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Ace in the hole Former Grizz star steals spotlight at Stanford By Don Hunt Some things in life are inexplicable. Count Jeremy Guthrie�s meteoric rise in becoming one of the top college baseball pitchers in America as one of them. No one ever doubted his ability, but how is it that the former Ashland High standout was able to become the ace on Stanford University�s pitching staff less than six months after a two-year stint in Spain while serving on a Mormon mission? How is it that he�s been able to fashion a 7-1 record, an eye-catching 1.70 earned-run average and beat some of the top teams in the nation? How is it that he was able to outduel Southern California star Mark Prior, who some think will be the top player taken in the major league amateur draft in June, by a 2-0 score last month? "I really don�t know how everything has come together like it has," says Guthrie, a 1997 Ashland graduate who was known more as a football quarterback than a pitcher while in high school. "I have a couple of friends who were pitchers and went on missions, and they had arm problems when they came back. "It�s just a blessing � there�s no other way to explain it." Guthrie attended Brigham Young University as a freshman, then went to northern Spain in July of 1998. He shared his faith, taught some English classes and helped out in soup kitchens. Not once did he so much as pick up a ball or glove. He was set to return to BYU upon his return in July of 2000. He had a solid if unspectacular freshman season with the Cougars, posting a 5-3 record while working diligently on his pitching mechanics. But when his parents and one of his high school coaches arranged a transfer to Stanford, which boasts of one of the nation�s top college baseball programs in addition to its high academic standing, Guthrie couldn�t resist the move to California. His goal last fall was to become one of the Cardinal�s top three pitchers and move into the weekend rotation against Pac-10 Conference schools. It didn�t take long for Guthrie to catch the attention of Stanford pitching coach Tom Kunis. "The first time I saw him throw was on Sept. 28, 2000, and I said to myself, wow, this kid throws hard," Kunis says. "At that point there were a lot of questions, but I had a feeling right then that he was something special and that he was going to help us. You could just see that this guy had talent." Guthrie, a right-hander who stands 6-foot-1 and weighs 195 pounds, didn�t immediately become the team�s No. 1 pitcher when workouts began in earnest in January. But the more he pitched, the better he looked. And when Mike Goslin, the Cardinal�s projected ace, went down with an arm injury before Stanford�s first game, Guthrie suddenly found himself at the front of the pack. Armed with a 94 mph fastball, a killer curve, a nasty changeup and a slider that keeps getting better, Guthrie won his first seven decisions before suffering his first loss, a 6-4 setback to UCLA last Saturday. He�s scheduled to pitch today at Stanford�s home stadium, the Sunken Diamond, against Oregon State in the first of a three-game series. "He�s just been phenomenal," says Stanford head coach Mark Marques, who has guided the Cardinal to a 28-7 record this season and a No. 1 national ranking in the Baseball America poll. "He�s been matched up against some of the best teams and pitchers in the country and he�s come out on top. "He�s putting up numbers that are as impressive as any pitcher we�ve had here in the last 10 years, and that includes some guys who were pitchers of the year in the Pac-10 and wound up being high draft picks. "To do what he�s done after being away from baseball for two years, it boggles the mind." Guthrie�s best moment to date was his victory over Prior and the No. 9-ranked Trojans. He also owns wins over No. 4 Florida State, No. 14 Arizona State and No. 24 Texas. "That game was a classic pitcher�s duel and Jeremy just outlasted that guy (Prior)," Kunis says. "He�s got all the pitches he needs to be successful, but he�s also very tough mentally." Guthrie possessed a lot of raw ability in high school, and no one disputed that he threw hard. But the Grizzlies were a below-average team and Guthrie wasn�t even able to obtain first-team, all-conference honors his senior year. Still, his 90 mph fastball caught the attention of major league scouts and he was drafted in the 15th round by the New York Mets in June of 1997. "I thought about signing at first, but I realized it was more important to me to go to college and go on my mission," Guthrie says. Kunis believes Guthrie will be drafted fairly high in this June�s draft, and Guthrie isn�t ruling out signing a professional baseball contract. "I haven�t talked to any scouts this year and so I don�t know what my situation is," he says, adding that he�ll continue to take classes at Stanford even if he does turn pro. "I definitely want to pitch at the next level." But right now Guthrie, who turned 22 last Sunday and is getting married in June, is thoroughly enjoying being the No.1 pitcher for the No. 1 team in the country. Reach reporter Don Hunt at 776-4469, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.