SHELVES GROANING WITH SPORTS BOOKS THIS SPRING.(LIFE & LEISURE)

Byline: JOCELYN MC CLURG

Professional baseball's back in the batter's box, but because of the season's uncertainty, publishers have fewer new baseball books than usual in their spring lineups.

Meanwhile, the number of new golf titles has exploded, as aging baby boomers discover their own mortality and the joys of whacking a little white ball.

Here's a look at new baseball and golf books.

BASEBALL In ``Strikeout: A Celebration of the Art of Pitching,'' by William Curran (Crown, $23), the author traces the evolution of pitching since the beginning of baseball.

``Nothing To Prove: The Jim Abbott Story,'' by Bob Bernotas …