COLLEGE BASEBALL: LMU NOT SHORT CHANGED THOUGH PUNY, LOCKIN GIVES LIONS BIG NUMBERS ON FIELD.

Byline: Heather Gripp Staff Writer

Midget, runt, batboy. Those are just a few of the names Billy Lockin is called. And that's by his own teammates.

The Loyola Marymount sophomore is listed as 5-foot-9 but admits he's shorter. The oversized uniform draped on his slender frame accentuates his diminutive stature.

Lockin's small frame grabs your attention initially but the big numbers he puts up on the field make him truly stand out. Lockin proved himself at Thousand Oaks High, where he earned All-Southern Section honors. And he's doing it again at LMU, where this season he took over as the Lions' starting shortstop - a position he was told he was too small to play - and is one of the team's top hitters.

``My size will always be a factor,'' Lockin said. ``But you can't let it interfere with how you play.

``I don't go up there thinking I'm going to hit a home run - that's not going to happen. I just try to get on base and find other ways to help the team.''

The leadoff hitter entered this weekend's home series against San Francisco batting .330 with 20 RBI, both second best on the team. Lockin's eight stolen bases (in nine attempts) were twice as many as any teammate had. He batted .312 in 51 games as a freshman.

``When I saw him as a freshman, I was like, `That's probably one of the smallest players I've ever seen on a baseball field,' '' LMU senior Kris Zacuto said. ``But he impressed the hell out of me. I mean he can hit, he can throw, he can run, he's got a head for the game.

``He's just a ballplayer, he's flat out a ballplayer. He never mentions anything about his size. When he gets ragged on - and it happens a lot, especially when we went to Texas, Mississippi State, Arizona State, they ragged on him a lot and you can hear it - it just drives him. It makes him want to say, `All right, well watch this.'

``Usually what ends up happening is they get on him and then he impresses them, too, getting three, four base hits a game and making diving plays, and he ends up their favorite.''

The Lions were attracted to Lockin because of his speed, hand-eye coordination and an arm coach Frank Cruz describes as ``strong for a guy 6-foot tall.'' But Lockin's attitude impressed them most. They can't remember him ever being intimidated by anyone, or getting discouraged by the teasing.

In fact, the bigger the challenge, the better he often does. He finished last season with 12 hits in the final 14 games, including a combined 8-for-15 showing against Gonzaga, a series in which the taunting was among the worst Lockin ever has faced.

This year, he's had multiple hits in games against nationally ranked teams such as Cal State Fullerton, Texas and Oklahoma State. He opened the season with five hits in his first 10 at-bats.

``I think any time you see someone that size, it's going to take some doing to get the respect,'' Cruz said. ``Last year we were at Gonzaga and they were killing him with verbal abuse. ... In the end, they stopped ragging him and were like his biggest fans. They were calling him everything. Midget, dwarf, everything. It started getting a little nasty some of the things they were saying. Then, in the end, they were like, `Yeah, you earned our respect,' and they were cheering him on.

``When people start egging him on - like we were at Arizona State and they were like, `They brought their batboy with them' - he'll just go right up next to them and start egging them on some more. He's just so competitive. I try like heck to tone him down, but I know I should know better that it's a waste of time.''

Like his size, Lockin's energy matches that of a child. His nonstop motion makes for an unorthodox swing that the Lions understand never will change. He jokingly shoves teammates and throws rocks in practice. He loves to dive for balls and roll in the dirt, exaggerating the closeness of plays as a baserunner.

Lockin said the enthusiasm is part of playing for the pure enjoyment of the game and no longer worrying about whether he will get a chance to play at the next level, something his coaches agree he has the skills to do.

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Loyola Marymount shortstop Billy Lockin, who admits he's shorter than his listed 5-foot-9, is known as an impressive fielder and hitter.

Gene Blevins/Special to the Daily News