Catcher Enjoys Smashing Senior Season : Baseball: After disappointing junior year at Westminster, Kirk Pierce’s batting is far from average and he’s leading county in RBIs.

n he was smashing furniture in his parents’ living room--accidently, of course--Kirk Pierce hoped it would be like this one day.

But years ago, it was difficult explaining why he was playing baseball in the house and how it eventually could lead to something big.

His mother didn’t want to hear about baseball. She just wanted to know why her new lamp had to be broken to further this crazy notion. Why couldn’t Kirk play outside like the rest of the boys his age?

As a youngster, Pierce, now a senior catcher at Westminster High School, had baseball in his blood.

Outdoors, indoors--it didn’t seem to matter--he played wherever and whenever he could.

So what if line drives wreaked havoc with the Pierces’ interior decor? Hey, they were line drives.

“Yeah, I broke a few things,” Pierce recalled, breaking into a sheepish grin.

And why not smile?

A scan of last week’s Orange County baseball statistics showed Pierce had the fourth-highest batting average (.513), and was the leader in runs batted in with 29. With 10 regular season games left, he is four short of Ryan Klesko’s school record.

Finally, Pierce is getting attention for playing baseball for all the right reasons.

Indeed, the group of scouts behind the backstop at recent Westminster games has swelled.

“Dave Snow (Cal State Long Beach coach) was here the other day,” Westminster Coach Chris Sorce said. “All of a sudden people want to know who this guy is.”

Again, it’s all part of a grand plan Pierce has devised.

See, he wants to play baseball in college, maybe even the major leagues if he’s lucky. But young players don’t attract much attention when they’re .250 hitters, which Pierce was as a junior. The solution was simple, Pierce figured. Raise the average, and people will take notice.

Certainly no one could have been prepared for what Pierce has delivered as a senior.

“I figured I’d hit .400 or the high .300s,” he said.

And no one could have foreseen the stunning, weeklong streak Pierce put together this season.

In four games, he had three home runs, 18 RBIs and eight runs scored. He was 11 for 15 and reached base 14 of the 18 times he came to the plate.

“Hey, that’s a career,” Sorce said. “I’ve never seen an individual have a week like that. Maybe in T-ball. Not varsity baseball.”

So Pierce tends to go a little overboard, so what?

His improvement is the payoff for endless work off a batting tee and the help of teammates who not only accompany him to Westminster any day or time he needs a practice partner, but also get on base so he can knock them in.

It hasn’t hurt that he has become a more patient hitter, waiting for a pitch that suits him. Most often, that’s a fastball.

But giving credit to others is Pierce’s style, Sorce said. This new attention could swell the egos of some, but not Pierce. He seems as startled as anyone by his hitting.

“I can’t wait to get up to bat,” he said. “I see everything so good. It’s kind of hard to explain. It’s a great feeling. Once I have the confidence going, it’s hard to break it down.”

It’s a drastic difference from last season, which he called a nightmare. He can pinpoint the exact moment his mental attitude changed this season.

Westminster was playing Buena Park. There was no score, runners on second and third. The pitcher threw a fastball and Pierce belted it into right-center field, bringing both runners home.

“Now I have confidence,” he said. “Last year, I was hoping . . . ‘please hit the ball.’ ”

And the change is noticeable.

“It’s more than I expected,” Sorce said. “It’s probably more than he expected.”