UC Riverside Has Talent but Needs to Avoid Injuries

The UC Riverside baseball team started last season as one of the favorites to win the California Collegiate Athletic Assn. championship.

A series of injuries, which resulted in nine players missing 10 or more games, squelched the title hopes of the Highlanders, who finished with a 24-26-1 record.

If the Highlanders stay injury-free, they may make up for 1989.

Riverside is led by outfielders Scott Einhorn and Pete Weber and infielders Matt Davis, Logan Ostrander and Ty Murphy, who batted .338.

Pitchers Bill Jordan and Doug Pierce also return.

It may be too much to ask Cal Poly San Luis Obispo to repeat its remarkable success of last season, when the Mustangs won their first NCAA Division II national championship and finished with a 38-25 record. But with five top offensive players returning, the Mustangs are still among the CCAA contenders. Leading the way are All-Division II West Region selections Doug Noce at catcher and Pat Kirby at first base. Another top hitter is third baseman Matt Drake.

In its final year in the CCAA and Division II before moving up to Division I next season, Cal State Northridge appears ready for one last bid at a conference title. The Matadors, who were 30-19-1 last year and barely missed a playoff berth, are led by sophomores Mike Solar at shortstop, Greg Shockney in center field and Denny Vigo at third base.

Northridge’s pitching staff revolves around Craig Clayton and Scott Sharts, a transfer from Miami.

There will be several new faces in the starting lineup for Cal Poly Pomona, which finished with a 24-28 record last season, but Coach John Scolinos is returning for his 42nd season. The Broncos, second in the CCAA last season, will build around the pitching of seniors Wayne Koklys and Bret Lachemann.

With a surplus of newcomers on his team’s roster, Coach Mike Weathers is hoping Chapman will bear little resemblance to the team that finished 24-28 last season. A key will be the development of catcher Mike Kelly, first baseman Doug Yates and shortstop Mark Landeros--all junior college transfers. The top returning players are infielders Chris Cutliff and Tom Allison, pitcher Pete Coleman and outfielder Jody Garcia.

Cal State Dominguez Hills expects improvement from a 16-29-1 season. The Toros are led by outfielders Robert Campbell and Marty Williams, and have good pitching prospects in newcomers Vincent Aguilar and Armando Placencia.

Cal State Los Angeles, after posting a 23-31-1 mark last season, should be competitive in a difficult conference. The Golden Eagles have solid pitchers in Abdom Pinon and Steve McGovern, plus shortstop Brent Bish and catcher Marty Tourville.

After a 20-year wait and consecutive second-place finishes, Westmont finally won an NAIA District 3 title last season. It does not figure to take the Warriors as long to win their next championship.

The Warriors, who finished 34-16 and won 26 of their last 30 games in 1989, are led by first baseman Tim Viohl and shortstop Tim Kimmel. Viohl had nine home runs and 48 runs batted in, and Kimmel had a .335 batting average in his fourth year as a starter. Pitcher Rich Ebarb was 4-1 with a 3.31 ERA.

Azusa Pacific, which finished second to Westmont last year at 30-20, has first baseman Carlos Salazar, outfielder Tim Norman and second baseman Tim Williams. Salazar had 12 homers and 50 RBI last season. The pitching staff is topped by Fred Whatley and Jose Gallardo.

Cal Lutheran finished 31-18 last season--best record in the school’s history. The Kingsmen have five starting pitchers returning, including Mike Clark and Kevin O’Neill. The lineup includes all-district infielder Jeff Brouelette and outfielder Darnell Mitchell.

Perhaps the most improved team in the district is Cal Baptist, which returns all of its starters from a team that was 25-25 last season. The Lancers should have an explosive offense, led by NAIA All-American outfielder Tim Lopez, who batted .368 with 15 homers and 67 RBI last season, and all-district players Darin Burton at third base and DH Greg Chizek.

Southern California College, 30-21 last year, is led by pitcher Jim Dedrick and has an outstanding transfer in Ralph Garcia. The Vanguards also return two all-district players--third baseman Alex Andrade and catcher Denny Berni, a .400 hitter last season.

Biola has one of the top pitchers in the Southland, Tim Worrell, whose brother plays for the St. Louis Cardinals. Worrell was 9-5 with a 3.48 ERA last season and had 110 strikeouts in 93 innings. The Eagles, 20-27-1 last season, will also rely on Brett Carter to form a solid one-two pitching combination. Leading the attack are first baseman Bob Keller and shortstop Fred Speck, who batted .371 last season.

There are signs of improvement for The Master’s, which suffered through a 15-32 season. The Mustangs have good offensive personnel, including shortstop Mark MacArthur, first baseman Jeff Preston and third baseman Russ Henzie. Pitching is a major concern.

La Verne appears to be stronger than last season, when the Leopards won the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference title and finished 20-20 overall. La Verne has reliable starters in Matt Solters and Paul Janssen and catcher Ben Cordova.

Claremont-Mudd-Scripps was 24-14 last season--best overall mark in the SCIAC--and should produce plenty of offense with the return of shortstop Paul Urrutia, center fielder Marc Sherman, first baseman Andy Sallee and catcher Greg Ratkovic. The Stags have a solid pitcher back in Pete Young.

Redlands finished third in the SCIAC at 12-6, and 19-18 overall. The Bulldogs are solid offensively with first baseman Rick Bennett, center fielder Scott Begg and infielders Jeff Sofro and Bobby Windver. The pitching includes Wade Rockwood and Keith Perry.

Occidental, 22-17 in ‘89, is led by brothers Tom and Mike Bonetto in the infield--both All-SCIAC selections last year--and shortstop Mark Harris and catcher Mike Kniseley. All-conference pitcher Dave Stoll was 8-3 with a 3.39 ERA.

Whittier has 11 freshmen, including shortstop Louis Benbow, pitcher David Berliner and outfielder Cody Nelson. Returning for the Poets, 10-27-2 last season, are catcher Todd Fujimori, outfielder Alika Kauleinamoku and pitcher Scott Gill.

Pomona Pitzer will be searching for respectability in its first year under Jim Barker after finishing 11-23 overall last season. The Sagehens have outfielder Gregg Silver, second baseman Steve Fenton and All-SCIAC pitcher Chris Nelson.

Cal State San Bernardino, an NCAA Division III independent, was 28-8-1 last season. Pitchers returning are Joe Glasscock and Darren Kay, 7-2 with a 3.46 ERA last year. Paul Gonzalez batted .336.