COLLEGES : Students Vote to Help Dominguez Athletics

The Cal State Dominguez Hills athletic department is catching up with the ‘90s, thanks to a recent student referendum to support an athletic fee.

The fee of $4.50 per student per semester will augment Dominguez Hills’ tight athletic budget, allowing Toro coaches to offer more scholarships. The increased budget will help Dominguez Hills compete with other Cal State schools in its conference.

Students narrowly defeated a similar measure the past two years--once by 11 votes--before a majority said yes.

“This is clearly the biggest victory of the year for Toro athletics,” Athletic Director Dan Guerrero said.

Guerrero estimated his department will receive about $40,000 in extra scholarship funding and will be able to upgrade other aspects as well. It still doesn’t put Dominguez Hills, with its enrollment of 8,400, on a par with foes such as Cal Poly Pomona (19,000) and Cal State Los Angeles (21,000), but it makes them more competitive. “It’s not a panacea, but it’s helpful,” Guerrero said.

Dominguez Hills generally keeps its recruiting to the Southland and gives almost no full-ride scholarships. “When you recruit a student-athlete you try to sell him on the merits of the school and your program, which is as it should be,” Guerrero said. “But the bottom line is when they ask, ‘How much (scholarship funding) can you offer?’ Year-in, year-out we’re always a step behind.”

Guerrero is also pleased at what appears to be a sign of growing support from the students. Athletics have had a tough time developing a core following at what is still essentially a commuter school.

“I think the students are ready to jump on the bandwagon and take it up another notch,” Guerrero said. “That will allow us to be more marketable in the community, to be able to say the students are behind us.”

School President Robert Detweiler was pleased as well, noting, “I’m extremely proud of our students . . . for having the vision to realize that a strong athletic program adds vitality . . . and ultimately improves the quality of campus life.”

When Loyola Marymount defeated Pepperdine in the first game of a doubleheader Saturday in Malibu, it gave the Lions their first outright conference title since 1973. Pepperdine had won or shared every West Coast Conference title, with Loyola sharing a championship in 1986. The last title Loyola won solely came when the team was competing in the Southern California Baseball Assn. The Lions’ first undisputed WCC title was welcomed by Coach Chris Smith, who has seen numerous Loyola teams thwarted in Malibu.

“I’ve had a lot of unhappy rides back (to Loyola) on Pacific Coast Highway,” he said. “We finally won one here. I didn’t know if we ever would. I hate this place. I hate this field. I hate losing to these guys.”

The Lions had a chance to clinch in the series opener on Friday but lost, 4-3. That game featured a bizarre ending: the Lions, losing 2-1 to Pepperdine ace Britt Craven going in the ninth, knocked Craven out of the game by hitting a ball off his shin, then roughed up Pepperdine’s bullpen for two quick runs and a 3-2 lead. But Pepperdine tied it in the bottom of the ninth and won it with a run in the 11th.

That game was televised on Prime Ticket, and at one point the cameras caught Smith reaching for stomach relief. “They can show me running naked down the Coast Highway and I’d still be happy,” he said.

Tough Weekend: On the eve of the series with Pepperdine, Loyola pitcher Joe Caruso learned his mother had died in New York after a long illness. Caruso, however, decided to join the team in Malibu Friday before going home. That surprised the Lions, who thought he had already left town and didn’t have his uniform available. Caruso ended up pitching in the game, wearing teammate Shane Bowers’ jersey.

Caruso has rejoined the team for the NCAA West II Regional at Tempe, Ariz.

WCC Awards: Loyola catcher Miah Bradbury was named player of the year and Chris Smith coach of the year, topping the all-West Coast Conference baseball team. Bradbury was named the WCC’s first-team catcher for the third consecutive year. Other major award winners were Pepperdine right-hander Britt Craven, named pitcher of the year, and Loyola freshman shortstop Chris Gomez, named newcomer of the year. Loyola and Pepperdine had all the spots on the all-WCC team with three exceptions.

The All-WCC team: Catcher--Bradbury. First base--Dan Melendez, Pepperdine. Second base--Kevin van de Brake, Loyola. Third base--Jim Doyle, Pepperdine. Shortstop--Chris Martin, Pepperdine. Outfield--Tony Kounas, Loyola; Rick Mediavilla, Loyola; Arnie Sambel, San Francisco. Designated hitter--Rod Nettnin, Nevada Reno. Utility--Ted Langowski, San Francisco. Pitchers--Craven, Pepperdine; Darryl Scott and Jon Willard, Loyola.

Second team selections included Loyola first baseman Joe Ciccarella.

Add Awards: Three Cal State Dominguez Hills baseball players were named to the Division II all-West Region second team: third baseman Fred Camarena, first baseman Darrell Conner and outfielder George Scott. All three earned all-California Collegiate Athletic Assn. honors last week. Both Scott and Conner are juniors who figure to be back in the Toros lineup next year if they don’t sign pro contracts.

Stat of the Week: The Dominguez Hills baseball team tied a school record with a .299 team average and had five regulars hit better than .300 for the first time--Camarena (.382), Conner (.380), Scott (.354), Bill Keep (.319) and John Blood (.317). Camarena’s mark was the second-highest in Toro history.

College Notes

Dominguez Hills senior left-hander Armando Gomez had the best earned-run average in the California Collegiate Athletic Assn., 3.20. . . . USC basketball star Harold Minor, the Pacific 10 Conference freshman of the year, addressed the Exchange Club of Inglewood on Thursday. The Inglewood High graduate praised his former coaches, Rick Stevenson at Crozier Junior High and Vince Combs at Inglewood, and spoke of his dream: “To play in the NBA someday, hopefully right here in Inglewood for the Los Angeles Lakers.” . . . Former Loyola baseball star Billy Bean is hitting .310 for Albuquerque, the Dodgers’ triple-A team, and leads the Dukes with 29 runs batted in.