CAL STATE FULLERTON NOTEBOOK : Former Titan Pitcher Ferrieri Finds Work in Foreign Legion of Softball

JoAnn Ferrieri left Cal State Fullerton with some very marketable skills--pitching and hitting a softball--but the market, it turned out, was far away.

Like many women athletes, Ferrieri finished her college career with no clear options in sports. She had been an All-American in 1985 and helped win a national championship at Fullerton in 1986. If her talent had been golf or tennis, perhaps it would have been different.

But softball? She could play on club teams in the Amateur Softball Assn., but she couldn’t make a living at it. She could coach, as she did at Tustin High School in 1987 and ‘88, or give private lessons. She could earn enough to get by.

But Ferrieri found a way to play and get paid in an Italian professional league, where she and other American players are stars.

In 1988, her first season in Italy, Ferrieri made about $1,500 a month, with living expenses paid.

It’s not Danny Ferry’s deal, but it will do.

“I’m making a good living,” said Ferrieri, who lives in North Hollywood and gives private lessons when she is not in Italy, where she plays for the team of the city of Parma in the northern part of the country.

“It’s not a big tourist town,” Ferrieri said. “It’s really elegant.”

Ferrieri took to the Italian life. The teams play only once a week, Sunday doubleheaders, and are off during August. There is a bit of time to fill, but the cuisine of Italy can keep you occupied, Ferrieri said.

In 1988, Ferrieri’s first season, Parma won the Italian championship. She went back last year to play the April-to-November season again, and she plans to go again this year.

“It’s a way for me to make a living and play softball, Ferrieri said. “It’s a chance for me to be treated the way a professional athlete should be treated. I wish it was like that here, but it’s not.”

Other former Fullerton athletes have played in Italy, where there is a limit of two Americans a team. Among them are Kathy Van Wyk, Rina Foster, Debi Jones and Valerie Van Kirk.

The teams, which are corporately sponsored, draw perhaps 150 fans to regular-season games. In the championship games, they sometimes draw 2,000.

And in Parma one season, Ferrieri recalled, the softball team had an extra boost.

“The Parma baseball team was awful,” she said. “People would say, ‘Go watch the softball team. They’re better.’ ”

Proposed Titan Gym expansion: Funding for the preliminary design of the expansion and improvement of Titan Gym is included in Gov. George Deukmejian’s 1990-91 budget proposal released last week.

Should the $200,000 item stand after legislative approval, Fullerton could undertake the first step in a 1,000-seat expansion. Funding for working drawings and construction would be subject to future budgets. Athletic Director Ed Carroll said the expansion could be complete no sooner than the 1993 basketball season.

Fullerton tentatively plans to open the second side of the upper level of Titan Gym, giving the facility two upstairs gymnasiums, an improvement that would relieve scheduling conflicts for team practices. Carroll also said there is a plan to replace some of the facility’s bleachers with chair-back seats, in addition to adding seating for 1,000 more fans.

“Once that’s done,” Carroll said with a laugh, “we’d probably change the name from Titan Gym to Titan Arena.”

Wayne Williams and Cedric Ceballos both complained about not pressing in the second half of Monday night’s loss to San Jose State. “We should have pressed,” Williams said. “I also felt we should have gone to man.” Ceballos echoed Williams’ sentiments about the press, which the Titans used with some success in the early going. “We should keep doing what got us the lead,” Ceballos said.

Pressure: The statistics of the women’s basketball team are an invitation for teams to press. The Titans, riding a five-game losing streak, are averaging 26 turnovers a game.

“It’s the story of our lives,” Coach Maryalyce Jeremiah said. “Hawaii pressed us 40 minutes. UNLV pressed us some. Long Beach pressed us, San Diego State pressed us, Fresno pressed us. I’m sure Pacific will press us.”

The Titans have fallen to 6-9 overall, 1-5 in the Big West Conference, and the losing streak is the longest since the 1986-87 season.

The problem is inexperience and a lack of depth and a point guard. Jeannine Battaglia has been forced to handle the role since her strongest competition, Jennifer Beckmeyer, was lost for the season with herniated discs. The bench is so shallow that when Battaglia is out, 5-9 junior forward Jill Matyuch moves to the point.

“She’s just not a point guard,” Jeremiah said.

Fullerton will try to stem the losing streak Saturday at Pacific.

“I’m hoping to get back over .500 and look respectable,” Jeremiah said. “We’re doing all right. We’re going to be OK. We wish we were 10-2 or 13-1, but we’re not. We’re going to see if we can go back and salvage the conference and go to the (Big West) tournament and beat somebody.”

Help at point guard is on the way. Edison High School’s Michelle Hennessey signed a letter of intent last fall to attend Fullerton.

Football signings: Four community college players have signed letters of intent to play at Fullerton: running back Derek Black (Mt. San Jacinto), defensive lineman Andy Fears (Sacramento City), running back Mark King (Palomar) and cornerback Donyea Lee (Fresno City).

Titan Notes

Mike Pringle had two carries for nine yards and two receptions for 19 yards in the Japan Bowl all-star game Saturday. . . . Offensive lineman Reggie Redding will play in the Senior Bowl all-star game Saturday in Mobile, Ala. . . . Women’s basketball player Genia Miller is third in the nation in blocked shots, averaging 3.8 a game. . . . Coach Judi Garman has added a powerhouse tournament to the softball team’s schedule this year. The Big West/Pac-10 Showdown at the Titan Softball Complex Feb. 10-11 will include Arizona State, Cal State Fullerton, Cal Poly Pomona, Fresno State, Oregon and defending national champion UCLA. . . . The men’s and women’s gymnastics teams have a dual meet with Arizona State at 7:30 Friday in Titan Gym, with the women’s meet to be televised on KOCE Channel 50 Saturday. . . . Bill Barham, one of the top returners to the men’s gymnastics team, has been declared academically ineligible.