'Not Swinging as Hard'
Baldridge Tops Batters
DENNIS BALDRIDGE
“He’s More Versatile . .
By LYNN MUCKEN
Sports Writer
On March 22 of this year. Ore
gon baseball coach Don Kirsch
began searching for a new out
fielder.
On that day the regular Duck
centerfielder. Denny Baldridge,
attempted a throw to the infield.
The ball didn't go anywhere.
Kirsch feared Baldridge might
be out for the season
Today Denny Baldridge is lead
ing the Oregon hitters with a 391
average, including four doubles,
three triples, and 14 ibis.
The supposedly-serious muscle
and ligament pull has. if anything,
improved Denny Baldridge as a
ballplayer.
“I’m not swinging as hard."
said Baldridge. "At first it was
because my arm hurt me. Now
its just a habit. But I actually
think it's helping me. Last year I
was swinging too hard."
Last year the husky Baldridge
swung too hard for a .333 aver
age, including .345 in Northern
Division play.
List of Honors
But the success of the last two
years hasn’t brought attention to
Denny for the first time. Bald
ridge strolled onto the Oregon
campus trailing a list of honors
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as long as some of his home runs.
A three-sport standout at Mc
Kenzie High. Denny compiled a
14-0 record and batted 405 while
leading his team to the A-2 title.
In the championship game he beat
Oregon teammate John Conrad,
then pitching for Bandon, 1-0.
Meanwhile, as a sideline, Bald
ridge led A-2 basketball scorers
for two seasons, and in his senior
year grabbed oil a second team
all-state quarterback berth in
football.
This year Denny is better than
ever according to Kirsch. "He's
more versatile this year. He's run
ning well and putting the pres
sure on the defense."
Has Weakness Though
If Baldridge has a weakness,
Kirsch continued, it’s' his ten
dency to swing on the first pitch.
“He needs to relax and wait for
a better pitch. If he learns to
wait, he'll be a better hitter."
Baldridge agrees. "The trouble
is that I figure I can hit any pitch
they throw up there. This isn't
too good an attitude."
But then underconfidence has
never been one of Denny's prob
lems. “I intend to play pro ball.”
he said. "I don't know when or
where, but I intend to play. In
my own mind. I know I can make
it. I've always wanted to play,
that's what my whole life has been
centered around.”
As of now, the professional
scouts agree with him. Baldridge
was drafted by the New YorK
Yankees last June and offered a
contract It was enough money,"
Denny said, "but not enough when
you consider how much school I
have left.”
Haldndge hasn’t closed the
door, however, on signing a pro
contract before his college eligi
bility is finished. "If I get a good
enough otter, I'll sign. It's just a
matter of money, that's all.”
Feels Ducks Strong
Meanwhile Denny seems to be
thinking only of the Northern
Division title race. "If we start
playing ball, we can beat Washing
ton State," he noted. "We coast a
lot. get far enough ahead to win
and then just play out the rest of
the game."
He feels the Ducks can go a long
way in the Conference race "but
we're going to have to start hit
ting the ball. We can't seem to
find ourselves. The team's hitting
in spurts. Two guys will hit one
game, a different two guys the
next. We can't seem to get to
gether."
In addition. Baldridge feels the
Webfoots are better than state
rival Oregon State, who beat the
Ducks two out of three over the
weekend. "We have a lot better
team than they do," Denny said,
-and we should beat them three
times the rest of the way—if we
hit. But anytime you get 11 hits
to the other team’s three, and
lose 4-3, you deserve to get beat.”
EMERALD SPORTS
Baseball Stats
9 17
4 5
Rich Armstrong, of 77 10 24 15
Ted Amato. 2b
Dick Ogan. 2b
Dale Ehler, c-of
Phil 01rich,3b
Bruce Robb, of
Wayne Smith, 3b
Bob Lindsay, c
Jim Moore, 2b
Scott Cress, lb
To’als
Opponents
33
31
63
30
14
52
19
16
4 9 3
8 8 7
9 16 16
4 7 4
2 3
6 11
4 4
4 3
49 11
0
4
3
3
0
3
0
4
2
2
0
1
1
0
0
HR SB
0 0
OREGON BASEBALL STATISTICS (21 Games)
Hitting
AB R H RBI 2B 3B
Dave Heuberger, if 1111
Dennis Baldridge, of 69 21 27 14
Ron Delplanche. ss 81 21 27 18
Steve. Bunker, of-lb 52
Don Pooley, of 16
RB SO
0 0
1
5
1
0
1
0
0
3
1
1
0
0
0
1
4
3
0
2
0
2
1
4
0
0
2
0
1
5
5
13
5
1
6
8
13
0
11 13
4 2
10
9
5
4
6 10
1 2
2 2
14 12
671 124 174 111 24 10
683 110 166 86 28 13
15 24
12 15
100 109
80 126
Pet.
1.000
.391
.333
.327
.313
.312
.273
.258
.254
.233
.214
.212
.211
.188
.143
.259
.243
IP
4
16
10-1
Jim Donnelly
Mike Nicksic
Larry Hills
Jerry Gjesvold 26
Joe Kniser 26-1
Ken Hadden
Randy Miller
Charles Hopkins 15
Mike Snow 13-1
Steve Bunker 13
John Conrad 10-2
Mike Powers 1-2
32-1
2
AB
13
63
40
108
97
118
8
64
50
58
51
9
Pitching
R H
ER SO
0
4
6
16
10
16
1
10
12
16
15
3
3
12
5
25
18
23
2
20
12
24
18
3
0
1
3
8
9
12
1
8
9
13
12
3
1
9
9
20
21
23
3
8
8
13
9
2
BB ERA W
2 0 00 0
0.54
2.70
2.79
3.15
3.42
4.50
4.77
6.21
9.00
981
13.50
3
8
7
9
11
1
12
13
5
5
2
2
1
1
2
2
0
0
1
0
1
0
L
0
0
0
2
1
2
0
2
0
1
2
0
OREGON baseball captain Ron Delplanche la forced out on an in
field play during a recent Oregon State Duck contest at < orvallis.
Delplanche, bitting .333 and accounting for 18 rbis. will be on
hand at his shortstop position Friday and Saturday when the Web
foots host Washington in a three game Northern Division series
at Howe Field. J"« Chaskln Photo
Duck Baseballers
Meet Lewis-Clark
Oregon's baseball squad, cur
rently standing in a third-place
tie in the Northern Division race
with a 1-2 won-lost mark, travels
to Portland Wednesday for a 3
p.m. game with Lewis and Clark
The Ducks own an overall II
10 record and have won nine of
J their last 11 games. Lewis and
| Clark is currently in second place
in the Northwest Conference,
J with a 5-3 league mark
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