Gazette-Times reporter

Adalberto Santos grew up in the Bronx and went to high school right across the street from old Yankee Stadium.

"I was used to seeing it every day," Oregon State's versatile infielder-outfielder said. "It was just an every-day thing; I'd take the bus to school and it would stop right in front of Yankee Stadium."

And the circuitous journey from the Bronx to Corvallis following his 2007 graduation from James Monroe High shows exactly how committed the charismatic 21-year-old is to return to new Yankee Stadium as a professional, either with the Yankees or some other major league franchise.

He's crisscrossed the country in pursuit of that major-league dream, with an itinerary featuring stops in Louisburg, N.C., and Hobbs, N.M., for junior-college seasons, and to remote, tiny (population 3,952) Woodstock, Va., for a summer-league campaign.

"It's baseball, and baseball is fun because you travel a lot," he said. "The way I am, it doesn't matter where I have to go to play. I want to win, Oregon State has that great background, we have a great team, and I'm glad I'm here."

As is OSU (15-6, 2-1). The 5-foot-10, 183 pound-Santos takes a team-leading .338 average and .455 on-base percentage into today's 5 p.m. Pacific-10 Conference home opener against California (15-11, 4-2).

Santos arrived as an infielder and has played second and first base. But he started playing outfield in the fall and has also started in center and left field and at designated hitter, depending on if OSU uses its right-handed or left-handed lineup.

"It's not about me, or where I want to play, it's about where they need me. I'm still waiting for my catcher's mitt and my pitching glove," said Santos, laughing.

"It's a joke. I tell the coaches because every time I come out to practice I have to bring four gloves."

He's produced at every stop. Santos has at least one hit in 19 of 21 games and is second to Stefen Romero in homers (2), RBIs (24) and slugging percentage (.506), with an improving batting eye that's led to 17 walks.

"Every hitter should be confident. You go up to the plate with a clear mind that you don't want the pitcher to beat you," he said. "You (must) have that confidence that you feel you can hit everybody, just like everybody wants to strike you out."

Assistant coach Marty Lees said Santos has foot speed, bat speed and power, so his quick start doesn't come as a surprise.

"I feel that every time he gets up he's going to get a hit, or do something good, and our teams feels that way," Lees said. "We don't always feel that way about everyone."

Lees also loves Santos' intangibles. He went back to the Shenandoah Valley in Virginia this past summer to watch Santos play and to seal the deal that brought him here. He immediately fell in love with Santos' competitive, yet infectiously happy and relaxed, attitude that reminds him of a legendary infield predecessor.

"He's got a little bit of flair, and he's a happy kid," who makes others smile too, Lee said. "He's similar to Darwin Barney. He plays with that type of aggressiveness, but he's able to have fun at the same time. And he hates losing. He plays hard, he wants to win bad, and the way he carries himself … you see he's not giving up. No matter what, you're going to get the best at-bat, the most competitive play at left field or first base."

He's been flexible and hasn't complained about moving up and down in the order or changing defensive positions.

"Because of that, we're reaping the rewards," Lees said.

Santos was Toronto's 17th-round selection in the 2007 MLB draft after leading the nation with a .520 average and earning All-American honors at New Mexico JC in Hobbs. However, an arm injury prevented him from signing and he didn't play again until last summer's stint with Woodstock River Bandits in the Virginia Valley League.

He hit .294 in 37 games there, and prepared himself for his first season in the Pac-10.

"There were a lot of Division I players there, so facing those pitchers I got a head start on what to expect when I came here," he said. "I've had a good first half, but the Pac-10 has started now. We have big expectations, we want to win the Pac-10, go back to the World Series. We have a far way to go but we have a lot of talent. If we put it together, hopefully we can get back there."

osu baseball report

SCHEDULE: vs. California, 5 p.m. Friday; 2 p.m. Saturday;

1 p.m. Sunday, Goss Stadium.

RECORDS: OSU 15-6, 2-1 Pac-10; California 15-11, 3-3 Pac-10.

SERIES: California leads 35-22

RADIO: Today, KTHH (990 AM); Saturday-Sunday, KEJO

(1240 AM)

PROBABLE STARTERS: Today, OSU so. RHP Tyler Waldron (2-1, 4.58) vs. California RHP Matt Penner (2-1, 5.52); Saturday, OSU so. RHP Greg Peavey (2-1, 3.18) vs. California RHP Brian Diemer (1-2, 4.94); Sunday, OSU jr. RHP Jorge Reyes (4-1, 3.90) vs. California TBA.

UPDATE: The Beavers took 2 of 3 from Oregon in their Pac-10 opening series this past weekend and have won seven of their last eight games. California lost 19-7 to Long Beach State this past Wednesday and lost 2 of 3 to Washington State this past weekend after taking 2 of 3 from Stanford in its Pac-10 opening series. … The Beavers are 7-3 in their last 10 games, with a 2.09 ERA. In Pac-10 games only, their ERA is 1.32. OSU's team ERA was 5.07 on March 14; it's now 3.64. … Junior infielder Stefen Romero has a four-game hitting streak and has five RBIs over that span. … Junior infielder Adalberto Santos has hit safely in 19 of 21 games and is batting .371 in the games in which he has at least one hit. … The Beavers are 10-3 when scoring first. … California's top hitters are sophomore outfielder/first baseman Mark Canha (.412, 9-27); sophomore infielder Brian Guinn (.393, 0-16) and junior outfielder Brett Jackson (.342, 5-19). … The Beavers conclude a stretch of 14 consecutive games in Oregon in Sunday's series finale. They play at Arizona on April 9-11, then play host to BYU on April 13-14 and USC on April 17-19. … Live updates are available via GameTracker at osubeavers.com.