LAKE ELSINORE STORM  Individual Statistics Thru Games of: 9/01/03      W-L Record:  75- 65

  PITCHERS               W-L    PCT    ERA   G GS CG SHO GF SV  IP     H   AB  TBF   R  ER HR SH SF HB  BB IB  SO WP BK 0H 1H 2H 3H
  Ribas, Gabe            4- 5  .444   5.81   9  9  0   0  0  0  48.0  63  200  222  35  31  4  2  3  2  14  1  36  6  0  0  0  0  0
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    FORT WAYNE WIZARDS   Individual Statistics Thru Games of: 8/31/03      W-L Record:  71- 66

  PITCHERS               W-L    PCT    ERA   G GS CG SHO GF SV  IP     H   AB  TBF   R  ER HR SH SF HB  BB IB  SO WP BK 0H 1H 2H 3H
X Ribas, Gabe           13- 3  .813   2.25  19 19  0   0  0  0 116.0  86  427  461  36  29  3  1  3  4  26  0 116  6  1  0  0  0  0
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By BOB CLARK The Register-Guard

GABE RIBAS finished quite a few games as a college pitcher at Northwestern, but they were also games he started.

Now he only finishes what others start for the Eugene Emeralds, having become the team's closer less than a month into the Northwest League baseball season.

"As a starter, you're going out there and thinking about hitter to hitter, how you're setting him up, not only this at-bat but what he's going to see his next at-bat," Ribas said. "As a closer, you're in there for three outs and they can't score runs on you, it's not allowed.

"You're generally in there when the ballgame is close, you're either tied or you're up a run or two, and you can't allow them anything. You have to go out there with your best stuff, right then. You're not trying to set him up for the next at-bat or the next night, you're trying to put it in his head that you're better than him right now."

Ribas has generally followed through with that. He's got a 4-1 record with a 3.74 earned-run average, though those statistics weren't exclusively as a closer. He both started and pitched in middle relief for the Emeralds before the promotion of another pitcher opened the closer's job, and Ribas was moved into that.

The why?

"He's such an intelligent kid and he's a big guy, so he's got some presence out there," Ems manager Jeff Gardner said of the 6-foot-4, 210-pound Ribas, who earned his first save Monday night.

"He throws the ball hard, he throws strikes, he knows the game ... he's a good guy to have out there in that situation."

It's setting Ribas up for a true closing situation that the Ems haven't done much of this season, which continues tonight at Civic Stadium with the opener of a three-game series against Salem-Keizer.

Along with his generally effective outings, Ribas has had a couple that lifted the earned-run average, and one that saddled him with a defeat.

"You've got to learn those lessons the hard way," Ribas said. "I hated to have it happen but if you don't learn from things like that you're going to be out of the game quickly."

Ribas got into professional baseball as San Diego's 14th-round selection after a four-year career at Northwestern. For the Big Ten school, Ribas only started games, 51 in his four years, and he also finished 19 of those as complete games.

He struck out 94 this spring in 89 1/3 innings, and walked only 15 batters. Ribas left Northwestern at No. 2 on the school's career list in strikeouts and innings pitched.

And to think he was the one who called from his home in Brunswick, Me., to spur the interest of Northwestern in recruiting him.

As the valedictorian of his high school class, Ribas was considering Harvard, Yale and Dartmouth, but there was also the thought that Northwestern fell into that Ivy League company academically, and offered Big Ten baseball as well.

"Those guys aren't coming out to Brunswich, Me., to look at kids so I sent them a packet of stuff ... but then didn't hear anything," Ribas said. "I waited two weeks and called them."

His pitch was a straight fastball, that he was interested in Northwestern. The pitch back was that the interest was mutual, and a visit to the Chicago-area campus was scheduled.

"They said `what's it going to take to get you here,' and I said `money's kind of tough,' " Ribas said. "They offered a full scholarship and I took it."

At Northwestern, the pitching coach was Tim Stoddard, the former Baltimore reliever who stands 6-7 and can relate to taller pitchers.

"He calls me about once a week and he's a big help," Ribas said. "I owe the world to that guy, he really helped me with the mentality that it takes to be a pro ballplayer."

Stoddard also sent Ribas toward the Ems with some additional advice: "You've got a chance to do almost anything, your arm's durable and you can bounce back quickly and they're going to like that."

All true, and he has pitched the gamut of roles.

"I think it's great experience," Ribas said. "You want to get out there as much as you can and it's great to know what everyone's going through, what it takes to do every different kind of role, the kind of work it takes."

Ribas has actually backed off on some of his work, throwing less in pregame workouts to make sure he can pitch every night, if needed. But if the game is close, he'll be stretching in the seventh inning, and throwing in the eighth in preparation for the ninth.

"I can't get up and throw five pitches and be ready, I'm not like that," Ribas said. "It's been hard to learn, and I'm still learning. Don't even let me kid you and say that I've got it figured out."

He is, after all, new to this assignment, though his previous duties are helping. "I know how hard that starter worked for that win, how much that game becomes yours and the last thing I want to do is let that guy down," Ribas said.

GABRIEL RIBAS NORTHWESTERN U RHP R/R 6'4" 210 02/03/1980

EVANSTON, Ill. - Northwestern senior right-handed pitcher Gabe Ribas (Brunswick, Maine/Brunswick) was chosen as the 415th overall pick today by the San Diego Padres in the 2002 Major League Baseball draft. The MLB draft began Tuesday and continues the next two days.

"I'm really excited for this opportunity," said Ribas. "I can't wait to get back on the field and prove myself at the professional level. This is one of the best feelings I have ever felt-it is truly indescribable."

The senior right-handed pitcher was the 14th player chosen by the Padres, and it marked the eighth straight year a Wildcat hurler was drafted. Ribas also became the 35th Wildcat to be drafted in the 15-year tenure of head coach Paul Stevens, 18 of whom are pitchers. Ribas also continues a streak that has seen at least one player picked in every one of Stevens years as a head coach.

"It could not have happened to a better guy," said Stevens. "Gabe deserves to be headed to the next level."

As a four-year starter for the 'Cats, Ribas wrapped up his career in stellar fashion by being named to the 2002 Big Ten All-Tournament team. At the Big Ten Tourney, he threw 10 and two-third innings, gave up two runs and struck out 11. He pitched eight-plus innings in NU's 4-2, opening-round win over the Big Ten's leading offensive team, Michigan State. Ribas also threw a complete-game 4-1 win over Indiana in the regular-season series finale, propelling NU into the postseason tourney.

This season, Ribas finished fourth in the conference in strikeouts with 94, which is also the fourth-best total in school history for a single season. Ribas led the squad with an astounding 6.3-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio, walking just 15 hitters in 89.1 innings of work.

For his career, Ribas finished second on the career strikeout (288) and innings pitched (330.1) lists, making 51 starts. Those 51 starts include 19 complete games and constitute the second most starts in NU history.