Still in the Swing : Kotsay’s Numbers Amazing, Considering Titans’ Free Fall

Mark Kotsay finds it difficult to even consider his college baseball career might end somewhere other than the College World Series.

That’s the way he is.

But it could happen this week in Wichita, a step removed from the national spotlight where Kotsay has thrived the last two years.

“That would be very disappointing, but not just for me,” he said. “It would be disappointing for everyone on the team, but especially the guys back from last year.”

Cal State Fullerton (43-14) and Kotsay, the Titans’ junior center fielder, begin play Thursday in the NCAA Midwest Regional tournament hosted by Wichita State, hoping for a third consecutive trip to the College World Series.

Kotsay’s remarkable performance in Omaha last season helped him become player of the year. In four games, Kotsay hit .563 with three home runs and 10 runs batted in. His two homers and five RBIs carried Fullerton to an 11-5 victory over USC in the title game. He also made a diving catch in center field and pitched the final 1 2/3 innings, holding the Trojans scoreless.

Kotsay also set World Series records for batting average (.517) and slugging percentage (1.103) in his two tournaments. His two grand slams also are a record, and he tied another with seven RBIs against Florida State as a freshman.

“I’ve seen him put on that Superman cape and do some amazing things,” said his father, Steve, a retired LAPD motorcycle officer who coached his son growing up in Santa Fe Springs. “And you always think he can do it one more time.”

But this time the challenge is probably the most daunting.

Fullerton has gone from a team brimming with confidence in the first two-thirds of the season to one that suddenly plunged into a classic baseball slump. The Titans won 31 of their first 33 games. Then they lost twice at New Mexico State, but still came back to win seven in a row and were 38-4.

But after defeating USC, 5-4, for the second time this season, Fullerton went into a free fall. The Titans won only four of their next 13 games, finished fourth in the Big West in the regular season, and failed to reach the finals of the conference’s postseason tournament.

Kotsay faces that harsh reality uneasily. He knows the difficulty of winning a regional title on the road, even when everything is perfectly in sync.

“It’s always tougher on the road,” Kotsay said. “We were fortunate last year, getting through that tournament the way we did.”

The Titans swept through the NCAA South Regional at Louisiana State--without having to play second-seeded LSU--on their way to a season-ending 18-game winning streak and a 57-9 record.

But Kotsay recalls how much more difficult it was the year before at Oklahoma State. Fullerton won its first two games there, but lost to the host team, 13-11. The Titans then had to beat Memphis the next afternoon for another shot at the Cowboys that night. Fullerton won that game, 6-5, in the ninth inning.

“When you look at the whole year, it’s been a good one,” Kotsay said. “We got off to a great start, and we really enjoyed it when we were on top of our game. But it’s never as much fun when you’re not winning.”

Kotsay wasn’t immune from the problems. He had two hits in 10 at-bats in Fullerton’s three games in the Big West tournament, although he was walked five times.

In Fullerton’s first 40 games, Kotsay hit .410 with 61 RBIs. In the next 14, he batted .321, but still drove in an average of a run a game.

Going into regional play, his statistics are still impressive. He’s hitting .391 with 17 homers and 77 RBIs, and he was six for 13 in the three-game series at Miami that ended the regular season.

“At the beginning of the year, I think the pitchers wanted to see if I was for real and they were challenging me, coming right at me,” Kotsay said.

In February’s Anaheim Hilton & Towers Classic at Fullerton, where the Titans were matched against three other teams from the 1995 World Series--USC, Oklahoma and Florida State--Kotsay batted .538, with two homers, three doubles and four RBIs.

“In the last half of the year, it’s been more difficult to be patient,” Kotsay said. “I’ve been forcing myself to hit some pitches outside the strike zone.”

That has been frustrating to Kotsay. “I got a lot of mistake pitches last season, and that was reflected in the kind of year I had. Now the pitchers are really determined they’re not going to give in to me. Even if it’s 3-0, they’re not giving me a good pitch. It bothers me when I feel I’m not able to contribute to the team. And I have to keep reminding myself that a walk is a contribution too.”

Kotsay says Big West Conference play has been more difficult throughout his career.

“I don’t think I’ve ever hit for as high an average in the league as I have away from it,” he said. “The coaches in this league are good, and I’m sure they have a real good scouting report on me. They’ve watched me for three years, and they know some of the little holes in my swing.”

UC Santa Barbara Coach Bob Brontsema says he thinks so highly of Kotsay, he went into games against Fullerton this season with one main goal.

“I think the battle cry is the same for everyone in our league: Don’t let Kotsay beat you,” Brontsema said. “We all know how he can. But he still puts up great numbers, and that’s really the testament to his ability. He’s a gamer, and when things are on the line, you can see him step it up.”

Long Beach State Coach Dave Snow agrees. “He’s so identifiable now that the pitchers treat his every at-bat like it’s the bottom of the ninth in the World Series,” Snow said. “That’s made it more difficult for him this year, but he’s still done a fantastic job.”

Those circumstances might make comparisons with last season, when Kotsay batted .422, at least a little unfair.

“It’s been much more difficult to do what he’s done this year, than it was for him last year, because of all the high expectations,” Fullerton Coach Augie Garrido said.

“He’s done more for us and college baseball than any player who has ever played here.”

In 1995, Kotsay hit 21 home runs and had 90 RBIs, and he still could approach those numbers if Fullerton advances to Omaha. He already has passed Tim Wallach and Phil Nevin, the school’s other two winners of the Golden Spikes Award as the nation’s top amateur player, in career home runs and RBIs.

Kotsay hasn’t pitched as much as last year. In 1995, he pitched 29 innings in 21 games as a reliever. This season, he has made 11 appearances, pitched 11 innings and has an 0-1 record and a 7.36 earned-run average. The Titans have gone to him almost solely in situations where they badly needed a strong closing effort.

Kotsay is expected to receive strong consideration as a possible repeat winner of the Smith Award that goes to the top college player in June. How Kotsay and the team finish the season likely will have a major impact.

Kotsay, 6 feet and 180 pounds, is expected to be taken early in the first round of the June amateur draft. He was rated as the seventh-best pro prospect by Baseball America starting the season.

“Everything we’ve been hearing is that Mark helped himself this year,” Steve Kotsay said.

That reading is confirmed by major league baseball scouting sources.

“He has had a heck of a year,” said one National League scouting director. “He’ll definitely be in the top 15, and he’ll make the team that gets him very happy. He’s going to be a fine pro player.”

Kotsay says he expects to be in the first 15, and if that happens, it could mean a signing bonus of more than $700,000 if last year’s figures hold up this year.

“But even if I go lower than that, it’s not going to affect me,” Kotsay said. “Just being able to get paid to play baseball at the next level is a great thing. I don’t know whether some people overlook that or what, but I just love baseball, and that’s why I play it with a passion.”