SAN MARCOS -- The snappy lyrics greeting Palomar College closer Casey Edelbrock's appearance at Southwestern College didn't go unnoticed: "I'm a Barbie Girl in the Barbie world. Life in plastic, it's fantastic."

OK, "Hells Bells" it's not. But for relief ace Edelbrock, the "Barbie Girl" ditty from Aqua is all water under his bridge.

"That was hilarious," shortstop Tyler Saladino said. "He just turned it around and had some fun with it."

Fun and Edelbrock are never more than a doll's arm length away.

"They were trying to mess with me," Edelbrock said.

Edelbrock, whose blonde locks led to the musical ribbing, isn't stressed over being ridiculed. In fact, the only thing getting under Edelbrock's skin is, well, we'll think of something soon.

"He's as loose as it comes," Palomar coach Buck Taylor said. "And fun to be around."

Good times are in abundant at Palomar, where the Comets (32-10-1, 19-5) have clinched another Pacific Coast Conference title and seemed primed to make a run through next week's playoffs. Among the reasons the Comets are streaking through their schedule is the engaging Edelbrock.

"I love going out there and giving him the ball," Taylor said. "He's got a little swagger, but he's not showing anybody up. He's just as loose as he can be and I think that helps our defense to be honest with you."

No fib, Edelbrock's 10 saves broke a Palomar record set by Jerry Stafford in 1990. With his two- and four-seam fastball and deceptive changeup, Edelbrock is the rock in Palomar's bullpen.

But he shatters nearly every stereotype which comes with being a hard-nosed closer. Instead of sweating bullets, tugging at his cap and looking as intense as an NFL linebacker, Edelbrock is a bubbly lump on the bump.

"I think you've got to try and not be nervous," said Edelbrock, who pitched for Poway High's 2006 CIF San Diego Section Division I title team. "I try not to even think about the situation, with it being a nervous situation."

If Edelbrock has jitters he drowns them in that large bottle of Fiji water he chugs before being summoned. Edelbrock is always cucumber cool.

"I like to keep it pretty mellow," said Edelbrock, a sophomore.

Taylor is comforted with such a reliable relief corps, with Travis Strong also in the mix with Edelbrock and Aaron Edwards.

"It is very comforting to know you have those guys out there," said Taylor, whose team is ranked No. 1 in Southern California.

But it's the pressure-packed innings landing in the 6-foot-3 Edelbrock's lap and he couldn't be happier.

"Everyone wants to start, but at the beginning of the season we had a bunch of good arms out there," said Edelbrock, who is 3-2 with a 1.60 ERA. "So they said, 'Hey do this' and I really didn't think about it being the closer role -- but I was cool with that. I was just trying to get people out."

His pitching is lights out, after he skipped last season to lift weights and his grades.

"In '07 he had good stuff, but he didn't put it all together," Taylor said. "He pitched in the summer and came back a different kid. He is much more mature and he has really accepted his role and definitely thrived in that role. It's not always easy to find a guy that wants to be that guy and he's been outstanding."

And outlandish.

Whenever reaching the mound where Taylor awaits, Edelbrock's first offering is predictable.

"It's 'Hey Coach, what's up; let's go,"' Taylor said of his greeting.

Saladino knows Edelbrock's drill.

"Some pitchers go out there with a straight face and tunnel vision," he said. "He comes out and talks to the first baseman and goes around the whole infield and gives everyone a smile. He even looks at the umpire and says, 'Hey blue, how you doing?' "

But don't confuse levity with being lackadaisical.

"He's a bulldog and he goes out there and competes," Taylor said. "But he does it with a much more relaxed attitude and it works for him. The less pressure he is feeling the better he pitches. It's kind of that no brain, no headache mentality."

While Edelbrock's fastball doesn't flirt with 90 mph, is GPA is oh-so-close to 3.0. If there was comic major at Palomar, Edelbrock would be Phi Beta Kappa.

It's his noggin' as much as his right arm which leads to put outs. In Edelbrock' s vernacular, it's called "pitchability."

"It's about working on your pitches instead of just throwing the ball," he said. "It's like more mentally pitching.

"When I first started I wasn't thinking about that -- I was just throwing the ball past people. But I've kind of learned you got to think about it and mess with people's heads."

It's a joy being around the zany Edelbrock and when asked his favorite player, the name Manny Ramirez shoots out.

There's a lot of Manny being Manny in the makeup of Edelbrock.

"Because baseball is such a slower game you got time to spare, especially in the bullpen," Edelbrock said. "So you might as well joke around with the guys."

Sal shakes his head.

"I've never seen somebody be so easy going out there," he said. "He doesn't let the pressure get to him."

Neither did Barbie.

Contact staff writer Jay Paris at jparis8@aol.com.