Community College Notebook / Steve Kresal : This Aussie Has Been Awesome at Saddleback

When Carl Hinds was deciding whether he wanted to continue playing competitive tennis after high school, he knew it would not be in his native Australia.

There are no teams on the college level, and only a select few make it to the country’s sports academy. Hinds, who played on club teams and won the Victorian 18-and-under Schoolboys’ Championship in 1986, knew he would have to look to the United States to keep playing.

Hinds and his father came to the West Coast last summer to get a firsthand look and to talk with coaches. He settled on San Diego State, but there were problems with transferring units from another school. So, San Diego State Coach Hugh Bream told Hinds to contact Saddleback College Coach Bill Otta because Hinds would have a much easier time getting into a community college.

Hinds, 20, contacted Otta in September, and after being accepted, started classes in January.

“It was a really tough decision to leave all my friends to come here,” Hinds said. “But I had to decide how much a part of my life I wanted tennis to be and the time was right to do it now.”

Hinds, along with Ed Peregrino, have helped Saddleback remain the top-ranked men’s tennis team in the state. Hinds is the second-ranked singles player in the state and Peregrino is third. Hinds went from unknown to the top five when he won a singles tournament in Santa Barbara in January, before the dual-match season started.

Hinds has built a 17-1 record in dual matches. He is 10-0 in Orange Empire Conference play for first-place Saddleback. His only loss came against Cal Poly Pomona.

“I get a few calls like that each year,” Otta said of the call from San Diego State. “Very seldom does something ever come out of it. But this time, we got a pretty good player out of it. At first, I figured that he would be about our No. 3 or 4 player, but he’s really come on.”

Hinds says California is very much like his hometown of Victoria, and he has had very little trouble adjusting. He says the climate and the life style are pretty much the same. But everything isn’t perfect.

Hinds, who rents a room in San Juan Capistrano, doesn’t have a car. Instead, he has to depend on rides from teammates to and from school as well as other places.

“Dad is the one with the funds and he doesn’t think I need a car,” Hinds said. “Meanwhile, he’s bloody bouncing around on a kangaroo and I’m here stuck without transportation,” Hinds joked.

Men’s tennis showdown: Saddleback plays host to Orange Coast (9-1 in conference) at 2 today for the conference title. Saddleback won the first meeting, 6-3.

OCC, ranked third in the state, is led by singles players Eric Rebitzer, ranked No. 7 in the state, and John Gabriel, who is ranked No. 15. Saddleback’s doubles team of Peregrino and Jamil Atcha and Orange Coast’s team of Rebitzer and Gabriel are tied for second in the state doubles ranking.

In women’s tennis, Orange Coast (10-0 in conference) can clinch the conference title Thursday when it travels to Golden West (9-1). Golden West’s only loss came earlier this season to Orange Coast, 6-3.

Orange Coast crew: The Orange Coast Freshman Eight defeated California to win its division in the Stanford Rowing tournament on San Francisco Bay Sunday.

The Pirates won the final race in 5 minutes 57 seconds over California (6:11). Orange Coast beat UCLA, 6:06 to 6:20, in the semifinal round.

In the JV Eight, Orange Coast defeated UCLA, 6:07 to 6:10, for third place. Orange Coast lost to Brown, 5:52 to 5:59, in the semifinals. Brown went on to win the meet.

Community College Notes

Orange Coast baseball player Eddie Pierce has signed with Tennessee, Orange Coast said Monday. Pierce, a left-handed outfielder and relief pitcher, is hitting .346 this season. He also is 3-0 with three saves as a pitcher. He played his freshman season at UC Santa Barbara before transferring to OCC this season. . . . This has been a painful season for Cypress batters, who have been hit by a pitch a conference-leading 39 times in 36 games. Doug Yates and Bobby Thome have been hit nine times each and Brett Gregory has been plunked seven times. . . . Jack Bailey set a Rancho Santiago record for career innings pitched Saturday when he went the first seven as the Dons defeated Riverside, 19-2. Bailey has pitched 187 2/3 innings, passing David Tellers, who pitched 186 1/3 in 1987 and ’88. Tellers is 11-2 this season for San Jose State. . . . Rancho Santiago softball pitcher Natalie Sanchez has not allowed an earned run in her last 47 innings. . . . Mike Varos, who made a Cypress record 78 three-pointers last season, was voted the basketball team’s most valuable player.