I t By TIM TROWtR Democrat Hrld Wrlti This must be l baseball team. All of the signs are there. It's superstitious, it bs l pitcher who g't-s by the nickname '"Psycho," it bs an aversion to wet weather, w hich the players blame for 1 slow start this spring, and, most telling, it's playing tn the Northwest Athletic Association of Community Colleges Baseball Tournament. But Linn 'Benton always bs baseball teams Good otHs, to fact. Coach Greg Hawk is taking his fourth squad in five years to the regional tournament in Lofigview, Wash., where the Roadrunnen faced Taeoma in the opening nund twiay. Both clubs went in with 22 12 records. "We have as good a ebnee to go uo there and do well as any club I've taken," said Hawk, who guided LB to the Southern Division cbmpion-ship for the third straight year. Buoyed bv all star pitcher Ken Nieison and center fielder Dennis Kluss, the division's player of be year, and all star outfielder Gary Boyer, the Roadrunners fully intend to better the school's highest regional finish in Hak's tenure. In 14, he took i .500 team north and placed fourth. "We feel real gmxl, real confident," said Kluss, who batted .445 this spring and will likely be chosen in next week's amateur draft. "I am, Ken ii, Gary is. We're going in there right now like there's no way we can lose We're that good. 'The Washington players think it's their tournament, their state tournament. There'd be nothing better than taking it from them." Six of the eight teams in the double elimination tournament are from Washington. Mt. Hood, runner-up in the Sxithern Division, rounds out the field. There is basis for LB'i swagger. It won 12 straight before a 6 3 loss to Clark in the season-finale. The loss was hardly devastating The players bd mixed emotions about taking an unlucky" 13-game winning streak to regjonals. Superstitious? A lot of these guys eat the same meals and wear the same clothes - even LUL.J pHOO U Goes after first region crown un ierwear - hen tilings are going well. When Id was playirg M0 bail early in the season, u switched from white to yellow nxkj, the winning color of ItKff, and Improved iU lot. Not only that, said Nudum. "It wai g .od to grt a taste of losing again. It reminded us of how miK-h we bte to lohe. It should help pick us up." Pick me u bve been commonplace for the Koailrunners. Fint. LSe weadicr finally Imjvov-ed and allowed Ul to find its rhythm. That helped the freshmen blend with the sophomores, and it didn't keep second year men Nieison, Kluss or Boyer from fattening their itata. "We started playir.2 games, ' said Nieison. the "Psycb" of the staff, "and everything kind of molded together." NscLvon was a unanimous all star, going 6 1 in league and 8 1 overall, with I 2 11 earned run average. His last two outings were shutouts, and he bs a string of 22 itrtlght scoreless Innings. He struck out 82 batten and walked only 13 in S4'i innings. Nieison gets his nickname because he sometimes talks to himself on the mound and bs a sense of wbt the hitter is expecting "I sear," said Boyer, "he reads people's minds. They'll be gurssmg fastball and he'll throw a slider." "We sit out there in the outfield and know bt he's going to throw," said Kluss, "We just count up the strikeouts." Kluss led the club in most offensive categories, including home runs (5) and RBI (35). "Dennis is a very aggressive hitter," said Hawk, "and he bs ail kinds of power. He's a real strong man. If he's anticipating fastball and he hits a fastball, he can hit it as far as any college player." Boyer, the left fielder, hit .322 and led the team with II stolen bases. "This club," said Hawk, "bs much better hit' ting potential than any club I've bd. And we re a little itron,;er on the mound." That, he hopes, will add up to LB's first regional title. "It'd be good to leave here with something under out belts," said Nieison.