Vanguard baseball gets early start
Major League pitchers and catchers don’t report until mid-February and rules prohibit community colleges and NCAA schools from playing opponents until late January and Feb. 17, respectively.
But in the Wild West also known as the NAIA, the only thing stopping two baseball teams from opening the season is mutual agreement, said Vanguard University Coach Rob Pegg.
Pegg and the Lions, as is their recent custom, took advantage by opening their season Monday with a nonconference home clash with La Sierra.
In what Pegg believes was the first collegiate baseball game in the nation this season, the Lions rallied for a 14-5 triumph to earn their eighth straight season-opening win.
Vanguard has won its first game against NAIA competition the last 15 seasons.
Junior second baseman Michael Fuchs, a Golden West College transfer, was five for five for the Lions, making him, statistically, the top hitter in the nation, at all levels, with more than one at-bat.
“I told Michael that I dreamed a couple times about going five for five on opening day,” Pegg said.
Vanguard, which reached the 40-win plateau for the second time in program history last season and has played in the NAIA Tournament the last three seasons, including an NAIA World Series appearance in 2015, returns to action Jan. 27 at home against Benedictine University at 2 p.m.
Golden West College opens that same day at home against Palomar (2 p.m.), while OCC opens on Jan. 28 at noon at home against College of the Desert.
UC Irvine baseball begins its season on Feb. 17 at home against Minnesota at 6:30 p.m.
Nelson suffers tweak
UC Irvine men’s basketball coach Russell Turner said after Saturday’s home win against Cal State Fullerton that the most difficult thing to handle in college basketball is success.
And while the Anteaters thumped Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, 70-48, on Wednesday to improve to 5-0 in the Big West Conference and extend their winning streak to seven, there was a setback.
Senior guard Luke Nelson scored just three points in 11 minutes before being held out with what Turner said after the game was a tweak in his hamstring.
Turner said it was in a different area of the muscle than the injury that sidelined Nelson, a first-team all-conference performer as a junior and a four-year starter, the first 15 games. Turner also said benching Nelson was a precautionary move and that he expected Nelson to be available when the ‘Eaters visit Cal State Northridge on Saturday at 7 p.m.
CSUN, which opened the conference season 3-0, suffered its second straight conference defeat Wednesday at Hawaii, leaving UCI 1.5 games ahead of second-place UC Davis, as UCI seeks its third Big West regular-season title in the last four years.
It would not be surprising if Nelson were sidelined at least until next week, since his previous hamstring injury kept him out of action for two months.
VU Hall of Fame class
Recently retired athletic director Bob Wilson and former women’s basketball All-American Kelly Schmidt comprise part of the fifth class inducted into the Vanguard University Athletics Hall of Fame.
Men’s track and field athlete Mike Singletary, as well as the 1974 Lions men’s track and field team, will also be honored by the Vanguard Athletic Board at a Feb. 3 dessert and reception at 7 p.m. at the Newport-Mesa Christian Center (2599 Newport Blvd. in Costa Mesa).
OCC aids cause
The OCC and Fullerton College men’s and women’s basketball teams are asking those attending their games on Friday at Fullerton to donate new toiletries to help local homeless women, as part of Khloe Kares.
Toothpaste, toothbrushes, shaving cream, soap, hand sanitizer, shampoo, combs, brushes, gloves and first-aid items are suggested donations.
Khloe Kares, a community service organization serving Los Angeles and Orange counties, began with a dream by a local 9-year-old girl who wanted to reach out and help those less fortunate.
Then 8, Khloe met Fullerton women’s basketball coach Marcia Foster on a flight and Foster agreed to help her cause.
Khloe will make a presentation at halftime of both games. The women’s game is at 5 p.m., with the men’s game to follow at 7 p.m.
For information on the organization, visit www.khloekares.com.
Ex-Lions earn crown
Jose Rojas and Sean Isaac, NAIA baseball All-Americans at Vanguard last spring, teamed with former OCC and Mississippi State standout Jack Kruger to help the Orem Owlz win the Frontier League title last season.
Rojas, a shortstop at Vanguard who played third base for the Angels’ rookie-league affiliate, hit .308 in 59 games. He was second on the team in hits (68), runs batted in (31), extra-base hits (23) and runs (45). He hit five home runs.
Rojas was two for two and scored a run in the title-clinching victory over Billings.
Kruger hit .330 in 27 games (103 at-bats) with 14 RBIs, while Isaac was 0-1 with a 6.75 earned-run average. Isaac struck out five in four innings.
UCI on the dial
The recent deal with AM830 to carry selected broadcasts of UCI men’s basketball games marks the first time since the 2005-06 seasons that the Anteaters have been covered by a commercial radio station.
