first player in Arizona history to have more than four multi-homer games in his career. Duncan has done so six times. He joined Colin Porter (vs. USC, 3/20-21/98) as the only Wildcats to homer twice in consecutive games. Dennis Haines had a pair of multiple home run games in both 1972 and '74. In 1993, George Arias had four two-homer games. Duncan has 31 homers, leaving him just five shy of Kenny Corley's UA career mark of 36.

DURAZO'S DEFENSE: Junior Ernie Durazo went 35 consecutive games without an error before a throwing miscue vs. USF (1/29). That was the longest error-free streak by a Wildcat first baseman since Arizona joined the Pac-10 in 1979. Marc Wing went 34 straight contests in 1983 and '84 without an error. Durazo accepted 291 straight chances without committing an error. Here are the longest error-free game streaks by UA first basemen in the last 22 years:

        Player          Year (s)        Games
1.      Ernie Durazo    1999-00 	35
2.      Marc Wing       1983-84 	34
3.      Todd Landry     1993            31
4.      Billy Owens     1990            24
5.      Jeff Gjerde     1995            23

SHABANSKY TOPS IN '90s: Senior left-hander Rob Shabansky was Arizona's winningest pitcher in the 1990s, despite missing all of 1999 with an elbow injury. Shabanksy's 15 wins edged out James Johnson's 12 victories. Here are the Cats' winningest pitchers by decade:

Decade  Pitcher Record
1950s   Don Lee 	36-7
1960s   Rich Hinton     32-8
1970s   Dave Breuker    29-10
1980s   Ed Vosberg      29-19
1990s   Rob Shabanksy   15-8

DRAFT PREVIEW: Sophomore right-hander/designated hitter Ben Diggins figured prominently in Baseball America's 2000 preseason draft preview. Voted the No. 2 prospect for the draft coming out of college this year (behind California's Xavier Nady), Diggins was called the best two-way player and the hardest thrower available. He was also listed as one of the best athletes and one of the best power hitter possibly coming out of college this year. Diggins moved up to the top spot among collegiate prospects in BA's midseason update.

Junior shortstop Keoni DeRenne was rated the 75th-best draft prospect and was named as one of the best defensive players. Sophomore right fielder Shelley Duncan was listed as the sixth-best prospect available in the 2001 draft.

RED-SHIRTS/INJURIES: Sophomore right fielder Shelley Duncan, making his first career start on the mound, left Arizona's March 25 game at Stanford after partially tearing a ligament in his right elbow. He is out for the season.

Sophomore catcher Chris Cunningham underwent surgery on a broken bone in his right wrist on March 27. He is likely done for the season but could return by the end of the year.

Sophomore left-hander Brian Pemble is out for at least another two weeks with inflamation in his left shoulder joint.

Sophomore right-hander Robert Schulz is out for the season with tendinitis in his right arm.

Senior right-hander Dave Abbott will red-shirt the season following Tommy John surgery last April 20. He plans to return for the 2001 campaign. Junior right-hander Sam Shelton will miss the season as well. Junior right-hander Ben Vigeland will red-shirt the year.

ALUMNI GAME: San Diego Padre Jake Thrower's bases loaded triple capped a five-run first, leading the Alumni to a 7-6 victory in Arizona's annual All-Pro Alumni Game (2/6).

The Alumni hold an 11-3-2 advantage in the series, which began in 1982. Philadelphia Phillies right-hander Curt Schilling served as the Alumni's guest manager.

Baltimore Orioles right-hander Scott Erickson earned the win, allowing just one unearned run. Florida Marlins southpaw Ryan Moskau picked up the save with a perfect seventh inning. Freshman lefty Nathan Duarte took the loss for the Cats. For Arizona, sophomore right fielder Shelley Duncan went two-for-two including a home run.

The alumni won the pregame home run hitting contest, 11-9. Alan Zinter led the way with six.

PRESEASON HONORS: Three Wildcats have earned a total of five preseason All-America honors.

Sophomore right-hander Ben Diggins was named a first-team All-American by Baseball America. Sophomore right fielder Shelley Duncan earned second-team honors from BA and third-team recognition from Collegiate Baseball. Both Collegiate Baseball and the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association named junior shortstop Keoni DeRenne a second-team preseason All-American.

TEAM USA '99: Junior Keoni DeRenne and sophomores Ben Diggins and Shelley Duncan were all part of the 1999 USA Baseball national squad that posted a 24-15 overall mark.

DeRenne was the team's starting shortstop and hit .376 with a remarkable .506 on-base percentage. He drew 32 walks while striking out just 12 times. Diggins served as the team's closer, posting a 2.05 earned-run average in a team-high 16 appearances. He allowed just 10 base hits in 22.0 innings under Arizona pitching coach Bill Kinneberg, who filled the same capacity for Team USA. Duncan saw limited action before joining the Jayhawk League.

SANCET FIELD: Frank Sancet Field is in its 34th season as the home park of Arizona baseball. The Cats have an 856-369-3 (.698) all-time mark at Sancet Field. UA has had just three losing records at Sancet. Arizona was 20-11 at home last year. Sunday's game with Saint Mary's was the Cats' 1,200 at Sancet. The spacious park is 360 feet down the foul lines, 380 to the power alleys and 400 to center field. A 12-foot fence comes in to left and right center before giving way to a six-foot fence across the center field area. New chair-back seats were installed last season behind home plate.

DRAFTED CATS: Fourteen current Arizona players have been chosen a total of 17 times in the Major League Baseball Draft. Mike Meyer, Trevor Mote and Rob Shabansky have been selected twice.

HEAD COACH JERRY STITT: Jerry Stitt leads the Cats in his fourth season as head coach.

After three straight last-place finishes in the Pac-10 South, Stitt has led the Cats to back-to-back-to-back winning seasons and a return to postseason play thanks to improved pitching and defense and, under his direct tutelage, the continued success of Wildcat hitters.

Arizona qualified for an NCAA regional last year for the first time since 1993. The year before, the Cats ranked among the nation's leaders in doubles, triples, homers, runs scored and slugging percentage while reaching as high as No. 2 in one national poll.

Stitt has posted an 119-95 (.556) mark in his three seasons at the helm of the Cats, earning his 100th career win vs. Saint Mary's Jan. 23.

He follows J.F. Pop McKale, Frank Sancet and Jerry Kindall as the only head coaches since 1922 and is only the 14th coach in the 93-year history of Arizona baseball.

Stitt was an All-American at UA in 1968 as a senior and was drafted in the 32nd round by the Cleveland Indians. He played three years in the Tribe organization before moving to coaching.He joined the Cats' coaching staff in 1978 and had been its associate head coach since 1992.

1999-2000 SIGNEES: Collegiate Baseball preseason All-Americans Moises Duran and Jake Whitesides lead a deep and talented group of 14 high school and junior college players who have inked letters of intent to attend Arizona and play baseball beginning in the fall of 2000.

Twelve high school seniors and two junior college sophomores comprise the group, which includes 10 pitchers.

This is as strong a recruiting class as we have had, Jerry Stitt, who is entering his fourth year as Arizona's head coach, said. It rivals the first class we signed in 1997, which was ranked fourth in the nation. Our first need in the near future is pitching, and we met that need with a great group of young arms. Brian Anderson is the top pitching prospect in Tucson. Plus, the addition of Moises Duran, Stephen Hunt, Ryan Richardson and Jake Whitesides solidify positions that were in need of filling. Duran is beyond question the best player in Tucson. He has tremendous bat speed. Whitesides is one of the best prospects to sign with this program in a long time. He's a tremendous high school player, and he'll make a tremendous college player. This is a great class.

Richardson is the younger brother of former Wildcat pitcher Jim Richardson (1988-89). Right-hander Sean Rierson was a member of the Chapparal HS that finished the year ranked 20th in Collegiate Baseball's national poll last season and was listed among that publication's list of high school underclassmen to watch. Whitesides was voted No. 70 on Baseball America's list of the top 100 high school prospects for the 2000 draft.

The Cats added their final recruit, Catalina Foothills right-hander Kevin Rupprecht, in the spring signing period. Rupprecht is a fastball/slider pitcher who also served as the designated hitter and cleanup batter for the state's top-ranked 4A school.

ARIZONA VS. CSUN: The Matadors lead the all-time series, 5-4. The Cats are 2-0 vs. CSUN under head coach Jerry Stitt, having swept a season-opening set in Tucson in 1998.

LAST TIME vs. CAL STATE NORTHRIDGE
Date    W/L     Score   WP              LP              Save
1/20/98 W       15-12   Milo            Baron           Moskau
1/21/98 W       18-1    Shabansky       Morawski        None
 
PITCHING PROBABLES vs. CAL STATE NORTHRIDGE
Friday (7 p.m.)
LHP Andy Davidson (3-5, 4.78) vs. RHP Ben Diggins (8-3, 3.72)
Saturday (7 p.m.)
LHP Bill Murphy (1-5, 4.47) vs. LHP Tony Milo (4-6, 5.54)
Sunday (1 p.m.)
RHP Mike Frick (3-5, 6.14) vs. LHP Rob Shabansky (2-4, 8.27)


Probable Wildcat Lineup
        Pos.    Player                  	Class   Ht.     Wt.     Hometown
1.      2       CF      Troy Gingrich (L)       Sr.     5-10    180     Apache Junction, Ariz.
2.      11      SS      Keoni DeRenne (B)       Jr.     5-7     146     Honolulu, Hawaii
3.      33      DH      Ben Diggins             So.     6-6     230     Prescott Valley, Ariz.
4.      44      1B      Ernie Durazo (L)        Jr.     5-9     195     Tucson, Ariz.
5.      17      3B      Erik Torres             Jr.     6-0     175     Tucson, Ariz.
6.      12      RF      Ryan O'Donnell (L)      Jr.     6-0     180     Casa Grande, Ariz.
7.      22      LF      Kenny Huff (L)  	So.     6-0     197     Phoenix, Ariz.
8.      25      3B      Trevor Mote (B) 	Jr.     6-1     185     Kingman, Ariz.
9.      26      C       Ken Riley               Fr.     6-2     185     Sparks, Nev.