"What if?" sums up the 2002 season

The 2002 season may be remembered as the "What if?" season by Coach Warren Dickey and the Warrior squad. Westmont managed just a 7-34-1 mark overall and a 5-23 record in the Golden State Athletic Conference.

Those results might have been greatly altered if not for all the "What if's". What if a key member of the pitching staff had not missed the entire season with an injury? What if another starting pitcher had not missed half of the season with an injury? What if a starting outfielder had not been injured early in the season? There are probably a few more "What if's", but the bottom line is the Warriors were never at full strength.

Despite having a large group of seniors, only three had been regular starters in the field prior to the 2002 season. One of those, outfielder Kevin McFadden, suffered a season-ending broken wrist after playing only nine games. The pitching staff was not especially deep, but was experienced, before the loss of junior Atticus Lowe and senior Robby McConchie. McConchie did make it back to pitch in eight games. In addition, first baseman and designated hitter Danny Vogt, missed the first half of the season with an elbow injury.

Strong pitching and strong hitting performances rarely seemed to happen on the same day for the Warriors. For example, the offense produced 10 or more hits in 14 games, but Westmont only won three of those. On the other side, the pitching staff allowed 5 or less runs on 13 occasions, but the team managed just five wins in those games.

Five of Westmont's wins came in GSAC play, with those victories coming against five different opponents. Some highlights included a 9-3 win over Concordia when David O'Neil pitched a complete game 5-hitter, and a 10-9 victory against nationally-ranked Biola when Andrew Bouman knocked an eighth inning home run for the winning margin.

Four seniors were among the top five hitters for the Warriors, led by outfielder Kevin Boles with a team-best .318 batting average. David Morton started every game and hit over .300 for most of the year before ending at .295. Carlos Mata hit .291, including three home runs, and led the team with 11 stolen bases. Landon Jacobs hit .274 and had a fine .986 fielding percentage at first base.

The bright spot with having numerous injuries was the fact that several young players gained a lot of experience. Freshman Cody Gore played in all 42 games, mostly at second base, and ended with a .311 batting average. Another freshman, Grant Davis, was the regular starter in left field and hit .268 with a team-high 22 RBI. Two additional rookies, Jonathan Iams and Mitch Hawkins, also had solid seasons.

Seniors Brett Bollman (2-9, 6.49, 58 K's) and David O'Neil (3-8, 7.03, 49 K's) were the work horses of the pitching staff, combining to throw 167 innings, nearly half of Wesmtont's total.