MIGHTY YOUNG JOE

In the never-a-spare-minute world of Joe Borchard, Stanford’s gifted two-sport athlete, life sometimes streaks by virtually unnoticed.

“They had a rally when I was moving out of my dorm [last week],” Borchard said. “They were picketing about Kosovo. They were yelling, ‘Honk for peace!’ I haven’t kept up with that very much and I feel I should be more in tune.”

Or, there were the shootings in April at Columbine High in Littleton, Colo., right when Borchard was running ragged between football spring practice, baseball and school work.

“I came into the football locker room and everybody is talking about it,” Borchard said. “They said, ‘You’ve been living under a rock?’ No, I’ve just been doing too many other things.”

Except telling anyone he’s a Pacific 10 Conference All-Academic selection who is majoring in--ready for this?--history.

Even Borchard, a handsome sophomore who is not afraid to poke fun at himself, laughs at the irony.

But one current event not lost on Borchard is the College World Series in Omaha, where he’s focusing on helping Stanford win the national title.

The No. 6-seeded Cardinal (50-13), which meets Florida State (55-13) today, and top-seeded Miami (48-13) are the only undefeated teams in the double-elimination tournament.

Stanford, winner of 11 in a row and 23 of 24, dropped Florida State into the losers’ bracket with a 10-6 victory on Monday. The Cardinal got rolling against Fullerton, 9-2, in its opener on Saturday.

Borchard, a 6-foot-4 switch-hitting right fielder, staked Stanford to a 5-0 lead against Fullerton with a home run to right field leading off the fifth inning. The blast came against right-hander Adam Johnson, Fullerton’s ace.

“It was a curveball that hung up for days,” Borchard said.

Not many of those got past Borchard during the regular season, when he batted a team-high .383 with 10 home runs and 54 runs batted in, earning All-Pacific 10 recognition. He’s two for seven in Omaha.

“He’s had a phenomenal year for us,” Coach Mark Marquess said. “Joe is a very special athlete. He’s very underrated as an outfielder. I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s a first-round pick after next year.”

Borchard said the Cardinal, which won 50 or more games in a season only twice before, is staying loose while pursuing a third national championship.

Right-hander Jack McDowell of the Angels, who pitched for Notre Dame High, led Stanford to the 1987 title and the team repeated the next year.

“We came here as kind of underdogs,” Borchard said. “We are making people raise their eyebrows.”

Borchard has been doing that for years with his athletic prowess.

He excelled in football, basketball and baseball at Camarillo, and was selected The Times’ Ventura County player of the year in football in 1996 and in baseball in 1997.

That football season, Borchard passed for 2,851 yards and 30 touchdowns in leading the Scorpions to the Southern Section Division III football title. He had 6,047 yards passing and 51 touchdowns in his career.

Borchard batted .415 with 11 home runs and 42 RBIs his senior year in helping the Scorpions win the Marmonte League title.

He was drafted by the Baltimore Orioles in the 20th round in the June draft but opted for Stanford.

His freshman football season at Stanford was spent in the wings as a redshirt, but he batted .330 with 10 home runs and 55 RBIs for the Cardinal last year and was an All-West Regional pick after batting .545 with three home runs in three tournament games.

Last fall, Borchard passed for 317 yards and three touchdowns as a backup to Todd Husak, who was impressive during spring workouts and figures to be the starter next season ahead of Borchard and Randy Fasani.

“I think I performed pretty well, as well as expected considering it was in the middle of baseball season,” Borchard said of spring football practice.

It was a hectic time for Borchard, juggling baseball and football, and preparing for mid-term exams. He relied on his easy-going personality and old habits to make it through.

“I’ve been playing three sports all my life,” Borchard said. “I’ve had to manage my time since I was young. It’s just a matter of budgeting your time wisely.”

Borchard and the Cardinal would like to make good use of their remaining time in Omaha, winning two more games and taking home the championship trophy. Either way, Borchard said he’s having a blast at the Series.

“It really is everything people say it is,” Borchard said. “You’re on national TV every game. The energy surrounding every game is unbelievable. It’s the kind of excitement you don’t find anywhere else in baseball.”