UCSD Coach Pans NCAA’s Picking

Lyle Yates enjoys the NCAA Division III baseball playoff selection process about as much as a politician behind in the polls does a party nomination process.

No matter how hard he lobbied or how valid his points were, Yates, the coach of UC San Diego, felt he was doomed--prematurely at that--in a system he described as “utterly ridiculous.”

And he was, in fact, doomed. He found out late Sunday night that UCSD had been passed over. Again.

In this case, you can throw out the polls. They may be the lifeblood of politics, but not athletics. UCSD was ranked seventh nationally in 1987 with pitchers Kyle Abbott (first-round draft choice of the Angels last year) and Rick Nowak (drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays). That team stayed home at playoff time.

The problem is the West Region is permitted just two teams. No matter how many teams are worthy, the West gets just two of 24 playoff teams and one of six in the Division III World Series.

This year, the Tritons were ranked No. 9. Cal State San Bernardino and Claremont, the teams that were selected, were ranked 20th and 28th.

It doesn’t seem to make sense.

Yates believes that what is important is how a team does, not against whom it does it. UCSD was 19-17-2, San Bernardino 25-12, Claremont 21-16. UCSD was 4-3-1 against Division I and II teams, including two losses to San Diego State. Neither San Bernardino nor Claremont had more than three games against higher-division schools.

UCSD split four games with San Bernardino and two with Claremont.

A four-member West Region committee, of which Yates is a member, chooses two teams to recommend to the NCAA playoff selection committee. Last year, UCSD was not one of the two nominated teams, but the NCAA went against the recommendation and chose UCSD anyway.

“In a conference call, when it came time to discuss UCSD,” Yates said, “I had to hang up the phone. When I rejoined (the conference call), it was 3-zip, and we were gone.”

When arguing for UCSD based on strength of schedule, Yates said, “One of the committee members asked, ‘Well, what kind of year is San Diego State having anyway?’ ”

To answer that, San Diego State is 44-20 and heads into Thursday’s Western Athletic Conference tournament in Hawaii as the regular-season champion with a 21-7 mark.

The Aztecs also have a 10-game winning streak, including back-to-back blowout weekends against WAC members Colorado State and Air Force.

SDSU capped a four-game sweep of Colorado State--during which it outscored the Rams 67-15--with a 27-10 victory May 6. The Aztecs then outscored Air Force, 59-8, in four games last weekend, including a school-record 28-6 romp Sunday.

Second baseman Scott Dennison was named the WAC player of the week for going 13 for 24 with 10 runs scored and seven runs batted in. Dennison, a graduate of Valhalla High and Grossmont College, leads SDSU with a .363 average and 73 hits.

It seems just about everybody is putting out All-American teams these days.

For example, the National Strength and Conditioning Assn. recently released its All-American team and it included two athletes from the University of San Diego: Todd Jackson, the all-time leading rusher in football, and Suzanne LeSatz, women’s volleyball.

The team--the NSCA’s sixth--is selected based on community involvement, academic achievement and leadership qualities as well as strength training and conditioning.

UC San Diego women’s tennis team, going for its fourth NCAA Division III title today in Trenton, N.J., will be trying to break its trend of winning only in odd years. The Tritons, the only team with three national championships, won in 1985, 1987 and 1989.

This year’s team (16-4 and the No. 1 seed) certainly appears able.

In 18 regular-season matches, UCSD Coach Liz LaPlante has six players with 10 or more victories in singles.

Christine Behrens, the defending doubles champion, has a good shot at singles and doubles titles--teaming with Susan Carney in doubles. She is seeded No. 2 in both.