Eric Macha's fondest memory of last summer was playing in a semi-professional baseball all-star game in Strongsville, Ohio, with a Great Lakes League team that defeated Team USA.

"It was really exciting," said Macha, a 6-4, 205 pound senior third baseman for the Spartans. "The fans were really into the game and we ended up winning by one run. "After the game there were little kids at the field yelling and screaming and wanting our autographs. It was an interesting experience."

That first-time high for the CWRU student is something his father Ken Macha has been experiencing for over three decades now as a professional baseball player, coach and minor league manager.

This past off-season the elder Macha earned a new title, which instantly increased his celebrity status a notch or two. He was named manager of Major League Baseball's Oakland As after serving as the club's bench coach for the past four seasons.

"That's really something special. There's only 30 managers in the majors," the younger Macha said. "My buddies on the baseball team know, and a handful of people have come up to me and asked me if he's related. But for the most part, I don't think anyone notices."

The younger Macha would like scouts to notice. Hitting .341 both his freshman and sophomore seasons and a whopping .430 his junior year should help. Having a major league manager for a dad won't hurt.

"I want to get drafted for myself and not because I am related to him," Macha said. "My name is out there, and scouts have called my house and asked for my schedule. So I'll get looked at for sure. And if things work out, I would like to give it a shot."

So what will the son do if his dreams of playing professional baseball don't come true? His father has something to fall back on-a degree in civil engineering from the University of Pittsburgh.

The younger Macha is scheduled to graduate from CWRU this spring with a degree in computer engineering. As a back up, Macha also has applied to graduate school at CWRU. So if a baseball career doesn't work out, he could continue on with school and get his master's degree.

"Right now I am weighing options as far as baseball's concerned. I might go into that if I get drafted," said Eric. "I am leaving my summer open and not committing to any companies, although I have had a few interviews."

The older Macha has not seen the Spartans play but did catch a couple of his son's games this past summer during the major leagues' All-Star break. The father and son also spend their Christmas breaks together at home in Export, Pa., working on Eric's swing at a local batting cage.

"Usually I do well when he comes and watches, even though I am a little nervous," the younger Macha said. "I am more critical of myself than he is, but he tries to help me out a lot. I really cherish those times because it's really nice to even just play catch with your dad."

Macha's marks

Eric Macha finished fifth on the team in hitting (.341) his freshman year, tied for fifth in hits (31) and was sixth in RBIs (14) and runs (21). Macha also finished fifth on the team in hitting his sophomore year (.341), was sixth in hits (30), tied for third in RBIs (19) and was seventh in runs (14). Last year he led the team in batting average (.430), hits (40) and RBIs (30) and was second in runs (18). He was a third team All Mid-east Region selection and played in all 88 games, including 68 starts, for CWRU during the last three years.

Father's file

Ken Macha was a walk-on at the University of Pittsburgh, plating there from 1970-1972. He played catcher for Major League Baseball's Pittsburgh Pirates (1974 & 1977-1978), Montreal Expos (1979-1980) and Toronto Blue Jays (1981). He finished his professional playing days in Japan playing for the Chinuchi Dragons (1982-1985), hitting 82 home runs, including a career high 31 in 1984. He has coached in the majors with the Montreal Expos (1986-1991), the California Angles (1992-1994) and the Oakland As (1998-2002). As a manager, he compiled a 317-249 (.560) record in the Boston Red Sox's organization with Class AA Trenton (1995-1996) and Class AA Pawtucket (1997-1998).

Cool cousin

Ken Macha's first cousin is Hal Newhouser, who was inducted into baseball's Hall of Fame in 1992. Newhouser, a multiple All-Star, is the only pitcher to win two consecutive MVP awards. He pitched for the Detroit Tigers and Cleveland Indians from 1939-1955.