New Challenge Faces CSUN in Bid For Title

If results from the Cal State Northridge softball Tournament of Champions are any indication, the race in the California Collegiate Athletic Assn. should be tight.

The 13-team CSUN tournament, which included all six CCAA members, gave coaches and players a chance to size each other up. And what they saw was parity.

CSUN, with its deepest pitching staff ever, appears to be ready to defend its CCAA title and to make a serious run at its fourth consecutive NCAA Division II championship. San Luis Obispo, meanwhile, gave indications that it will once again be a tight conference race.

CSUN and conference-rival Cal Poly San Luis Obispo played to a scoreless tie Sunday in the title game of the tournament. The game was called after eight innings because of darkness.

“Cal Poly has a real strong team,” CSUN Coach Gary Torgeson said. “I said before the tournament that this would show us where we stand. Well, here we are.”

CSUN defeated Cal State Chico, 11-0, and Cal State Hayward, 6-2, in quarterfinal and semifinal games earlier on Sunday. CSUN (26-6-1) finished the tournament 8-0-1.

The Lady Matadors, who were rained out of conference doubleheaders against Cal State Bakersfield and UC Riverside earlier this month, will finally open its CCAA schedule against Cal State Dominguez Hills at home on Saturday.

CSUN’s strength lies in its pitching staff which features Kathy Slaten, Delanee Anderson and Lisa Martin.

Slaten (8-3-1), a three time All-American, pitched 19 scoreless innings during the tournament and struck out 18. Anderson (10-1) won three games and made it 73 consecutive innings without giving up an earned run. Martin (6-1) pitched two one-hitters and demonstrated great poise when the Lady Matadors got behind early against Cal State Hayward.

Center fielder Barbara Jordan, the most valuable player in the CCAA last season, was named MVP in the tournament after going 12 for 29 with nine runs scored, seven stolen bases and three outstanding catches on defense.

Left fielder Beth Onestinghel, voted as the tournament’s outstanding offensive player, was 11 for 27, with two triples, two doubles and eight runs batted in.

CSUN first baseman Kelly Winn, outfielder Priscilla Rouse and catcher Jamie Gray were also named all-tournament.

Last season, San Luis Obispo finished 16-4 in the CCAA--one game behind CSUN. The Mustangs, with an experienced group of players returning, have a nucleus that could dethrone the Lady Matadors.

The Mustangs are led by All-American left fielder Jill Hancock, who played at Monroe High and Pierce College. Hancock, a senior, made a perfect throw to home in the seventh inning to stop CSUN’s Terri Lamoree from scoring what would have been the game-winning run.

San Luis Obispo also has all-conference players in catcher Kecia Gorman, who is from Thousand Oaks, shortstop Lisa Houk and first baseman Carmen John.

Randie Hill, a sophomore pitcher, was an All-West Region pick last season after going 26-12. Patty Zoll, a sophomore transfer from UC Riverside, figures to help give the Mustangs a solid one-two pitching combination.

Chapman, which came into the tournament as the top-ranked team in Division II, lost in the tournament to Bakersfield, San Luis Obispo and Hayward.

Last season, the Panthers were 12-8 in the CCAA. That mark should improve this season behind all-conference outfielder Karen Yamaguchi and freshman pitcher Casey Tacason, who pitched a perfect game against CSUN in the championship game of the Chico Tournament four weeks ago.

Cal State Dominguez Hills finished third in the tournament and has two good pitchers in senior Barb Steffen, who was all-conference last season, and freshman Denise Biller. The Toros, however, will have to shore up their defense if they want to compete with the best teams in the conference and improve on last season’s 7-13 record.

UC Riverside, which also finished 7-13 last season, has a chance to do well if first-year coach Doug Urda can find another pitcher to go along with Tracy Webber, who held Northridge to three hits in the first game of the tournament.

All-conference center fielder Janice Heriford leads Cal State Bakersfield, which has showed that it’s much better than last season’s 1-19 conference record. The Roadrunners don’t have enough pitching or depth to contend for the conference title.