[batted balls]

August 2, 2007

Los Angeles--As the All-American Baseball League season moves into the dog days of August, UCLA first baseman Bob Hamelin is doing his best to earn the Golden Spikes Award.

The award, which is given annually to the best payer in each division, is within the grasp of Hamelin. The All-Star slugger earned the July West Player of the Month award. That marks the second consecutive month Hamelin has won the honor.

"I'm hitting the ball as well as I ever have," said Hamelin. "The hits are definitely falling for me."

Hamelin, who also won the All-Star Game MVP, hit 13 home runs and drove home 23 in July. A .301 hitter, Hamelin is fifth in the West batting chase. His 41 homers lead the division and his 80 RBIs are second only to USC's Mark McGwire (87).

"Bob just keeps getting better," said UCLA manager Art Reichle. "No one really wants to pitch to him right now."

West Standings

Team W L PCT GB
Southern California 79 28 .738 --
Arizona State 71 36 .664 8.0
UCLA 62 45 .579 17.0
California 56 51 .523 23.0
Stanford 55 52 .514 24.0
Texas 51 56 .477 28.0
Arizona 48 59 .449 31.0
Cal State Fullerton 41 66 .383 38.0
San Diego State 40 67 .374 39.0
Oklahoma State 32 75 .299 47.0

Player of the Month: Bob Hamelin, UCLA

Pitcher of the Month: Mike Mussina, Stanford (shown below)

Stat of the Week: Reigning Golden Glove second baseman Pete Coscarart of San Diego State has committed 32 errors this season.

July Team-By-Team Reports

Southern California: The Trojans have won 21 of their last 26 games. The starting rotation is strong from top to bottom. Jim Barr (17-2, 1.91 ERA) is on his way to the Golden Arm Award. Mark Prior (13-4, 2.18, no-hitter), Barry Zito (12-5, 2.06), Randy Johnson (8-1, 2.22) and Bill Lee (6-1, 1.61) leave no easy days for opponents. Spot starter Tom Seaver (7-6, 2.81) has won four straight decisions. Closer Ray Lamb (29 saves, 1.62) shuts the door consistently. The offense is power-laden with Mark McGwire (26 home runs), Dave Kingman (24) and Fred Lynn (18).
Arizona State: The Sun Devils are hoping to make a run at USC. Arizona State's offense is first in average (.272) and runs (531). Golden Spikes candidate Bob Horner (.322-30-77) packs quite a wallop. Paul Moskau (16-4, 1.96 ERA) has won 13 straight decisions. Left-hander Floyd Bannister (12-4, 2.24) and right-hander Gary Gentry (9-1, 1.74) keep hitters off balance.
UCLA: Conversations about the Bruins always seem to start with first baseman Bob Hamelin. The All-Star leads the West in OPS (1.156) and runs scored (85). UCLA has slugged a league-leading 115 home runs and also drawn an AABL-high 514 walks. Troy Glaus (.229-19-72), Todd Zeile (.254-12-58) and Jackie Robinson (.262-10-50) are dangerous. Starter Dave Schmidt (11-4) has the West's second-best ERA at 1.89.
Cal: Bill "Bugs" Werle (13-7, 2.09 ERA) has been the most reliable starter. Andy Messersmith (9-5, 2.09) has been strong as well. Former 20-game winner Oval Overall (10-11, 3.12) has been up-and-down. Sam Chapman (.281-23-59) and Jeff Kent (.263-15-58) are the offense's best.
Stanford: The Cardinal have slipped, dropping seven of the last 10 games. Pitcher of the Month Mike Mussina (11-11, 3.58 ERA) has won five consecutive decisions. Jim Lonborg (12-8, 2.86) leads the staff. Ed Sprague (.273-15-46), Steve Buechele (.244-12-44) and Steve Hovley (.271-7-39) are the main extra-base threats. Jeffrey Hammonds (.287-7-44-22 steals) is closing in on the single-season stolen base record.
Texas: The disabled list has claimed promising starter Rich "Tex" Wortham (6-3, 2.56 ERA). A look at the records of Bruce Ruffin (10-10), Roger Clemens (9-9) and Greg Swindell (9-9) tells the story of the Longhorns. Grady Hatton (.296-11-46) leads a struggling offense.
Arizona: The Wildcats have become the Mildcats, losing seven of their last 10. Don Lee (8-10, 4.73 ERA) is the top starter. Trevor Hoffman (26 saves, 3.23) is second only to Ray Lamb of USC in saves. Jason Bates (.293-9-46), Kenny Lofton (.305-4-44-6 steals) and Dan Meyer (.290-7-31-14 steals) spearhead the offense.
Cal State Fullerton: The offense is beginning to look like one of CSF alum Kevin Costner's bad movies (think "For the Love of the Game"). The Titans are the worst in the AABL in average (.211), runs scored (285) and walks (265). Mike Lamb (.273-7-38) is the best of a sorry bunch. Aaron Rowand (.222-2-26) has struck out 104 times. Greg Mathews (6-12, 2.85 ERA) and Kirk Sarloos (6-11, 3.33) are the best the pitching staff has to offer.
San Diego State: First-year manager Charlie Smith has tried virtually everthing to ignite his team. His latest strategy involves replacing Dan Murray (1-11, 4.57 ERA) in the starting rotation with Mike Couchee (9-6, 2.69, 2 saves). Aaron Harang (6-8, 2.82) continues to be solid but is bothered by a bad back. After triumphing in his first start, Bud Black (1-3, 6.10) is winless. Mark Grace (.271-3-26), Travis Lee (.217-15-58) and Tony Gwynn (.276-7-43) remain the offensive threats.
Oklahoma State: The Cowboys are just plain bad. Oklahoma State has lost 12 of its last 14 games. Pitcher Joe Price (1-1, 6.61 ERA) and third baseman Robin Ventura (.263-3-34) were both lost to injuries in the same game. An All-Star a year ago, right-hander Tim Pugh is 5-13 with a 4.56 ERA this season. Five players in the starting lineup are batting below .215. Former All-Star Pete Incaviglia (.239-17-38) has struck out 94 times in 381 at-bats. Infielder Danny Thompson (.279-7-41) seems to be the only player meeting with success.