Wallace begins trek to Omaha 1 hit at a time

Brett Wallace’s dream 2007 season turned into a nightmare at the College World Series, as the Arizona State infielder and Pac-10’s triple-crown winner went hitless in 12 at-bats.

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In the weeks after Omaha, Wallace received few don’t-worry-about-its and put-it-behind-yous from friends and family, who know him well enough to know that no consoling was necessary.

“It was water under the bridge,” said Wallace, a junior. “I think anyone who watches me play knows I do my best. People were more interested in talking about getting ready for this season. …

“I can’t look back. I just have to put my head down and keep going.”

The 6-foot-1, 245-pound Wallace has good reasons to barrel into this year at full speed.

He again will be perhaps the biggest hitter for a Sun Devils squad that is ranked first in the preseason USA Today (coaches) poll. ASU is ranked ninth by Baseball America and third by Collegiate Baseball.

After playing first base for two seasons, Wallace is returning to his high school position, third base. The move is designed to get an extra bat in the Sun Devil outfield — Ike Davis is moving from right field to first base — but could also raise Wallace’s draft stock, already at big-signing bonus levels.

For the Sonoma, Calif., native who announced his goal of playing baseball at ASU, then professionally, to his eighth-grade graduating class, 2008 figures to be a life-defining year.

“That’s one way to look at it,” Wallace said, “but I just want to be able to leave and say that I left it all on the field, with no regrets. I just want to play as hard as I can and enjoy being with my teammates.

“Whether we are lifting the trophy at the end or watching someone else do it, I just want to know we gave it everything we had. If that happens, I’ll leave knowing that I had a great career, a great time here.”

With a fluid swing and ability to drive the ball to all fields, Wallace feasted on pitching during the ’07 regular season, batting .426 with 15 home runs and 73 RBIs en route to winning Pac-10 player of the year honors.

In the postseason, however, Wallace was a different player, suffering an 0-for-7 stretch in the regional round that was a prelude to his CWS struggles, which culminated in what turned out to be ASU’s last at-bat in Omaha.

In the 10th inning, with the bases loaded and one out against UC Irvine, Wallace grounded into a double play. The Anteaters scored a run in the bottom half of the frame to eliminate the Sun Devils.

“Brett is a high achiever, and any time a high achiever doesn’t perform as well as he’d like, it grinds on him — but only for a little bit,” ASU coach Pat Murphy said.

“But he’s got a short memory. He knows that he can play at a high level, and that’s going to drive him (this season).”

What happened in Omaha? Wallace is not sure.

He said he had subpar lower-body swing mechanics at times in the postseason. After watching tape, however, he saw nothing that could have adversely impacted his hitting that dramatically.

“I may have been overanxious and trying to do too much,” Wallace said, “but it was nothing different than the pressure I feel all year.”

He simply chalked it up to a slump at the worst time.

“I had never been more proud of him than during that time,” said Wallace’s mother, Patti. “He was disappointed that the team did not go on, but he’s always looking to the next game. He goes on to that next game, and that’s where he is going to win you back.”

Not long after the CWS, Wallace played with the U.S. National Team that took part in the Pan American Games. Using a wood bat, Wallace homered in his first at-bat for Team USA and finished with a .312 average.

“A home run in his first at-bat speaks about his ability to put things behind him,” said ASU catcher Petey Paramore, who also played for the national team.

“We joked about what happened (at the CWS). But mostly, we talked about how we would all be back this year to try and make up for it and take another shot at it.”

Wallace has put the CWS struggles behind him, but not the disappointment. While such life-defining events as a signing-bonus check and a new team await Wallace, he is eager to end the current chapter of his baseball career with a return to Rosenblatt Stadium, to make amends.

“Whether I start at third base or pinch-hit every third day, I don’t care,” Wallace said. “I just want to get back to Omaha.”