COLLEGE DIVISION : Azusa Pacific Seeks NAIA Titles on Track, Diamond

This could be a big weekend for Azusa Pacific University athletic teams.

The Cougars are playing host to the National Assn. of Intercollegiate Athletics District 3 championships in baseball and track, and are regarded as the team to beat in both. The baseball tournament will run through Saturday, and the track finals are set for today and Saturday.

Azusa Pacific will be bidding for its second District 3 baseball title in the last three seasons, and the Cougars couldn’t have started postseason play at a better time.

They won their first Golden State Athletic Conference title since 1987 last week and have a a 33-10 record and a 13-game winning streak after defeating The Masters, 11-5, Thursday in the first game of the double-elimination tournament. Cal Baptist defeated Cal Lutheran, 10-2, in the first game.

Azusa, No. 16 in this week’s NAIA rankings, has been sparked offensively by the hitting of third baseman Carlos Salazar. The senior, who became the first player to win the District 3 triple crown since Rob Amble of Azusa Pacific accomplished the feat in 1984, led the district with a .428 batting average, 20 home runs and 62 runs batted in.

Salazar set a school record for home runs and has helped the Cougars boost their team batting average from .275 after 12 games to .328.

The team has also received offensive support from first baseman Tim Norman, who is batting .400, and outstanding pitching from senior Jose Gallardo, who has a 10-1 record and has won eight consecutive decisions.

The winner of the district playoffs will move on to the NAIA area playoffs next week.

It will be no surprise if Azusa Pacific earns another district title in men’s track. After all, the Cougars have won an unprecedented seven consecutive NAIA national track championships and eight district titles.

The Cougars also tuned up for the district championship by winning their fourth consecutive GSAC title in March. Azusa Pacific finished with 169 points, 90 more than runner-up Point Loma Nazarene.

Azusa Pacific has been led by senior weight thrower Ade Olukoju, Vince Beresford in the pole vault and Eddie Carbin in the long jump and 110-meter high hurdles.

Olukoju won the discus at the British Commonwealth Games in February and has NAIA bests of 61 feet 9 3/4 inches in the shotput, 196-3 in the hammer throw and 211-3 in the discus.

Beresford is among the NAIA leaders in the pole vault at 16-2, and Carbin ranks among the best in the long jump at 24-2 1/2 and 110 hurdles at 14.26 seconds.

A title will be more difficult for the Cougars in the women’s division, where they expect to battle Point Loma Nazarene for the top spot. Point Loma edged Azusa Pacific for the GSAC championship in March, 128-120.

But the women, too, have been a perennial power in the district with seven titles in the last eight years.

The Cougars are led by Latrese Johnson, the defending NAIA indoor and outdoor champion in the high jump with a best of 6-2.

It’s playoff time in women’s softball and three familiar teams from the Southland are considered among the ones to beat.

Cal State Northridge and Cal State Bakersfield are top seeded in their regionals in the NCAA Division II playoffs, and Cal Lutheran is expected to reach the NAIA World Series for the third year in a row.

Northridge (46-19), ranked No. 1 in Division II in its final season before moving up to Division I, won the California Collegiate Athletic Assn. title but will travel to Sioux Falls, S.D., for a four-team regional that starts Saturday. The Matadors will face Southern Illinois Edwardsville in their opening game. Nebraska Omaha and Augustana of South Dakota are also in the regional.

The Matadors are led by pitcher Debbie Dickmann, who was named most valuable pitcher of the CCAA last week, and outfielder Lisa Erickson, selected co-most valuable player in the conference along with outfielder Deanna Dresmann of UC Riverside.

Bakersfield (37-10), ranked No. 3 in Division II, finished second in the CCAA but will be the host team in a four-team regional that also starts Saturday. The Roadrunners, who have won consecutive Division II titles, meet Humboldt State (41-11) in their opening game. Conference rival Cal Poly San Luis Obispo (34-19) will play Portland State (41-12) in the other first-round game.

Regional winners will advance to the Division II national tournament in Saginaw, Mich., next week.

After a two-game sweep of Cal Baptist in the NAIA District 3 tournament last week, Cal Lutheran will bid for its third consecutive berth in the NAIA World Series when it visits Adams State of Colorado in the NAIA bi-district playoffs Thursday and Friday in Alamosa, Colo.

Cal Lutheran (31-10-2), which has won three consecutive District 3 titles, is ranked No. 11 in the NAIA. Adams State (22-13) is unranked. Cal Lutheran is led by pitcher DeeAndra Pilkington, who is 16-6 with a 0.99 earned-run average, and utility player Kim White, who is batting .404.

The winner of the bi-district series advances to the NAIA World Series May 16-19 at the University of West Florida in Pensacola.

The Cal Baptist men’s tennis team is in uncharted territory this weekend--the NAIA District 3 tournament at Westmont in Santa Barbara.

In their first season of competing, the Lancers had a 27-0 record and were ranked No. 9 in the NAIA. Coach Reddy Gustine said Cal Baptist is believed to be the first NAIA or NCAA tennis team to complete its first regular season undefeated.

The top players for the Lancers have been freshmen Tamer el Sawy of Egypt and Frank Ofori of Ghana. Each reached the final in his division at the recent Ojai Invitational, and Cal Baptist was the top team in the college independent division.

The winner of the district tournament advances to the NAIA national tournament May 21-26 in Kansas City, Mo., and Gustine said his team should rank among the favorites.

“We’re happy with what we’ve done already but weren’t planning on stopping with the regular season,” he said.

College Division Notes

The Cal State San Bernardino baseball team strengthened its bid to reach the NCAA Division III playoffs by winning its final six regular-season games. The Coyotes, ranked No. 21 in Division III, have a 25-12 record and have won 22 of their last 27 games. The team recorded its 100th victory in its four-year history with a 6-3 decision over Cal Baptist in its regular-season finale last week. Playoff selections will be announced Sunday.

The Cal Lutheran women’s softball team, which won its third consecutive NAIA District 3 title last week, put four players on the all-district first team. The Regals placed pitchers DeeAndra Pilkington and Leslie Stevens, catcher Cheryl Aschenbach and utility player Kim White on the first team.

Christ College Irvine, which tied with Cal Baptist for its first Golden State Athletic Conference title, landed four players on the all-conference first team, among them freshman pitcher Lisa Merenda. She had an 18-8 record and 0.66 ERA, best in District 3. . . . Greg Price, coach of Cal State San Bernardino men’s golf team who guided the Coyotes to a 15-0 record in dual matches and the No. 5 ranking in the NCAA Division III, has resigned, effective after this season. Price, 42, has coached the program since its inception and the Coyotes have been listed in the Division III top 20 in each of the last three seasons.

The Point Loma Nazarene women’s tennis team advanced to the NAIA national tournament for the first time by unseating defending champion Westmont for the District 3 title last week. The national tourney is set for May 21-26 in Overland Park, Kan.