SportsScope : Broncos to Challenge League Baseball Leaders

The Cal Poly Pomona baseball team has an outside chance to win its second consecutive California Collegiate Athletic Assn. title, but the Broncos need a strong performance in a three-game series against first-place Cal Poly San Luis Obispo on Friday and Saturday.

The teams meet for a single game at 3 p.m. Friday and a double-header at noon Saturday, all at Pomona.

San Luis Obispo entered the week at 17-9 in the conference, three games ahead of second-place Pomona, and 27-20 overall. Pomona is 13-11 in the CCAA and 20-26 overall.

Pomona has been led by catcher Chris Goldbach, who leads the conference with a .398 batting average and is tied with outfielder Chris Butterfield for a team-high six home runs. Outfielder Brian Grier has a 10-game hitting streak and a .349 average.

The Broncos have won in the conference behind pitching of Wayne Koklys, who is 6-0 and has a 1.50 earned-run average in CCAA games. Pomona’s longtime coach is John Scolinos, who has the most wins among active baseball coaches.

San Luis Obispo swept three games from Cal State Los Angeles last week. The Mustangs have a strong pitching staff with Dave Wilson at 5-5 with a 2.58 ERA and Greg Paxton at 7-2.

The Mustangs are led in hitting by outfielder Billy Smith at .321 and first baseman Pat Kirby at .303. Smith and Kirby share the CCAA lead in doubles with four each.

The Pomona-Pitzer women’s tennis team, which was undefeated in Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play, has been seeded No. 2 in the NCAA Division III national tournament that starts Monday at Claremont-Mudd-Scripps.

The Sagehens are seeded behind Gustavus Adolphus of Minnesota, which defeated Pomona-Pitzer, 5-4, this season. Pomona-Pitzer has drawn a first-round bye and will face Skidmore of New York in its opening match Tuesday.

“In terms of talent, we would be an even match for anyone in the draw,” Coach Lisa Beckett said. “We lost to Gustavus Adolphus but it was a close match. We’re definitely in the running (for the title). We just have to be mentally prepared.”

Pomona-Pitzer enters the 10-team national tournament after posting a record of 10-0 in the SCIAC and 23-2 overall. The Sagehens, who finished sixth in the Division III nationals last year, will be appearing in the nationals for the sixth time in eight years.

The Sagehens have been led in singles by senior Karen Nilsen and freshman Shelley Keeler, who have qualified for the individual championships. Nilsen and Keeler also could be the favorite in doubles, where they have a 23-0 record this season.

Conference rivals Claremont-Mudd-Scripps and Occidental have qualified individuals for the tournament, although neither school advanced as a team.

In singles, competitors include Sue Hulse of Occidental and Mari Uchida of Claremont. Occidental also qualified its top doubles team of Hulse and Kim Black.

The Cal Poly Pomona women’s softball team will try to wrap up third place in the Big West Conference when it plays host to San Diego State in a double-header at 1:30 p.m. Saturday at Pomona.

Pomona entered the week ranked No. 11 in NCAA Division I with a 35-20 record and third in the Big West at 21-11. San Diego State is in eighth place in the Big West at 9-23 and 18-34-1 overall.

The Broncos are hoping to secure their eighth straight berth in the Division I playoffs, which start in two weeks.

Pomona has been led by senior catcher Denise Correa, who is hitting .285. Senior outfielder Nikki Busch and freshman infielder Shellie McCall lead the Broncos, each with 22 runs batted.

The Broncos, coached by Carol Spanks, rely on the pitching of sophomore Nicky Luce and senior Lori Thompson.

San Diego State’s top players are second baseman Robin Long, who has a .291 batting average, and pitcher Michelle Wesson, who is 6-15 with a 1.42 earned-run average.

After guiding Pomona-Pitzer to the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference men’s basketball title last season as an interim coach, Charles Katsiaficas has been appointed to the position full-time by the athletic department.

Katsiaficas coached the Sagehens to first place in the SCIAC at 9-1 and an 18-10 overall record last season. Pomona-Pitzer finished third in the NCAA Division III playoffs regional playoffs.

He was also an assistant at Pomona-Pitzer in 1984-86 and was interim coach during the 1986-87 season, while former Coach Gregg Popovich was on a sabbatical, and coached the Sagehens to second place in the SCIAC at 7-3.

Before returning to coach Pomona-Pitzer, he was an assistant at the University of San Diego in 1987-88.

Mickey McAulay, an assistant coach at Cal Poly Pomona the last two seasons, has been named women’s basketball coach at the University of Redlands.

Pomona has been one of the perennial powers in NCAA Division II since the division was formed in 1982 and the Broncos were successful in McAulay’s two seasons as an assistant. Pomona reached the Division II quarterfinals in 1988 and the finals last season.

McAulay also posted a 60-35 record in four years as a high school coach at Katella in Anaheim, including her 1987 team that went 27-3 and reached the CIF 3-A Division finals.

Jim Barker, an assistant football coach at the University of Nevada-Reno last season, has been named by Pomona-Pitzer as its baseball coach and a football assistant.

A graduate of USC, Barker was a baseball and football coach at Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Assn. rival Occidental from 1982 to 1985.