College Baseball Preview: PCAA and WCAC : Fullerton, Pepperdine Are Teams to Beat

Playing in the Southern California Baseball Assn. was tough enough, but thanks to the powers that be in the West Coast Athletic Conference, Cal State Fullerton, UC Santa Barbara, Cal State Long Beach, UC Irvine and Nevada Las Vegas must now compete in the Pacific Coast Athletic Assn., which figures to be even more difficult.

The PCAA was, in effect, forced to resume sponsoring a baseball league when the WCAC announced plans last summer to play a baseball schedule in 1985.

One of the main reasons for the realignment was to enable teams to play the maximum number of conference games while reducing the amount of travel.

That should dispel any rumors that the SCBA disbanded just because Fullerton won or shared every title since the conference was formed in 1977. In so doing, the Titans compiled a 173-46-1 record--that’s a winning percentage of .789.

For Fullerton, Santa Barbara and Long Beach, it will be sort of like going home. They played in the old PCAA, which broke up when the SCBA was created. Interestingly, Fullerton won the last two PCAA titles.

The new PCAA will consist of eight teams with competition being held in two divisions. Fullerton, Long Beach, Irvine and Las Vegas comprise the Southern Division; Santa Barbara, Fresno State, San Jose State and Pacific the Northern Division.

Each member will play a 30-game conference schedule with six games against each division opponent and three games against each team from the other division. All games count toward determining the division champions, who will meet in a best-of-three series to decide the league titlist.

Fresno State, also a member of the old PCAA, San Jose State and Pacific had been in the Northern California Baseball Assn. with Santa Clara, St. Mary’s, San Francisco and Nevada Reno. Those four teams will now play in the WCAC with Pepperdine, Loyola Marymount and the University of San Diego, who were in the SCBA.

Bob Bennett, who coached Fresno State to the last six NCBA titles and seven of eight overall since the league was formed, welcomes the challenge of playing in a stronger conference.

“I’m glad we’re moving into the PCAA because I’d like to put to rest the notion that all the other teams we’ve been playing have been weak,” he said.

“When you consider that the PCAA includes Fullerton, Fresno State and Nevada Las Vegas, all teams that advanced to the (NCAA) playoffs, certainly there can’t be any criticism of who’s playing who.

“I’m happy to be moving into the PCAA from that standpoint, as well as from the standpoint that I think we have a chance to gain notoriety around the rest of the country with this league.”

Al Ferrer, whose Santa Barbara team shared the SCBA championship with Fullerton in 1983, also looks forward to competing in PCAA.

“The conference and the schedule are very difficult,” he said. “The new alignment kind of excites me, just because it’s something different. You learn how to coach under one structure, then when they restructure things, you learn it all over again because different games take on a different significance.”

Fresno State and Santa Barbara look strong enough to win any league this season, but then so does Fullerton. In fact, the Titans were picked to win the conference in a poll of the PCAA coaches.

Fullerton lost several key players, including virtually the entire pitching staff, from the team that finished 66-20 and won the school’s second national championship. But Coach Augie Garrido has a solid nucleus with which to build another fine club.

The top returnee is John Fishel, who played left field last year and batted .378 (tops on the club), hit 16 homers, drove in 88 runs and stole 28 bases. Fishel, who’ll play third base and the outfield, batted .520 with 10 RBIs in the College World Series and was named tournament MVP.

Also back are second baseman Jose Mota (.357, 47 RBIs), shortstop Shane Turner (.276, 37 RBIs) and third baseman Blaine Larker (.291), who’ll share the position with Fishel.

Garrido also has a solid group of newcomers--17 in all--including junior college transfers Mike Belanger (San Joaquin Delta), Dion Beck (Cerritos) and Mike Schooler (Golden West), who’ll head the new pitching staff.

“Our veterans will have to carry us early in the season,” Garrido said.

Santa Barbara (third in the SCBA and 46-21 overall) has a platoon of veterans that Ferrer thinks is good enough to win the league title and advance to Omaha, site of the College World Series.

“Our goal is always to improve, always to go forward,” he said. “Just the fact that we would even talk about Omaha as a goal indicates how far this program has come. A few years ago we were just trying to finish in the top half of our league.”

The Gauchos will be led by first baseman Dave Stewart (.365, 12 homers, 65 RBIs, 9 game-winning hits), third baseman Bill Geivett (.388, best in the SCBA), shortstop Erik Johnson (.296, 33 RBIs) and catcher Joe Kmak (.292, 1 error in 52 games).

Left-handers George Bonilla (8-5, 2.87 earned run average, 82 strikeouts in 103 innings) and Steve Connolly (4-0, 3.38 ERA) are the team’s top pitchers.

Fresno State will miss All-American pitcher John Hoover, who led the nation in wins (18-3) and strikeouts (205 in 176 innings), center fielder Scott Buss (.404) and others from last year’s 54-12-2 team, but Bennett is optimistic about the Bulldogs’ chances.

Among the many experienced players he has back are All-District 8 shortstop Joe Xavier (.305, 43 RBIs, only 11 errors in 68 games) and right-handed pitchers Mark Gardner (8-1. 3.83 ERA) and Eric Solberg (4-0, 4.37 ERA).

The key returnee is center fielder Eric Fox, a second team All-American in 1983 when he batted .363 with 6 homers, 44 RBIs and 31 stolen bases. Fox redshirted last season while recovering from a knee injury he suffered while playing for the U.S. team in the Pan American Games.

Irvine finished sixth in the SCBA and was only 23-34-1 overall, but the Anteaters look strong enough, at least offensively, to be considered a darkhorse.

Coach Mike Gerakos has an experienced lineup that includes shortstop Adam Ging (.340, 7 homers, 42 RBIs), center fielder Brady Anderson (.345) and right fielder Paul Hammond (.317, 37 RBIs).

Like the PCAA, the WCAC also will have two divisions. Pepperdine, Loyola and San Diego comprise the Southern Division, with Santa Clara, St. Mary’s, San Francisco and Nevada Reno forming the Northern Division. The teams will play a 24-game schedule, using the same format as the PCAA, but there won’t be a playoff. Instead, the team with the best record wins the title.

Pepperdine, fourth in the SCBA and 39-21 overall, definitely appears to be the team to beat. The Waves are loaded, having lost just one regular player--right fielder/designated hitter/pitcher Martin Montano, who batted .353 with 8 homers and 44 RBIs and won 7 games.

“Looking at our roster, I think we are one of the nation’s strongest defensive clubs,” Coach Dave Gorrie said. “I do not expect this club to beat itself too often.

“Our pitching should be steady. We have people that can get the job done at the plate, and our lineup does not have any sure outs. This team has depth, and that is something we have lacked in the past.”

The Waves’ lineup includes first baseman Chris Johnson (a team-leading .329 average, 42 RBIs, only 7 errors in 744 chances), second baseman Andy Stankiewicz (.306, 11 homers, 35 RBIs, 27 stolen bases), catcher Chad Kreuter (.291, 6 homers, 38 RBIs) and left fielder Brad Bierley (.284, 41 RBIs).

Right-handers Mike Fetters (10-2, 2.84 ERA), Scott Marrett (3-1, 3.40 ERA) and David Miramontes (4-3, 5 saves, 4.88 ERA) head a deep pitching staff.

Despite its poor 1984 season (seventh in the SCBA, 23-38 overall), Loyola could mount a challenge. The Lions have a new head coach--Dave Snow, formerly the pitching coach at Fullerton who replaced the deposed Marv Wood--and several skilled returnees.

Back are outfielders Billy Bean (.338, 6 homers, 43 RBIs), Reggie Lambert (.347, 30 steals), shortstop Robby Foster (.331, 32 RBIs) and catcher Jim McAnany (.304, 5 homers, 37 RBIs).