`NO ROOM FOR QUITTERS' JETHAWKS COMMITTED TO IMPROVEMENT DESPITE ROUGH START.

Byline: Gideon Rubin Staff Writer

LANCASTER - Although the JetHawks' awful start has taken a toll on the team's coaching staff, nobody's jumping ship.

JetHawks manager Steve Scarsone said he and his coaching staff - which includes pitching coach Royal Clayton and hitting coach Willie Wilson - remains committed to developing players in Lancaster this summer, regardless of how much better or worse the team gets.

``We're not going anywhere,'' Scarsone said. ``We can't quit. We can't say: 'Oh it's a lost cause.' There are times when it's very frustrating, and as part of the team, it's very difficult for all of us to swallow, but there's no room for quitters in baseball. We just have to grind it out.''

If their recent play is any indication, the JetHawks have a lot of grinding ahead of them.

Entering Tuesday night's game against the San Jose Giants, Lancaster (11-27) had lost four consecutive games, five of its last six, and 13 of 14 at home. In their last four games, the JetHawks have been outscored 27-4.

Scarsone acknowledged that inexperience has been a key factor in the JetHawks struggles and that many players on the team might be in a bit over their heads playing at the advanced Class-A level because the parent Arizona Diamondbacks' minor-league system lacks depth. The Diamondbacks system has been depleted in recent years by trades and high-priced free-agent signings.

Lancaster returned just one position player (third baseman Corey Myers) with significant experience at the advanced Class-A level.

First baseman Jesus Cota, second baseman Dan Uggla and outfielder Dwight Edge are all in their first full year of pro ball. Outfielder Josh Kroeger is only 19 and shortstop Joandry Berroa is 17.

``This team is not stacked to win in this league,'' Scarsone said, ``We have a young club and if we really broke it down, some of these guys that are here might have been better off starting the season at lower levels so they can have some success, but we just don't have the personnel to do that. There's not a lot of depth in our organization, especially at the lower levels.''

Scarsone said that although they might have been destined to struggle early, the opportunity to compete at a higher level could help make the JetHawks more competitive as the season progresses.

``With the better competition, it could help them improve quicker,'' he said.

The key to a better showing will be how well the JetHawks can put the past behind them and the team is committed to that, Myers said.

``I think we have to sit down and say hey, nobody expects us to win, we're the last-place team in the league and we have the worst record, so from this point on, we're just going to have to start all over. Let's start all over with the coaching staff, let's just start off over with each other and let's just have it in our minds that everybody's got a zero ERA and everybody's got a zero batting average. Let's just start this whole thing over because if we continue on this point, we're either going to kill each other or start going different directions.''

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2 photos

Photo:

(1) SCARSONE

(2) COTA