COLLEGE BASEBALL ’87 : CAL STATE NORTHRIDGE : Depth, Veteran Cast Give Matadors Hope

Terry Craven manages a slight smile recalling the incident, but at the time it wasn’t funny.

The game was last year against Cal Poly Pomona. Craven’s lineup for the Cal State Northridge baseball team was a little, uh, out of character.

His No. 2 catcher started at catcher.

His No. 3 catcher was at third base.

His starting left fielder was at shortstop.

His No. 2 third baseman was at second base.

During the game, the No. 2 third baseman who was playing second base got kicked out.

“I went out to the umpire and said, ‘OK, I know in basketball a coach has a minute to figure out who his substitute is going to be when a guy gets kicked out. You see those three guys sitting up there in the stands? Those are the guys I’d like to put in. How much time are you going to give me?’

“It’s at times like those you realize just how important depth is.”

Depth is now the least Craven’s worries. Northridge has 24 of the 27 players back from last year’s team as it opens its season against an alumni team on Saturday.

Considering last season’s record--23-26 overall, 14-15 in the California Collegiate Athletic Assn.--that could be good or bad. Craven is taking an optimistic view.

“We have good pitching depth and position depth,” he said. “We lost a pitcher, a shortstop and an outfielder, but I think we’ve replaced all three with guys who are as good our better than they were.”

The Matadors also have one key acquisition. His name is Dan Penner, a 5-11, 185-pound pitcher who transferred to CSUN from Hawaii where he was a starting pitcher for two years. Craven is hoping that Penner will team with Jeremy Hernandez to account for about 20 wins.

“You usually can count on about 10 wins from a real top pitcher and if both of these guys stay healthy and do what they should do we could get that from each of them,” Craven said.

Hernandez, 6-5, 195, was 6-6 last season, but pitched considerably better than his record would indicate. Hernandez had a 2.56 earned run average and 64 strikeouts in 91 innings, despite being bothered by a sore elbow for much of the season.

John LaRosa, Alan Jaeger and Leo Ramirez are battling for the final two starting spots in CSUN’s pitching rotation. LaRosa was 4-3 with a 4.39 ERA last season. Jaeger and Ramirez are community college transfers.

Whoever is on the mound shouldn’t be lacking in offensive support. Outfielders Scott Stewart and Craig Burns and shortstop Chris Pinsak all hit better than .300 last season. First baseman John Balfanz hit .287 and led the CCAA with 19 home runs and was third in the conference with 49 runs batted in.

Scott McIntyre will start at catcher for the Matadors and Jim Mitchell returns at second base. Tim Rapp and Mark Herbert are battling for the starting nod at third base, replacing Pinsak, who has moved to shortstop. Jim Vatcher and Mark Anderson should also see action in the outfield. Rob Scott, a first baseman-outfielder, will be tried at designated hitter.

Craven is in his third year as coach after taking over the program in 1985, a year after the Matadors had won the Division II national championship. The Matadors were third in the CCAA in Craven’s first season, and fourth last season.

This season, he feels the team has the personnel it needs to get back on top. Way up top.

“I think a national championship is a legitimate goal to shoot for,” Craven said. “We have as much as ability as it takes to win one if the players who should come through do.”