HOT, HOT, HOT: BONILLA LIKES WEATHER TO NATCH HIS BAT

Other than wishing he could skip winters, Southeast Missouri State University baseball player Clemente Bonilla figures he's been living in a dream world since coming to Cape Girardeau from California three years ago.

"I just can't get used to the cold weather. I hate it," said a laughing Bonilla. "But other than that, I've loved everything about it here. I never really had been to the Midwest until I came out here, but it's been neat. There's no place like California, but the people out here are a lot more sociable. They're so friendly.

"And all three years I've been with great guys on the team. It's just been a lot of fun."

Of course, it hasn't hurt that the affable Bonilla has made his mark in the Southeast record book and established himself as one of the Ohio Valley Conference's top players.

A junior second baseman who has started since he was a freshman, Bonilla has led the OVC in hitting all season long, his current average being .393. He also ranks among the league leaders in doubles (19) and runs scored (49) while compiling impressive on-base and slugging percentages of .568 and .671, respectively.

"Clemente is just having a wonderful season and I think he's the best player in the conference," said Southeast coach Mark Hogan, who added that he would be disappointed if Bonilla is not named the OVC Player of the Year. "He does so many different things, I think he's very deserving of the award."

While Bonilla has been a solid offensive player since coming to Southeast, he has earned a spot in the school's record book by virtue of his selective batting eye.

As a freshman, Bonilla walked 53 times to shatter the previous single-season mark of 39. Earlier this year, he broke the career record for walks, which now stands at 147. And, with three free passes during Saturday's doubleheader at Eastern Illinois, Bonilla has 55 walks this season to surpass his own school record.

"It sounds kind of funny when you tell people about that record. They think I just take more pitches than anybody has. It's not like the home run record, which everybody goes crazy over," said Bonilla. "But as far as my size, and the way I have to hit to be successful, I take a lot of pride in it. Being selective helps my hitting. The less bad balls you swing at, the better chance you have to do well."

Although Bonilla is one of the smallest Indians at 5-feet-9 and 170 pounds, he can still pack a wallop at the plate, as evidenced by his six home runs -- including a few titanic shots -- that ties him for the team lead. His 34 runs batted in are tied for second on the squad.

"I feel if we need a big knock in the later innings, I can put the ball out of the park, but that's just not a good approach for somebody my size," said Bonilla, who has 13 career homers. "I really just try to drive the ball in the gaps and sometimes they go over."

Bonilla, a switch-hitter, batted an impressive .341 as a freshman but dropped off to .292 last year, which did not sit well with him. He doesn't think it was a coincidence that his walks fell off by 14 from his rookie season to his sophomore campaign (53 to 39).

"I'm just kind of getting back to where I was my first year, being disciplined, making the pitcher come to me," he said. "I thought I didn't help the team as much as I could have last year. I worked real hard over the summer."

Hogan first learned of Bonilla -- who is from El Toro in Southern California -- when he helped coach a 14-year-old national select team that competed in Hawaii. Bonilla was on that squad.

"He showed signs of being a special player then," Hogan said. "His dad was there for the tournament and I got to know him quite well. Otherwise, I would not have known about him and would not have had the connection with his father."

After a record-setting career at El Toro High School, which has a strong baseball tradition, Bonilla was contacted by Southeast again and it just so happened he was looking to experience another part of the country. So, despite being recruited by several Division I programs in his home state, Bonilla opted for the Midwest.

"I'd been in California all my life and I wanted to see something different," he said.

Despite his dislike of cold weather, Bonilla wouldn't have changed a thing. He's had plenty of baseball success, he's done well in the classroom as a secondary education major, his father has been a frequent spectator at Indian games and this school year his sister Erica joined him in Cape Girardeau as a member of the Southeast softball team.

"It's been nice having my dad at a lot of my games, and Erica being here this year has really been great," he said. "She and I are best friends. We're really close in age so we've hung out ever since we've been little. I even say she's part of the reason I've done so well this year. She's someone I can always talk to about anything."

Although the Indians fell short of winning the OVC regular-season championship this year, they entered the Eastern Illinois series having locked up second place. Bonilla has high hopes for the conference tournament that begins Wednesday in Paducah, Ky. -- and not just because he believes Southeast has the league's best team, which he does.

"I was just thinking the other day, of the home runs I've hit this year, my dad has seen all but one," said Bonilla with a grin. "I think he's my good luck charm, and he and my mom are going to be at the OVC Tournament."