Gaucho Marks - May 6th edition

University of California Santa Barbara centre fielder Andrew Calica remains flawless in the field over 96 chances, tallying four assists to top it all off. It sure will be a treat to watch this lad patrolling the green grass of Sports Traders Diamond this summer. And while he is struggling a bit with the stick right now, he still contributes not only with his defense, but with his speed/stolen bases once he does get on base.

UCSB as a team has had a rough go lately, dropping four of their last six games while mixing in a tie (!) on a game called on account of darkness. Calica is still hitting a respectable .319 with a .418 on base percentage (second on the team for starters) so it's certainly not panic time. In the four games he has seen action in lately - has has sat three of the last seven - he has gone two for thirteen with four K's and 1 walk.

I'm thinking what he needs is some good old Victoria luck sent his way. We have seen what he is capable of earlier this year, so it may just be the wear and tear of the college year but I think I can fix that. I have several lucky charms right here near my desk including a cow's tooth and a chestnut shaped like a heart, that found when I was nine. I will now perform an Imperial Luck Dance (ILD) while focusing on thoughts of frozen ropes, bunt singles, gappers, Texas leaguers and even slicing Gus-like hits.

Spinnin' the tables for an ILD - go Calica!!

OK..finished. I think we're all set now. Look for the next update when Calica is back on a tear. Trust me. I'm a professional.

HarbourCatNip

• The Oregon State Beavers keep racking up the wins, taking all seven games since we last spoke. Our future 'Cat on that team - Gabe Clark - has been playing mostly first base lately (vs. Designated hitter) but has struggled a bit at the plate going two for twenty over that span with five K's and five free passes, hitting safely in only one of those games. While his average has dipped to .267, he's still seeing the field every day so he must be doing something right. Don't expect to see Gabe early in the WCL season as it looks like the Beavers may may a deep run in the College World Series this year.
• On to Utah, where pitcher Bret Helton has seen only limited actions and no starts recently. He is being used mostly in a relief role and has pitched two innings over the past five games and has given up three earned runs on four hits while striking out four and walking no one. As it stands now, he sports a 4.60 ERA with a WHIP of 1.49.
• Helton's teammate, Wyler Smith, has hit four for 21 over that same five game span and remains a stalwart in the Ute's outfield. Smith is currently hitting .244 and was one for six in a recent 21-17 slugfest loss to Pac 12 foe Washington.