Playing for Two

Before this season began, Cal State Fullerton’s Ryan Owens asked Coach George Horton if he could change his uniform number from 10 to 4.

Just another player looking for better baseball karma?

Not Owens.

“I did it for my grandfather because, really, I’m living his dream,” Owens said.

Owens’ grandfather, Elmer Owens, had played baseball at Compton High but was taken away from the game by more than three years in the Navy during World War II and then the need to support a young family.

“I had hoped to get a shot, but it didn’t work out,” said Elmer Owens, 74.

Owens’ grandfather never wore No. 4, but one of his teammates at Compton High and a longtime close friend did: Hall of Fame outfielder Duke Snider with the Dodgers.

“My grandfather asked me if I’d wear No. 4 because it was Duke Snider’s number,” Ryan said. “I wanted to do it because my grandfather has really supported me. A lot of people have told me that he probably could have played pro baseball if he hadn’t gone to the war. I told him I hoped I wouldn’t embarrass that number.”

Instead, Owens is having his best season in his three years at Fullerton, leading the Titans in home runs with 18. He is batting .363, which is fifth best on the team, and is third in runs batted in with 67 as Fullerton heads into the NCAA regional tournament Friday at Notre Dame.

Owens has become the type of college player this year he was expected to be when he came out of Sonora High, and recently was named to the All-Big West Conference first team at third base.

“I think we’re seeing the maturity of Ryan as a baseball player this season,” Horton said. “His true ability is coming out. Before this season, I think he was always trying to live up to the expectations everyone else had for him. Now, he’s playing for himself and having fun.”

Owens had shown flashes of strong hitting the last two seasons but was dogged by inconsistency. He batted .291 as a freshman two years ago. After getting off to a bad start, however, he hit .380 after April 18. Last season, Owens hit .288, but had an 11-game stretch during which he batted .422 with nine doubles, a triple and two homers.

“I was really disappointed in my season last year,” Owens said. “I think I was trying to do too much. I was trying to get the big hit all the time. I’d get upset because I wasn’t playing better, and let it bother me. I know now that if I had just relaxed more, I would have done better. “

Owens was equally inconsistent on defense in his first two seasons, shifting between second base and shortstop and occasionally filling in at third. He made a team-high 27 errors last season.

Owens started this season at short, but Horton moved him to third when 1998 regular Ryan Moore went into a slump, then was lost for the season when he broke his arm.

Owens has played 45 of the Titans’ 52 games at third base--the position his grandfather played in high school--and his fielding has improved significantly. He has made some sparkling plays on balls ripped down the line, and his errors have dropped to 15.

“It can be scary sometimes at third, the way the balls come off the aluminum bats, but they haven’t gotten many balls by me this season,” Owens said. “I still think my future might be as a shortstop, but I don’t mind where I play on the infield. My love is to hit.”

Owens’ power numbers also have improved. His slugging percentage is up from .520 a year ago to .711 this season.

“I never thought I’d hit this many home runs this season,” Owens said. “But I think I’ve gotten stronger because of working on the weights. I’ve from 180 pounds to 200 without losing any speed.”

Horton said Owens has been more aggressive at the plate this season. “One of the things that has frustrated us about Ryan is that at times in the past he didn’t get a swing until he had two strikes,” Horton said. “That’s changed this season. He’s getting more good swings early in the count.”

The breakthrough for Owens came last summer when he played for Team USA. He hit .600 in the first nine games and finished at .356. He drove in 27 runs, third best on the team, in only 33 games.

“It really helped my confidence to do well on a team with all that talent,” Owens said. “It made me remember what success felt like, and how I could play.”

Major league scouts have liked Owens’ potential since his days at Sonora, and Baseball America ranks him as the 41st best college prospect in this year’s draft class, higher than any other Titan player. He was drafted in the 13th round by the Florida Marlins three years ago but decided to play for Fullerton.

“Ryan has gotten bigger and stronger every year and he’ll continue to get better in professional baseball,” Horton said.

And Owens’ grandfather will continue to keep close watch on that career.

“I’m putting together a scrapbook for Ryan,” Elmer Owens said. “What Ryan does keeps me feeling young.”

Notes

Matt Sorensen (11-0) is scheduled to be Cal State Fullerton’s starting pitcher when the top-seeded Titans begin play Friday in the NCAA regional tournament at Notre Dame against fourth-seeded Michigan.

Sorensen, a sophomore right-hander, had the best won-lost record in the Big West Conference during the regular season. He has a 4.11 earned-run average.

Sophomore Adam Johnson (9-3, 3.24 ERA) is scheduled to start Fullerton’s second game on Saturday.