The Colleges : Schedule Maker Toughest Foe for Cal Poly Pomona

The Cal State Northridge and Cal Poly Pomona baseball teams, and their respective records, offer an interesting contrast in regard to scheduling.

Division I schools shy away from scheduling Division II opponents because it can only hurt them, win or lose, in terms of power ratings that help determine bids to the NCAA tournament. And by the time Bill Kernen replaced Terry Craven as coach at Northridge in June, most school’s schedules already had been completed. The Matadors’ 11-game preconference schedule included dates with Division I opponents University of San Diego, Pepperdine, St. Mary’s and Cal State Long Beach. Absent, however, were the usual games against such schools as USC, UCLA and Arizona State.

The Matadors (10-2) played two games against Cal Lutheran and one each against Westmont and The Master’s College, winning every game--and gaining confidence--against those NAIA opponents. Pomona (3-12), with the venerable John Scolinos at the helm, scheduled 12 of its first 13 games against Division I opponents, including USC, Arizona State, the University of San Diego, UC Santa Barbara, Loyola Marymount, Pepperdine, UC Irvine and Cal State Fullerton.

Cardiac kids: Cal State Northridge has won 10 of its 12 baseball games, yet has outscored its opponents by only one run.

Five of the Matadors’ wins were by a run. Another was by two runs and three others were by three runs. CSUN’s losses: 15-2 to Cal State Long Beach and 5-3 to Pomona.

Don’t count them out: Pomona, which defeated Northridge, 5-3, Wednesday at Matador Field, is off to a slow start. So it would seem that Northridge (10-2 overall, 3-1 in the CCAA) and the defending conference champion Broncos (2-3 in conference play) are heading in different directions.

Not so, says Kernen, who knows all too well the magic that Scolinos inevitably seems to work each year.

Scolinos, in his 26th season at Pomona, has won three NCAA Division II national titles with teams that traditionally start sluggishly.

“These guys are going to be there right at the end,” Kernen said after Northridge had held off a ninth-inning rally to defeat Pomona, 9-8, Tuesday. “It’s way too early for us to know if we’re going to be in the middle of the race, but if we are, those guys will be right there with us somewhere, too. They’re an outstanding team.”

Cougar clout: College of the Canyons’ 41-game home winning streak was ended by Cerritos College on Tuesday, but the Cougars’ preference for their own park is still readily apparent. Canyons, which lost, 25-11, to Cerritos, has scored 64 runs in four home games this season. “I don’t know why but we are a better team at home,” said Len Mohney, whose team suffered its first home loss in his three seasons as head coach.

The Cougars (6-6) will open defense of their Western State Conference title today at Santa Barbara.

Joy stick: Chris Joy led Canyons in home runs and runs batted in as a freshman, but after nine games this season he was still without a home run. But in the past three games, he has made up for lost time by belting five homers.

“Home runs just happen, you can’t plan them,” Joy said. “I’m usually a slow starter and then I finish up strong.”

If so, he’s starting early.

CSUN statwatch: Three individual single-season basketball records have been erased at Northridge. Darren Matsubara had 129 assists and Derrick Gathers set standards for most three-point field goals attempted (165) and made (68). Gathers also tied the record for most three-point shots (six) in a game.

The Matadors also set four team records for long-distance shooting and one for scoring. Records that fell were for three-point attempts in a game (24), shots made in a game (12), attempts in a season (368), shots made in a season (149), and points in a game, 118 against Bethany Bible.

In the final California Collegiate Athletic Assn. regular-season statistics, Gathers was fifth in the conference in scoring average (16.9) and seventh in rebounding (7.0). Matsubara was tied for third in assists (129) and ninth in three-point field-goal percentage (43.1%). Todd Bowser was 10th in rebounding (6.4).

In women’s basketball, CSUN center Chris Cavalin was fourth in the CCAA in scoring average (15 points) and second in rebounding (11.3). Forward Julie Arlotto was ninth in scoring (12.4) and guard Vicki Mallett was seventh in assists (3.6).

The Lady Matadors, who will begin playoff action at 6 tonight against Chapman College at Cal Poly Pomona, equaled a team record for wins with 20.

Moving on: He was in constant motion on the practice field, quick with both praise and a one-liner. Former assistant Mark Lovett--and his sunglasses with the red-and-white checkered rims--will definitely be missed when spring drills begin at Cal State Northridge next month.

“You do not replace a guy like that,” said Bob Burt, CSUN’s head coach. “His enthusiasm and energy level are to be admired. Those St. Genevieve players, I’ll bet, are going to be running on a different set of cylinders than they ever have before.”

Lovett was hired last week to replace Kevin Kane as football coach at St. Genevieve High.

Staff writers Mike Hiserman, Gary Klein, Ralph Nichols and Sam Farmer contributed to this notebook.