CSUN Brings Full Head of Steam Into Series at San Luis Obispo

As fiery speeches go, it will never rank with any of Knute Rockne’s legendary tirades, but Bill Kernen’s discussion with the Cal State Northridge baseball team after a loss to Cal Poly San Luis Obispo at Matador Field on March 7 has proved to be just as effective.

The loss was Northridge’s fourth in a row and dropped the Matadors to 10-10 overall and 5-5 in California Collegiate Athletic Assn. play. Yet instead of lashing out at his inexperienced team, Kernen calmly analyzed the situation.

“He basically told us that every team goes through a rough spot during the season,” outfielder-pitcher Craig Clayton said. “There was no yelling or screaming. He just told us that the key was not to let it get us down. That we just had to go back to the basics and cut down on our mistakes.”

The Matadors got the message, loud and clear.

Since the 16-3 drubbing by San Luis Obispo, Northridge (31-16, 18-6 in CCAA play) has won 21 of 27 games and 13 of 14 in CCAA play--including nine in a row--heading into tonight’s 7 o’clock game against the Mustangs (19-27, 10-14) at San Luis Obispo Stadium.

A combination of five Northridge wins or UC Riverside losses would give the Matadors their first undisputed CCAA title since 1975. They tied Riverside for the conference crown in 1981.

Riverside (35-15, 19-8) trails Northridge by one-half game after beating Cal State Los Angeles, 5-3, Thursday night.

Northridge, ranked fifth in NCAA Division II, has swept CCAA rivals Cal State Dominguez Hills, Chapman and Riverside in consecutive three-game series.

The Matadors, who are averaging 6.8 runs a game, outscored their opponents, 87-44, during that streak and show no signs of letting up.

“It hasn’t really surprised us,” said Clayton, one of five sophomores who start for Northridge--the other four starters are freshman. “We’re just more experienced than anything else. It took a while for the younger guys to know that they could play. It was just a matter of them getting their confidence up and understanding that we could do it.”

Clayton and fellow sophomores Scott Sharts and Denny Vigo have led the Matadors’ offensive assault.

Clayton, who has an 11-3 record as a pitcher, leads the team with a .409 batting average and 19 doubles. He also has hit 10 home runs and driven in 42 runs.

Sharts, a transfer from the University of Miami, has hit a team-high 19 home runs with 48 RBIs, and Vigo has a team-high 49 RBIs and 16 home runs, including 12 in CCAA play.

Outfielder Greg Shockey (34 RBIs), designated-hitter Eric Johnson (25), shortstop Mike Solar (21) and second baseman Scott Richardson (20) give Northridge great depth in the run-production department.

“We’ve just been doing an outstanding job with plate discipline,” Kernen said after the Matadors’ 7-6 victory over Riverside on Saturday. “We’re getting a lot of hits off two-strike pitches, and we weren’t doing that earlier in the season.”

Riverside, which defeated Dominguez Hills, 5-0, on Tuesday, will conclude CCAA play with games against Cal State L. A. today and Saturday, followed by a Tuesday game against Cal Poly Pomona.

Northridge will play at San Luis Obispo today, Saturday and Sunday, then conclude CCAA play with a three-game series against Cal State L. A. from May 10-12, after a nonconference game at UC Santa Barbara on Tuesday.

“The CCAA title wasn’t really a definite goal at the start of the season,” Clayton said. “Our goal was to work towards being a championship team on the Division I level in the future. We want to be able to play with the Miamis and the Stanfords and the Texases. . . . But if we win a conference and (Division II) title on the way, that would be great.”