USF's Lipkin looks to build off international summer

Catching on: Junior catcher Ryan Lipkin is banking on a summer of playing against international competition to help him lead USF to the WCC playoffs. (Special to The Examiner)

SAN FRANCISCO — With five players selected in the 2008 Major League Baseball draft, USF baseball coach Nino Giarratano will be relying heavily on the leadership and bat of returning catcher Ryan Lipkin this season.

The coach and catcher are fresh off earning gold medals as part of the undefeated USA collegiate national team this past summer and are poised to carry that experience into the Dons’ season.

The U.S. team that Lipkin and Giarratano were a part of was comprised of the nation’s top sophomore and freshman players. The club finished its perfect 24-0 summer with a 5-2 victory over Cuba to win the International Championship.

“Cuba had the exact same team that won the silver at the Olympics,” Giarratano said.

After what Giarratano described as a breakout season during West Coast Conference play last year, Lipkin, who led the Dons with a .384 batting average, was selected to the collegiate national team as one of the team’s two catchers.

Only the second Dons player ever to be named to the U.S. national team, the Vacaville native and Solano Community College transfer made an immediate impact. Lipkin homered in his first international at-bat against Chinese Taipei in a friendly series played at Durham Bull Stadium in North Carolina.

Despite the language barrier, Lipkin noted that the U.S. and Taipei teams enjoyed a special camaraderie which set the tone for an “awesome summer.”

The winning ways for the U.S. continued as play shifted to the Netherlands, Germany and the Czech Republic, leading up to the victorious championship game against Cuba.

Using wooden bats in international play was an adjustment from the aluminum used in college, but the experience will likely prove invaluable as Lipkin moves on to the professional ranks.

In 15 games (11 starts) for Team USA, Lipkin batted just .256 with two home runs and 11 RBIs.

With his gap-to-gap hitting skills and powerful arm behind the plate, Giarratano is confident that Lipkin will be a “solid draft pick.”

Lipkin acknowledges that playing at the next level is his goal, but that’s on hold for now. The Dons’ field leader is focused on the team and the outlook for the upcoming season, which began this weekend with a series at Texas-San Antonio.

“My goal is to go out and win the first game,” said Lipkin, a psychology major. “We’re not going to settle for fourth [place]. We want to make the playoffs."

USF baseball devotee Larry Strong, the Dons’ “No. 1 Fan,” didn’t miss a home game last year and loves the entire team, but concedes that “Lip” is his favorite player.

“He is phenomenal, a real go-getter,” Strong said. “He sets the field on fire. All the clichés apply to him: charismatic and disciplined. It’s a privilege watching him with younger players. There’s no prima donna about him.”

Troy Nakamura, in his 11th season as a Dons assistant coach, feels confident about the young team’s prospects.

“We’re a really balanced team — offensively, defensively, pitching, speed — probably one of the most athletic teams that we’ve had,” Nakamura said.
 

USF baseball

Last season: 31-25 overall, 12-9 West Coast Conference (fourth place)
Last season’s highlight: Beat Fresno State, the eventual College World Series champion, two out of three times
2009 key to success: According to coach Nino Giarratano, the young pitching staff; Matt Lujan replaces Evan Fredrickson, the 2008 first-round draft choice of the Milwaukee Brewers, as the top starter (usually pitching Fridays)
2009 conference outlook: Two conference teams rank in the preseason Top 25, San Diego and Pepperdine
USF key players: C Ryan Lipkin, 2008 was fifth in batting in WCC; LHP Matt Lujan, 2008 All-WCC and All-Freshman; OF Connor Bernatz, 2008 All-Freshman; 3B Dane Braunecker, senior returning from season-ending injury in 2008
First WCC game: March 27, vs. Gonzaga at Benedetti Diamond