College Review : Two Coaches for the Same Team Work Perfectly for UCSD Softball

Lin Adams and Lisa Bassi have known each other for 15 years. So it somehow seems appropriate that they would end up coaching the same team at the same school.

Adams and Bassi applied for the job of softball coach at UC San Diego when the previous coach, Colleen Wight, left early in the spring to take a job at the University of San Francisco.

“We both heard about the job and sent resumes in,” Adams said. “We were both interviewed, and they asked us if we would consider co-coaching.”

The Tritons seems to be thriving under the influence of their co-coaches.

UCSD is 15-3, having won nine straight and 15 of its last 16. The Tritons’ only losses have been to Division II Cal Poly San Luis Obispo (twice) and Cal State San Bernardino. The Tritons are ranked No. 2 in the West in Division III, behind Central College of Iowa.

UCSD plays at Cal State Stanislaus today and will travel to the University of the Pacific tournament Friday through Sunday.

Two keys for UCSD have been its pitchers--senior Patty Hurtt and freshman Stacy Sasaki. Hurtt is 7-2 with a 1.71 earned-run average and Sasaki is 8-1 with a 1.21 ERA.

The Tritons are hitting .319, led by Hurtt (.418), Michelle Mundee (.393) and Tracey Kehr (.333).

Adams said the real difference this season has been defense. The Tritons have committed 21 errors in 18 games, and most of the errors occurred early in the season.

“Neither of our pitchers are overpowering,” Adams said, noting a combined 44 strikeouts of 472 batters faced. “We’ve been concentrating on playing good defense. Our kids get the ball hit at them all the time, and they have to know how to handle it.”

Adams left her position as assistant vice president of academic affairs at Pepperdine to return to coaching. Bassi was the girls’ softball coach at Huntington Beach High School and an assistant at Fullerton College.

“It’s been a great situation,” Adams said. “The thing that is challenging about it is that we have some of the same basic philosophies, but we’ve been coached in college by different people and learned to do some things differently.”

The U.S. International women’s golf team, ranked 12th in the Division I poll, lost its top player, freshman Susan Shapcott, when she left the team to pursue a professional career in Europe. She was 22nd in the nation on the NCAA’s computerized rankings.

The Gulls still have junior Allison Shapcott, Susan’s sister, who is ranked No. 25. Senior Helen Alfredson is rebounding from a slow winter start and is ranked No. 113. Alfredson was a preseason second-team All-American.

The Golden State Athletic Conference women’s track and field championships March 19 came down to the final event--the shotput.

Point Loma Nazarene College needed a fifth-place finish by Stacey Haines to clinch the title for the Crusaders.

Haines’ toss of 37-8 beat a 37-6 throw by Anna Butz of Fresno Pacific for fifth, and Point Loma Nazarene finished with 95 points. Fresno Pacific was second with 94, and Azusa Pacific was third with 92 points.

Point Loma was led by Susanne Johansson, who won the triple jump (36-1) and the 400-meter hurdles (60.3), and Shandel Reddic, who won the high jump (5-4) and the 100-meter hurdles (14.87).

Gary Williams of Palomar and Reggie Jordan of Southwestern were named to the J.C. Athletic Bureau/California Community Colleges Basketball Coaches Assn. all-state team.

Williams, a 6-foot-4 sophomore guard from Dominguez High School in Compton, led Palomar to the state tournament. Jordan is a 6-3 sophomore guard from Proviso East High School in Chicago.

MiraCosta’s Valerie Whitford, a 5-7 guard, was named to the women’s team. Whitford is from East St. Louis, Ill.

Several local community college track and field athletes have top marks in the state this season.

Three of the best are from Mesa College--Jackie Anderson (Mt. Miguel), No. 1 in the long jump (18-11 1/2, wind-aided); Janet Castater (Serra), No. 2 in the shotput (41-7), and Michelle Campbell (Crawford), No. 3 in the shotput (40-11).

Craig Johnson of Grossmont is second in the javelin (187-5), and MiraCosta’s Chris Vincent is third in the 800 meters (1:52.1). Osmond Swangegan is second in the 400-meter hurdles (52.64) and Larry Williams is third (52.87). Both are from San Diego Mesa.