COLLEGE BASEBALL ’87 : CAL LUTHERAN : Pitching Is a Kingsmen-Size Question Mark

It wasn’t so much that Cal Lutheran didn’t play impressive baseball a year ago--the Kingsmen piled up a 25-17 record--but the question remains just how good they might have been with a strong pitching staff. While the issue remains a dark mystery this season, there are at least glimmers of new hope.

Offensively, the Kingsmen are beyond hope. After batting .335 as a team and scoring an average of seven runs during the 1986 season, they know they can hit.

First baseman Ed Howard led CLU with nine home runs and a school-record 51 runs batted in. The senior, who was an honorable mention All-District III selection last season, hit .338 and is expected to again bolster the Kingsmen lineup. Like most baseball players in the preseason, he is optimistic about 1987.

“The coaches have been pushing us hard in practice,” Howard said. “And so far we’ve come together as a team. I think we’ll be 100% better than last year.”

Besides Howard, the Kingsmen have four other returning starters, including catcher Kevin Wynn, who hit .348 last year. Junior center fielder Scott Francis also returns. He hit .325 and led the team with 13 stolen bases. Mike Kusmuk, who missed 12 games with an injured shoulder and then came back to bat .371 and drive in 22 runs in 29 games, will play third base.

Newcomers at CLU include first baseman Chris Portis, Stacey Kruse and Dennis Mahilik.

CLU is hoping and praying that pitcher Gene McGary has recovered after injuring the tendons in his elbow near the start of last season. McGary was 2-0 before the injury put him out. In two practice games this month, McGary pitched six innings, giving up just one hit.

“He’s our ace,” Howard said. “He’s looked good so far.”

Two freshman pitchers, identical twins Kyle and Kade Duey, both 6-3 and 210 pounds, have also looked good in practice. In addition, Chris Vanole, a senior right-hander who finished 4-5 last year, will return. As bad as it was a year ago, Vanole had the staff’s best earned-run average (4.34).

It is likely that the season will hold up as well as the pitchers do. “The pitching should be better than last year,” one CLU official said. “But who knows? Last year we didn’t have anybody.”