JETHAWKS NOTEBOOK: COOK REDISCOVERS BIG SWING.

Byline: Gideon Rubin Staff Writer

SAN BERNARDINO - JetHawks outfielder Jeff Cook was a prolific collegiate slugger whose power never materialized as a professional.

At least not until last week.

Before the JetHawks' current 13-game marathon road trip began on April 26, Cook had homered just four times in 697 at-bats over parts of three years of pro ball, and hadn't homered in 59 at-bats this season.

He nearly equaled his career total within a week. Cook's ninth-inning homer in Monday's 9-2 loss to Inland Empire was his third in seven games.

``It's a good surprise,'' Cook said.

Perhaps the only surprise is that his power didn't materialize sooner. Cook set a school record at the University of Southern Mississippi with 45 career homers before being drafted by the JetHawks' parent club, the Arizona Diamondbacks, in the fifth round of the 2003 draft.

The timing of Cook's power surge couldn't be better for the JetHawks.

Going into Friday's game, the traditionally power-hitting JetHawks ranked eighth in the California League with just 16 homers, and Cook's homer on Monday was their only long ball in six games.

Largely because of the hitter-friendly facility in which they play, the JetHawks have led the league in home runs the last two seasons and are perennially among the league's leaders in that category.

``He's always had power, but he's really swinging the bat well now,'' JetHawks manager Bill Plummer said of Cook. ``Any power we can get is going to be helpful, because we're not hitting a lot of home runs right now, especially compared to some of the other teams in Lancaster.''

Cook cited an opposite-field approach and going from aluminum to wooden bats as factors in the drop in his power numbers from collegiate to pro ball.

``I'm a left-handed hitter and I was getting a lot of hits to left field and that did make my average go up, but it took a lot of my power away from me and the wood bat took a lot of power away from me too, but I really wasn't hitting the ball to right field with very much authority,'' Cook said.

Cook said he's now looking to drive inside pitches, much the way he did in college.

``Being able to hit the ball on both sides of the plate is only going to make you a better hitter,'' Cook said. ``I've got a little confidence going now so hopefully that will help me.''

--Three-hitter: JetHawks starter Chad Scarbery and reliever Jered Liebeck combined for a three-hitter in Thursday's 6-1 victory over Inland Empire.

The JetHawks' previous season-low in hits allowed in a game this season was six.

Scarbery allowed one run on three hits and three walks and struck out three batters in six innings. Liebeck retired nine consecutive batters after walking the first two batters he faced.

--Odds and ends: JetHawks shortstop Danny Richar, who hadn't played since suffering a jammed finger in an April 30 game against Stockton, was questionable for Friday's game. ... Center fielder Lino Garcia, who has been on the disabled list since April 19 with a pulled hamstring, could return to the lineup as soon as Tuesday, when the JetHawks open a seven-game homestand against Inland Empire. ... Outfielder Alex Frazier has been relegated to DH duties since being struck by a pitch in the thigh in Monday's game. ... Six-dollar reserved tickets for Tuesday's 6:30 p.m. game will be discounted by 10 cents multiplied by the wind speed clocked at 4 p.m. ... The JetHawks and a national bank will honor three local citizens for outstanding achievements in law enforcement, education and health care before the team's Fourth of July game against Bakersfield. Short nomination forms will be available at Clear Channel Stadium, with nominees to be selected by a panel that includes JetHawks representatives.

Gideon Rubin, [phone]

gideon.rubin(at)dailynews.com

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