CURTIS BACK IN SWING OF THINGS AFTER BAD BREAK LAST SEASON.

Byline: HEATHER GRIPP College Baseball 

At some point during all those extra hours in the batting cage, Randy Curtis discovered more than his ideal swing. With the swing came the confidence that waned during an uncharacteristic slump and has Curtis back to the form that made him Calabasas High's career hits leader.

Curtis is one of the hottest hitters for the University of San Diego baseball team, which is also on a similar rebound. Curtis went 12 for 24 with 10 RBI as the Toreros won five of six games. San Diego opened West Coast Conference play by being swept in a three-game series by Loyola Marymount, at which point Curtis was batting just .190.

Curtis, a junior first baseman, is batting .284 after going 2 for 4, including his sixth double in seven games, on Sunday in a rematch with LMU.

``I'm having a lot more fun now,'' said Curtis, whose four walks in last weekend's three-game series were another sign of his turnaround. ``I started off slow. Some balls weren't dropping in and after a while it was getting kind of rough.

``It's a lot more of a confidence thing now. I know I'm going to go up there and take a good swing and swing at strikes. Before, I wasn't swinging at the right pitches. I was overanxious.''

A disappointing start was the last thing Curtis wanted after last year, enduring what he described as his most frustrating season in baseball. Five games into his first season with the Toreros after transferring from Pierce College, Curtis suffered a broken foot and ended up redshirting while San Diego went on to claim its second consecutive WCC title.

Curtis' job in the starting lineup was not assured upon his return, but a work ethic that prompted several hours in the batting cages before and after practice made it difficult for the Toreros not to give him a chance.

``He stayed mentally strong,'' San Diego coach Rich Hill said. ``He kept working in the cage and grinding things out. Now good things are happening for him.''

--No sophomore slump: After batting .299 as a freshman starter at Nevada, Cleveland of Reseda graduate Robert Marcial is having another solid season. The shortstop entered the week ranked in the top 10 in the Western Athletic Conference in 12 offensive categories and is the leader in hits per game. He was batting .344 with two home runs and 16 RBI.

--Lights out: Stephen Kahn strikeouts and having games called off because of darkness were a common theme for LMU's series against New Mexico State.

The teams, which began their three-game series last month, met again Monday at Page Stadium to complete the nonconference series. After playing the last two innings of a Lions victory in a game that began Feb. 21, the final game - which had originally been rained out - ended in an 8-8 tie in the top of the ninth inning because of darkness.

Kahn wasn't any more favorable to New Mexico State (19-6-1) than the daylight. The LMU sophomore left-hander finished with 20 strikeouts in the series, having struck out 10 as he won the opener a month ago.

He retired six of the seven batters he faced in Monday's first game to earn his first save of the season. Minutes later he was back on the mound to start the next game and had five strikeouts in 1 2/3 innings before leaving with an early lead.

The day made LMU undefeated in four consecutive games, quickly reversing a slide that reached five consecutive losses Friday at San Diego. The Lions, who entered Tuesday's game against USC with a 14-9-1 record, took the final two games of the series against San Diego to improve to 5-1 in conference.

--Short hops: Pepperdine pitcher Jacob Barrack earned WCC co-Pitcher of the Week honors for the second week in a row. He had a career-high 13 strikeouts in eight shutout innings during the Waves' 7-0 victory over Santa Clara on Saturday. ...

Pepperdine freshman Luke Salas, a Westlake High graduate, has an 11-game hitting streak which helped him take over the WCC lead with a .421 average. ...

USC tied the school record for doubles in a game when the Trojans had nine in Saturday's 12-7 victory over South Alabama. Baron Frost, Daniel Perales and Billy Hart each contributed two doubles. ...

Cal State Northridge batters have been hit by pitches 48 times in 28 games, including five times Sunday against New Mexico State. ...

UCLA and USC will play a nonconference series this weekend at Dedeaux Field in the final weekend before Pac-10 play begins. The Bruins are coming off a 10-day break for final exams.