COLLEGE BASEBALL NOTEBOOK: STOTTS BAFFLED BY RECENT LOSSES.

Byline: Chris Cocoles Staff Writer

He added power to his batting stroke without sacrificing a healthy average. His speed on the basepaths remains constant. More important, he made an impression to major-league scouts with the draft looming.

That's fine with J.T. Stotts. But the Cal State Northridge junior shortstop and Hart High product can't stomach a recent string of unexplainable losses.

Three defeats to last-place Pacific of the Big West Conference and 18-37 Loyola Marmyount likely ended 28-22 Northridge's NCAA Regional at-large hopes.

``It makes it frustrating,'' Stotts said of last weekend's shakeup in the Big West. Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and Long Beach State lost their series, creating an opportunity for Northridge to solidify its postseason case. Instead, UOP (3-12 in the Big West) enjoyed 12-4 and 9-4 romps before the Matadors rallied on Sunday for a 5-4 win. An uninspiring 12-7 loss to LMU on Tuesday stripped away any momentum from the Pacific victory.

``Coming into Pacific, we had a real good chance of taking two out of three or all three to get to a regional, because the other (Big West teams) are losing,'' Stotts said.

``We're not taking advantage of it. We're letting the season slip away. And unless we turn something around pretty quick and make a run, we can pretty much say it's over.''

Many of CSUN's Antelope Valley and Santa Clarita products did their part in turning around losing records the past two years:

--Junior catcher Jason Allec (Highland) entered Friday's series opener at Sacramento State hitting .333 (34 for 102) with six homers and 22 RBI starting 31 of the first 51 games.

--Junior second baseman Jason Gorman (Palmdale) never broke out with the bat (.249, five homers and 20 RBI) but played solid defense.

--Junior pitcher Andy Davidson (Hart) is the Matadors' most consistent starter. Entering Friday's outing at Sac State, the left-hander was 6-4 with a 3.72 earned run average in 16 appearances (14 starts).

As for Stotts, an intense offseason weight-training program should lead to draft selection in at least the first 10 rounds of next month's draft.

Stotts headed north with a team-high .396 average. Primarily a singles and doubles hitter his first two years as a collegian, the listed 5-foot-11, 185-pounder has 11 homers and 35 RBI.

He's stolen 15 bases and shown some range at shortstop, though his pro future could be at second base.

``I'm pretty pleased the way I've swung the bat this year and the way I've played. Trying to go out and play hard,'' Stotts said. ``That's all I can ask of myself.

``As far as the scouts coming out all the time, that's fun for me. It lets me showcase myself. It gives me a chance to get in a position to be drafted pretty high. That's exciting for me.''

But what about the recent events that sapped much of a promising Matadors season?

``From a team standpoint, it's never any fun losing,'' Stotts said.

--Above average: UCLA senior DH Brian Baron (Hart) led the nation in hitting throughout the season. At .459 entering the Bruins' Pacific-10 Conference series with Oregon State, Baron is chasing the conference record for batting average in a season.

Don Lovell of former Pac-10 member Portland State hit .464 in 1985 (percentage points ahead of ex-Washington State standout John Olerud).

For Baron to add five points to his average, he'll have to heat up against quality opponents Oregon State, UC Santa Barbara and Arizona State.

--Brady's RBI in bunches: Imagine if Brady Burrill played every game. The Michigan State sophomore takes advantage of his playing time.

Burrill (Valencia/CSUN) leads the 29-23 Spartans with 41 RBI. The catcher has appeared in 41 of MSU's 52 games, 37 of them starts.

Entering a weekend series at Penn State, Burrill was batting .323 with two homers and 10 doubles.

--Odds and ends: Don't blame Lancaster High product Frankie Rosado for Antelope Valley College's 9-31 final record. Rosado, a freshman outfielder, hit .401 with 14 homers, 51 RBI and an .810 slugging percentage. ...

Harvard freshman pitcher Jason Brown (Paraclete) appeared in four games, tossing 6 2/3 innings with a 5.40 ERA. ...

Joshua Seamount (Desert High/AVC) was on the roster for Auburn of the Southeastern Conference but didn't see any action for the Tigers. ...

Long Beach State needs outfielder Chris Wright to come up big in the 49ers' quest to reach the NCAA Regionals. Wright (Hart) was hitting .316 with 33 RBI.

CAPTION(S):

2 photos

Photo:

(1) CSUN catcher Jason Allec, left, was one of several area products who did their part turning the Matadors program around.

John Lazar/Staff Photographer

(2 -- ran in SAC edition only) Jason Allec, a junior and Highland product, was hitting .333 with six homers and 22 RBI entering CSUN's series opener at Sacramento State on Friday.

Gene Blevins/Special to the Daily News