HIS DECISION IS ROCK-STEADY.

Byline: CHRIS COCOLES College Baseball

It took Rock Mills five minutes to figure out that Pepperdine was his school of choice. And all summer to decide to stay.

The easy way out for Mills would have been to join the Waves' talented junior class in pro baseball. Teammates Noah Lowry (first round), Dan Haren (second), Danny Garcia (fifth), Woody Cliffords (10th) and Tony Garcia (13th) moved on rather than return to Malibu for their senior seasons.

Mills was a 16th-round pick of the Toronto Blue Jays, and although he would not have commanded the money Lowry got (a $1.1 million signing bonus), it isn't a bad spot in the draft to bolt school. An expected rebuilding season for the Waves might have swayed many in his position to sign.

``It took a long time to think about it,'' said Mills, a catcher who transferred from Alabama last season and hit .307 with nine homers and 39 RBI in his first year at Pepperdine. ``I don't think I made the wrong decision. I love it here. I wouldn't go back and change it all.''

Neither would Mills turn back the clock to four years ago, when the prep standout from the Cleveland suburb of Westlake, Ohio, committed to Alabama. He spent two seasons with the Crimson Tide, achieving some success but never as an everyday player.

With Pepperdine's corps of juniors gone, Mills is the leader of a team that has struggled at times but leads the West Coast Conference's Coast Division. His offensive numbers (.268, four homers, 27 RBI) remain solid, and another year of catching should prepare him for a pro career.

Whether or not he's selected lower in the June draft is immaterial.

``It's probably the greatest time in my life being here,'' said Mills, who cherishes his role in the spotlight after being eclipsed playing alongside the Lowrys, Harens and Garcias on last season's WCC champions.

``I wish we had nine of him,'' assistant coach Steve Rodriguez said of Mills. ``I will take his work ethic any day of the year.''

--Lion eyes: Taking two of three from rival Pepperdine kept Loyola Marymount atop the WCC's West Division. The Lions' 16-21 overall record isn't surprising given their nonconference schedule.

LMU is 0-9 against teams that are nationally ranked. And that doesn't include a three-game series (winning once) at perennial power Mississippi State. But obviously, the Lions learned plenty of lessons.

``We faced some of the best teams in the nation and now it's paying off,'' said freshman outfielder Joe Frazee, whose .355 average leads an improving offense. ``I've seen the aces of other schools. The pitching's not the same now. Before, those pitchers would always hit their spots. Now, some pitchers leave it up over the plate and we're ready.''

--Check swings: USC's schedule is ranked the toughest in the country according to the college-baseball Web site Boyd's World (www.boydsworld.com). Check out the next nine teams determined as playing the best competition: Long Beach State, UCLA, Stanford, Cal State Fullerton, Fresno State, UC Irvine, Nevada, Arizona State, UC Riverside. The top 20 teams on the list are located this side of the Rocky Mountains.

It's one reason West Coast coaches complain annually about a lack of NCAA Regional bids. ...

Barring a collapse, Big West Conference leaders Long Beach State (23-10, 8-1), Cal State Fullerton (23-12, 7-2) and Cal State Northridge (25-13, 6-3) are likely picks for the NCAA field. But CSUN, with its possible bubble-bursting RPI in the 60s, would feel more secure if it could finish ahead of the 49ers and/or the Titans, who are all but shoo-ins. ...

At least for now, USC coach Mike Gillespie has settled on regular catcher Alberto Concepcion to fill the Trojans' rotating wheel at third base. The junior became the seventh starter at third two weekends ago at Oregon State and stayed in that spot the ensuing four games. ``Concepcion is our best answer at third base,'' Gillespie said.