Friday, May 30, 2003 | 11:15 a.m.
Tempe Regional -- at Diablo Stadium
All Times PDT
Double Elimination
Today
Game 2 -- New Mexico State (42-16) vs. UNLV (45-15), 1 p.m.
Game 1 -- Cent. Conn. State (31-15-2) at Arizona State (50-12), 7 p.m.
Saturday
Game 3 -- Game 1 loser vs. Game 2 loser, 10 a.m.
Game 4 -- Game 1 winner vs. Game 2 winner, 2 p.m.
Game 5 -- Game 3 winner vs. Game 4 loser, 7 p.m.
Sunday
Game 6 -- Game 4 winner vs. Game 5 winner, noon
Game 7 -- Game 4 winner vs. Game 5 winner, 5 p.m., if necessary
TEMPE, Ariz. -- By literal definition, he's one that got away. But when you think about it, there really wasn't a whole lot that could have kept Silverado High's Jeremy West from pursuing a greener college baseball pasture three years ago.
The UNLV program, which had fallen on hard times following longtime coach Fred Dallimore's retirement, didn't have much with which to entice West, who had his heart set on playing at Arizona State, anyway.
"I had a house visit from coach (Jim) Pace, when he was an assistant over there, but I really didn't take them seriously," said West, one of the offensive leaders for the fifth-ranked Sun Devils who will host the Rebels, New Mexico State and Central Connecticut State in an NCAA West regional that begins today at Diablo Stadium.
"I knew the coaches at Arizona State and it was just a matter of waiting for them to call."
West has been a star almost since setting foot on the ASU campus, making Collegiate Baseball magazine's Freshman All-American team before earning All-Pac-10 first team honors as a sophomore.
After a slow start this year, he began to pound the ball down the stretch and will take a .366 batting average and an 18-game hitting streak into the Sun Devils' first-round game against Central Connecticut today.
If ASU wins as expected and UNLV can knock off New Mexico State in its opener today, the Sun Devils and Rebels would meet Saturday at 2 p.m.
That's the game West is really looking forward to -- not so much because he wants to show the Rebels what they missed out on, but because a lot of his high school buddies will be sitting in the other dugout.
No fewer than five of West's former Silverado teammates -- infielder Ryan Ruiz, outfielders Joe Wickman and Eric Nielsen and pitchers James Wickman and Robbie Van -- are on the Rebels' roster.
It's conceivable that Van could be the UNLV starter Saturday should both teams win.
"I'm definitely looking forward to it and seeing all the Silverado guys I played ball with," West said, alluding to the state championship they won in 2000. "I've already talked to numerous of them and I'm definitely glad they are coming."
While many observers are making this half of the West bracket into a Yankees vs. Bad New Bears matchup, West said ASU also has something to prove.
This is Arizona State's 27th appearance in the NCAA tournament compared to eight for the Rebels, two for New Mexico State and two for Central Connecticut. The Sun Devils have been to the College World Series 18 times and won it all five times. But all that that tradition has gotten them recently is an early exit from the regional.
"We've been there the past two years but we haven't made it out of the regional," said West, the ASU clean-up hitter whose natural positions are first base and catcher but has been used mostly as a designated hitter this season. "Hopefully, things will change this year."
Things already have changed at UNLV, as the 15th-ranked Rebels are back in the national picture after several years of mediocrity. It remains to be seen if they've changed enough for the Rebels to beat a national power such as ASU twice in the same weekend, which is probably what they'll need to do to continue playing.
The Rebels have had some success against the Sun Devils over the years, but it has been only spotty. ASU holds a 53-13-1 edge in the all-time series but that hasn't dampened the Rebels' enthusiasm for playing one of college baseball's marquee teams."That's exciting," said UNLV outfielder Pat Dobson, the MVP of last week's Mountain West Conference tournament. "It might be a hostile environment, but nobody here wants to play in front of 100 people."
Of course, UNLV must first take care of New Mexico State, and Rebels coach Jim Schlossnagle is trying to keep his focus on the Aggies.
"It's a cliche, but we've got to stay locked in on New Mexico State and take it from there," he said.
But if his coach isn't willing to look beyond today, Dobson is. In fact, he's looking beyond the regional and next week's Super Regional to the College World Series, where the Rebels have never been.
"Some people say don't look past the regional, but I say look right to Omaha," Dobson said. "It's not looking past anyone. It's just a goal. You know, think big, or go home.
"And I ain't goin' home."
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