Northridge Left Out of Baseball Playoff Field

The Cal State Northridge baseball season ended with a late-night phone call Sunday when the Matadors learned that they will not be invited to the NCAA Division II West Regionals.

Northridge (30-19-1) was passed over in favor of San Francisco State (30-20), the Northern California Athletic Conference champion. Cal Poly San Luis Obispo (30-23), which edged CSUN for the California Collegiate Athletic Assn. championship and the CCAA’s automatic playoff bid, and Cal State Sacramento (35-17), an independent, were the other teams selected for this weekend’s regional in San Luis Obispo.

Although the Matadors play in a tougher conference than San Francisco, have been ranked in the top 10 much of the season, and have played a more difficult schedule, the five-member selection committee was impressed by San Francisco’s conference title.

“Any time you have a conference championship, that has to be an overwhelming factor in the selection,” said UC Riverside Coach Jack Smitheran, a committee member. “That’s why we all play in a conference.”

But the selectors have ignored that in the past, inviting the CCAA runner-up to the playoffs several times. In 1984, Northridge won a national title after finishing second in conference play.

“We were hoping they would take the level of achievement into account,” first-year Matador Coach Bill Kernen said. “We were hoping that would be the criteria they would use to decide.

“It’s frustrating for me in that the players don’t get a chance to compete for the national championship.”

Twenty-four teams were invited to eight regional tournaments Sunday with the regional winners advancing to the national championships. But, unlike the Division I system, the Division II selection committee is not allowed to send a team out of its region to compete in the playoffs.

“If you have a good program and you’re looking for a place to play, Division I will help you out,” Cal Poly Coach Steve McFarland said. “Northridge has a good overall record; they have a good program. But they can’t find a place in the United States for them to play.”