COLUMN: Joe Hawk

     To all but a select few, UNLV baseball player Ryan Ludwick comes across as supremely confident. The sophomore outfielder is a believer in his immeasurable talents and self-assured in his ability to make the most of them.
      Still, there are those who don't see Ludwick as confident. They see a swagger in his walk, a cocked eyebrow when he steps into the batter's box.
      They see Casey at the Bat -- although this guy rarely strikes out.
      What those select few see is cockiness.
      Of course, what else would you expect from opposing pitchers?
      "To succeed in baseball, you have to know you're better than the other guy," the 19-year-old power-hitter says. "So I just go up for every plate appearance thinking `I'm going to beat this guy.' There's no reason I shouldn't; I'm better than he is."
      Ludwick -- whose older brother, Eric, pitches for the Florida Marlins -- doesn't call that cockiness.
      "I'm definitely not a cocky guy," he says. "I'm pretty quiet, actually."
      With apologies to Teddy Roosevelt, Ludwick subscribes to the talk-softly-and-carry-a-big-stick philosophy. That philosophy has earned the former Durango High School standout preseason All-America status by Baseball America, one of two periodicals that document college baseball.
      Following a freshman season in which he batted .354 with 16 home runs and 68 RBIs, Ludwick was selected to the magazine's second team, joining Jody Gerut of Stanford and Aaron Rowand of Cal State-Fullerton.
      The first-team outfielders are Bubba Crosby of Rice, Eric Valent of UCLA and Jason Tyner of Texas A&M. Ludwick is the youngest of the six; the other five are juniors.
      UNLV teammate Kevin Eberwein, who hit .328 with eight homers and 43 RBIs in 1997, is Baseball America's third-team first baseman.
      For Ludwick, the honor didn't come as a surprise. He knew he had a good season last spring, and he built upon those numbers last summer while playing for the Anchorage Glacier Pilots in Alaska's semipro league.
      "I had one of the best summers in the country," he says, referring to his .370 average and 22 homers in 45 games. His home-run total tied the league record set by Mark McGwire when McGwire played summer ball while attending Southern Cal.
      What did surprise Ludwick, though, was not earning preseason honors from Collegiate Baseball, the sport's other revered periodical.
      Some would term such an admission as being cocky, but it isn't. That's just how confident Ludwick is in his flourishing ability.
      "And that ability is unlimited," praises Rod Soesbe, his UNLV coach. "Not only does he have a great work ethic, he loves to play the game, and he loves to improve.
      "The thing Ryan has going for him is that he believes, without any doubt, that he can hit. When you have that attitude, that's confidence."
      Although it would be unfair to put too much pressure on any one player, Soesbe must rely on Ludwick to have another big season this year if the Rebels are to improve on the 24-30 mark they posted in '97.
      Ludwick, who will make his '98 debut today when the Rebels play a UNLV alumni team of professional players at 1 p.m. at Earl Wilson Stadium, has added 15 pounds to his 6-foot-4 frame and weighs 210 pounds. That's 35 pounds heavier than he weighed in his senior year of high school.
      His strength also has improved, and that, says the baby-faced assassin of pitchers, is what has turned him into a home run-hitting All-American.
      "Now I'm working on sending more balls the other way. I expect to increase my power to that field a lot this year," he says, almost matter-of-factly.
      Confident, you say?
      Definitely.
      Cocky?
      Not quite.
      In sports, there's a razor-fine line that separates confidence and cockiness. Ryan Ludwick tiptoes to the line, but doesn't cross it.
      "I always set my goals high," he says. "And whatever goals I set, I expect to reach them."
     
      Joe Hawk's column is published Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. He can be reached by phone at 383-0353 or by e-mail at Joe_Hawk@lvrj.com.