By Michael KlitzingAssistant Sports Editor

If you ask San Diego State head baseball coach Jim Dietz about hisnew right fielder, you’re bound to get a glowing response.

It seems logical. In his freshman year, Jake McLintock has foughthis way into the starting lineup, hitting a torrid .429.

But the veteran coach’s admiration for the 19-year-old goes farbeyond a batting average.

“There’s something special about him,” Dietz said. “It’s not justbaseball. He’s a rare individual.”

Part of it may be the natural talent he displays on the diamond.His keen batting eye and strong throwing arm have certainly impressedthe Aztecs coaching staff.

Part of it may be the humble demeanor he carries with him. Ask himabout his blistering start, and you are not likely to encounter muchbraggadocio.

“It’s just a matter of getting the opportunities a lot of guys whoare in the spot I was in would like to get,” McLintock said. “I’mjust glad to be out there right now.”

But there is certainly more to it than that.

What sets McLintock apart is the extra effort he shows on and offthe field — extra effort he shows out of necessity. Balancing whatamounts to two full-time jobs, a college baseball career and anacademic career is hard enough.

Now throw a learning disability into the mix, and the wordchallenge takes on a whole new intensity.

At a young age, McLintock was diagnosed with dyslexia — acondition affecting his reading comprehension and writing. But withthe help of special classes and the early diagnosis, he has been ableto excel in the classroom.

He was a four-year honor student at Bonita Vista High School. Butwhile his high grade-point average qualified him for admission intoSDSU, the NCAA puts more stringent expectations on student athletes.McLintock did not meet the SAT score requirements, struggling withthe time constraints of the test.

He required a special waiver offered to students with learningdisabilities.

In this respect, McLintock was lucky. Only recently has the NCAAoffered such a waiver.

“Up until a couple of years ago, the NCAA was in the dark ages onthis sort of thing,” Dietz said. “Fortunately, they have woken up tothe fact that there are kids like this who really are trying andreally want to go to college and play college sports.

“Those kids shouldn’t be penalized.”

Even now, the organization heavily scrutinizes appeals in order tocrack down on abusers. It is a difficult process.

McLintock and his parents hoped for the best but expected theworst. Five days before fall semester started, Dietz phoned thefamily with the official decision.

His waiver was approved.

“When we told his mom that he was going to be eligible, she brokedown and cried,” Dietz said. “I even started crying. They had beenbattling the NCAA, and they’d heard all these stories — they’d kindof given up hope.”

Said McLintock: “(The coaches) have fought a lot of battles for mejust to get me into this school. Coach Dietz has been right therewith me.”

But the hard work was only beginning.

Along with a full class load and the daily grind of Division Ibaseball, McLintock devotes 10 hours a week to special studiesthrough Student-Athlete Support Services — a mentoring and tutoringprogram for athletes deemed academically underprepared or high-risk.

SASS learning specialist Sabrina Youmans has witnessed McLintock’sprogress within the program.

“He’s a model student-athlete,” she said. “Jake has that intrinsicmotivation to make himself successful — you can’t teach motivation.

“He started out in a high-risk category, but I don’t worry abouthim anymore. He’s the type of person who will make it.”

McLintock is making it between the lines as well. Then again, thathas never been a problem for him.

“I’ve been doing this since I was four,” he said. “I’m interestedin it. I love going out there every day just to see what’s going tohappen.”

And lately, it’s all been good.

In the Aztecs’ three-game sweep of Southern Utah, McLintock went5-for-10 with five RBI. He credits much of his success with the stickto the tutelage of new hitting coach Tony Gwynn.

It seems McLintock is also proving a good student in the cage.

“The biggest thing about Jake is that he has a really good idea ofwhat he can handle and what he can’t,” Gwynn said. “He doesn’t reallyswing at balls he can’t handle and that’s unusual in a freshman.

“What I try to do is simplify things. Just see it and hit it. Andwhen you watch him hit, that’s what he does.”

Said McLintock: “Hitting is a lot easier than people make it outto be.”

Then again, for the freshman, hitting a baseball has always beenthe easy part.