Getting to Lake Ramona requires a dusty, two-mile hike along a flat path through the Blue Sky Ecological Reserve and then a climb along an earthen dam.

That's where the reservoir is, where you can finally wet a line.

USD right fielder James Meador makes the hike each week, joined by his father and Toreros teammate Steven Chatwood.

“Not many people want to hike in there,” said Meador, who starred at nearby Ramona High. “But with not many people, it's great fishing.

“Largemouth bass. We'll throw some shiners, but we mostly use plastic worms.”

When USD wrapped up the West Coast Conference championship last Saturday against Pepperdine, it afforded the Toreros a rare Sunday off. Meador and Chatwood headed for the lake, where they each caught six fish.

Meador enjoys the quiet surroundings – “it just clears your head of everything else,” he says – and the reward that comes with literally going the extra mile.

Meador has been similarly rewarded this season for his extra effort on the baseball field.

No. 7-ranked USD opens the NCAA Tournament this afternoon against Cal in the Long Beach Regional. Meador's emergence is among the reasons for the team's success. It didn't come easy.

The 6-foot-1, 205-pound sophomore leads USD with a .385 batting average and 51 RBI, numbers that rank among the school's best single-season efforts.

While it's probably what Meador and the USD coaches envisioned when he committed out of high school, it's quite a turnaround for the player who hit .215 last season and drove in but eight runs.

“I started off like 1-for-15 my freshman year, didn't get in a groove and then just got in my own head,” said Meador. “It was all downhill from there.”

The Toreros had a veteran lineup last season, so newcomers weren't given many opportunities to step in. And if they didn't step up, they were left out. That's where Meador found himself.

“He came in as a real heralded guy from a small high school where he put up gaudy numbers and found that at this level everything moves a lot faster,” said USD coach Rich Hill. “He dealt with some failure and adversity. You have two choices when that happens. You can buckle and make excuses or you can really fight through it, try to get better and have a positive outlook.”

Meador found some success in summer league, put in the work in the offseason and prepared himself for another opportunity. Part of the process included going home to Ramona on Mondays off, having his father throw batting practice to him and hiking to the lake with his fishing pole.

“What sets James apart are his intangibles and makeup,” said Ramona coach Dean Welch. “That kid is the hardest worker you'll ever come across, bar none. He has a very high standard for himself and will do whatever it takes to achieve his goals.”

Meador found his swing in March during a four-game series at Hawaii-Hilo and never looked back, earning All-WCC honors by season's end.

“When we went to Hilo my confidence skyrocketed after that week,” said Meador. “When I got back here I saw everything real well. It was steppingstones from there.”

All-Americans

USD junior left-hander Brian Matusz was named first-team All-America yesterday by Louisville Slugger. Toreros junior left-hander/outfielder Josh Romanski and sophomore closer A.J. Griffin were third-team selections.