Santa Barbara Faces PCAA Challenge From Fullerton

As far as Cal State Fullerton and UC Santa Barbara are concerned, the time for tinkering is over. The Pacific Coast Athletic Assn. baseball schedule allows them little room for slow starts.

The teams open PCAA play today in Goleta with the first of a three-game weekend series that could go a long way toward determining who will be the conference champion in May. Santa Barbara was the preseason pick of coaches and media to win the title. Pitching-rich Fullerton, Fresno State and Nevada Las Vegas figure to give the Gauchos plenty of competition.

It might have been more to the liking of Santa Barbara Coach Al Ferrer to open PCAA play with a patsy, but the University of the Pacific and Cal State Long Beach are all booked up this weekend. The Gauchos are stuck with the Titans, a team they knocked out of postseason play last season by closing PCAA play with a three-game sweep at Titan Field. Fullerton has won 12 of its last 14 games and is ranked 10th in the nation by Baseball America.

Ferrer might have preferred to play the Titans with a healthy Renay Bryand. Bryand was projected to be the Gauchos’ No. 1 or No. 2 starting pitcher but has been out with an elbow injury since Santa Barbara’s series with Texas three weeks ago.

Even without Bryand, the Gauchos have built a 14-10-2 record against some pretty stiff competition, and are ranked 13th in the nation by Baseball America.

The Gauchos were fifth in the nation in fielding percentage in 1986 but have committed 53 errors in 26 games this season. Ferrer said some minor adjustments have restored his team’s state of defense.

A closer look at the PCAA, in order of the coaches’ predicted finish:

UC SANTA BARBARA

1987 record: 18-3 in the PCAA, 45-19 overall.

Finish: First.

Top Returners: Greg Vella (6-0, Sr., 1B); Tim McKercher (5-10, Jr., C); Erik Johnson (5-11, Sr., SS); Tom Logan (6-0, Sr., DH).

Outlook: Ferrer’s infield chess game has left the Gauchos with Johnson at shortstop, Doug Williams at third base and Russ Ballati at second, and, he hopes, all those errors behind them. The Gauchos set a PCAA record by hitting .365 in conference play last season. Ferrer knows it would be foolish to expect a repeat performance, but likes his lineup’s offensive potential. Logan is hitting .390 with 3 home runs and and 24 RBIs; Vella leads the team with 5 homers and 27 RBIs, and Joe Kemp is at .330 with 3 homers and 24 RBIs. Quinn Mack, who tied for third in the conference in hitting last year, has pushed his average up to .250 after a .160 start.

FRESNO STATE

1987 record: 12-9 in the PCAA, 29-27 overall.

Finish: Tied for third.

Top Returners: John Salles (5-11, Soph., RHP); Mike Goff (6-4, Jr., RHP); Steve Bates (5-10, Sr., OF); Mike Goff (6-4, Jr., RHP).

Outlook: Much will depend on how Goff, once projected as a first-round draft choice, recovers from some off-season arm problems. Goff was named the most valuable player of the U.S. National team at the World Championships in Holland last summer, but developed tendinitis in his pitching shoulder this winter. After going 11-5 with a 3.38 earned-run average for the Bulldogs in 1986, he has begun 1987 with a 2-1 record and an inflated ERA of 5.65. Salles is quite healthy, however, and will take a 7-3 record into PCAA play. Fresno State has made 48 errors in 29 games, a statistic that has contributed to the Bulldogs’ losing four of their last six.

CAL STATE FULLERTON

1987 record: 12-9 in the PCAA, 36-21 overall.

Finish: Tied for third.

Top Returners: Mike Harkey (6-5, Jr., RHP); Larry Casian (6-0, Sr., LHP); Ken Garcia (5-10, Sr., RF); Mark Razook (6-0, Soph., SS).

Outlook: The key for the Titans may be how well they play on the road. Besides the three-game set at Santa Barbara, they play at Fresno State and at UNLV. They were 1-8 against those teams last year, playing all nine games at home. The Fullerton pitching staff has combined for 13 complete games thus far, led by Harkey, freshman Mark Beck, and Orange Coast College transfer Longo Garcia with four each. Either Paul Johnson and Gary Buckles, both right-handers, will need to emerge as a bullpen stopper for Fullerton to be successful in the PCAA race.

NEVADA LAS VEGAS

1987 record: 14-7 in the PCAA, 35-22 overall.

Finish: Second.

Top Returners: Reed Peters (6-1, Jr., OF); Dave Sturdivant (6-0, Jr., C); Scott Lewis (6-2, Jr., RHP); Greg Roscoe (6-3, Sr., RHP).

Outlook: The Rebels were left with a major-league void to fill after the departure of shortstop Matt Williams, a first-team All-American shortstop last season. Williams hit a school-record 25 home runs as a junior, then became the third player chosen overall in pro baseball’s June amateur draft. He is a solid candidate to make the San Francisco Giants’ big-league roster this spring. Pitching is Coach Fred Dallimore’s biggest concern. The Rebels hit a school-record 107 home runs last season, but gave up 112. Through 26 games, the Rebels were leading the conference with a .311 team batting average, but had a pitching staff that had combined for an earned run average of 4.93 and only two complete games.

UC IRVINE

1987 record: 9-12 in PCAA play, 20-26-2 overall.

Finish: Fourth.

Top Returners: Mike Sugar (5-10, Sr., 3B); Gabby Rodriguez (6-4, Sr., LHP); Doug Kline (6-2, Jr., C); Chris Gallego (5-9, Soph., SS).

Outlook: The Anteaters have won six of their last eight games but won’t be taking much momentum into tonight’s 7 p.m. opener against Fresno State. Because of a one-week layoff for exams and three rainouts, Irvine hasn’t played in more than two weeks. Weather permitting, tonight will be the first official home night game in UCI baseball history. Irvine (12-13-1) isn’t a power-hitting team--the Anteaters have hit only 10 home runs this season--but they have hit for a good average (.304). Third baseman Mike Sugar (.353 with 8 doubles and 18 RBIs) and first baseman John Seeburger (.317 with 4 homers and 20 RBIs) have been Irvine’s best hitters.

SAN JOSE STATE

1987 record: 7-14 in the PCAA, 21-33 overall.

Finish: Tied for fifth.

Top Returners: Anthony Telford (6-0, Jr., RHP); Chris Lasaca (5-10, Jr., 2B); Bob Straight (5-9, Sr., 3B/OF).

Outlook: Gene Menges has retired after 17 seasons as the Spartans’ coach, giving Sam Piaro his first chance to coach at the major college level. Piaro inherits a team that has six pitchers returning, including ace right-hander Anthony Telford, who already has 77 strikeouts in 58 innings. Piaro’s pitching staff has 13 complete games and seven shutouts this season and leads the PCAA with a 2.77 team ERA. The pitching depth has enabled the Spartans, who won all of 21 games last season, to get off to a 19-9 start.

CAL STATE LONG BEACH

1987 record: 5-6 in the PCAA, 14-33 overall.

Finish: Last.

Top Returners: Mark Fryan (6-2, Sr. 2B); Derek Stewart (6-2, Sr., 3B), Chris Gill (5-10, Soph., SS).

Outlook: Long Beach has finished above the .500 mark only once in the past seven seasons. And, with nowhere to go but up, the 49ers may be going nowhere. Their pitching staff, which ranked last in the conference last season with a 7.28 ERA, again appears thin, and their infield play has been erratic. Gill and Stewart, the left side of the infield, have combined to commit 26 errors already as Long Beach has stumbled to a 9-22-1 start.

PACIFIC

1987 record: 7-14 in the PCAA, 22-26 overall.

Finish: Tied for fifth.

Top Returners: Joe Ortiz (5-11, Sr., C); Beau Hill (5-11, Jr., SS); Doug Nelson (5-11, Sr., RHP).

Outlook: Bleak. The Tigers lost their first six games and don’t appear to have the hitting or pitching to be competitive in this conference. UOP pitchers have already walked 144 batters in 227 innings. Four-year starter Vince Brigman hit .281 and led the team with five home runs last season, but has struggled to a .161 start after going 2 for 50 at one stretch.