Kernen Gets Ribbing for Taking Tumble

Denny Vigo’s hamstring tear is healing, Greg Shockey is running well on what was a painful right knee and Mike Sims’ wrist now allows him to swing a bat periodically, but Bill Kernen, Northridge’s baseball coach, would not say his team’s injury situation has improved.

On Tuesday night, Kernen became the team’s latest casualty. While at Dedeaux Field scouting USC’s game against Cal State Long Beach, Kernen slipped on a staircase and injured his ribs.

“I guess it was a pretty bad fall,” said Jody Robinson, Kernen’s assistant, who added jokingly: “He got a 9.5 from the USA judge and an 8.9 from the Russian, but the USC coaches gave him a 10.”

Winning proposition: Mission, Pierce and Valley colleges each will gain at least $20 million if Proposition C, the $200-million bond issue for capital improvements in the Los Angeles Community College District, passes Tuesday. Athletics should benefit from the windfall.

Mission, which currently has no on-campus athletic facilities and indeed will not move to its new campus in Sylmar until early July, probably stands to gain the most athletically.

A new athletic complex is third on the school’s building priority list, behind a child-development center and a library and learning-development center. Plans call for a gymnasium, pool, track, tennis courts, paddle-tennis courts, a softball field and a baseball field.

Among projects planned at Pierce are the renovation of the physical education fitness center. Electrical repairs also are needed at the football stadium.

Still dancing: At the midway point of the 20-game Western State Conference baseball season, each of the 11 teams remains in the running for an expanded postseason party.

The Shaughnessy playoff has grown from five to six teams this season with the conference champion bypassing the Shaughnessy and earning an automatic berth in the state playoffs.

With 11 teams competing for six berths, even last-place Moorpark (2-8 in conference play) is only two games behind a knot of teams tied for sixth at 4-6.

Hurdler watch: Erin Morris ran the sixth-fastest 100-meter low hurdles time in Northridge history, a personal best of 14.33 seconds, to finish fourth in the Northridge Invitational on Saturday.

Morris, a sophomore from Santa Monica High, lowered her previous best of 14.35, which she clocked in finishing fourth in last year’s California Collegiate Athletic Assn. championships.

Midwest volleyball fest: Northridge’s fourth-ranked men’s volleyball team will play in a four-team tournament Friday and Saturday at Ball State in Muncie, Ind.

The Matadors (17-6) will open against 11th-ranked Indiana Purdue-Fort Wayne. Ball State and George Mason will meet in the other match. Northridge defeated Ball State and George Mason earlier this season, both by 3-1 game scores.

Injury update: Garrett Noel of Northridge, one of only two Matador athletes to have posted a provisional qualifying mark for the NCAA Division I championships, is questionable for the Fresno Relays at Fresno City College on Saturday.

Noel finished third in the men’s javelin in the Northridge Invitational with a throw of 210 feet 11 inches, but he took only two of his allotted six throws because of an injured lower back.

Noel, who has a personal best of 220-8, redshirted last season because of a back injury.

Quoteworthy: Northridge basketball Coach Pete Cassidy, on his workload after his recovery from intestinal surgery: “I’m not digging ditches or pounding stakes. What I do is somewhat sedentary, but I do get tired faster. I have to pace myself and rely on the support of my staff.”

Cassidy wasted no time in getting up to speed. After working four hours his first day back and seven hours his second day, he has been putting in overtime.

No swats: Brigham Young is the latest addition to Northridge’s 1991-92 basketball schedule, but the Matadors--to Cassidy’s relief--will not have to deal with Shawn Bradley, the 7-foot-6 BYU freshman who averaged 5.2 blocked shots a game last season. Bradley is expected to embark on a two-year mission for the Church of Latter-day Saints.

Countdown: With one week remaining before letter-of-intent signing day, April 10, Cassidy is intent on signing a big man to replace Todd Bowser, a rebounding forward to ease Shelton Boykin’s load and a point guard to spell Andre Chevalier. Cassidy, who has five scholarships available, expects to sign two or three from the junior college ranks and two or three high school graduates.

“It may depend on who commits the soonest,” Cassidy said. “We have a priority list but guys can’t string us out forever.”

Are actions louder than words?: Stephane Brown, the talented guard from Channel Islands High, is playing with a group of Ventura players in the Moorpark spring league, although he has yet to finalize his college choice.

Ventura, Moorpark, and Oxnard all hope to lure Brown.

Moving up: The Mission baseball team entered the week four games under .500 but is now at .500, even though it played only two games.

Mission beat Valley and Moorpark and also picked up a forfeit win over Oxnard from earlier in the season. Oxnard won, 4-2, in early February but had to forfeit after learning that right fielder Jason Luttges was ineligible.

“I was assuming he was eligible,” Oxnard Coach Dave Taylor said. “It was an administrative error.”

Mission is 15-15; Oxnard drops to 15-13.

Statwatch: The Northridge baseball team attained its highest rating yet this week--No. 17 in the Collegiate Baseball poll and No. 16 in the Baseball America poll. . . .

Cal Poly San Luis Obispo did not suffer in Collegiate Baseball’s Division II poll after losing two games to Northridge last week. In fact, the Mustangs benefited. Although San Luis Obispo (13-13) lost to Northridge, 4-1 and 5-1, it moved up from fifth to fourth. . . .

The Moorpark softball team is ranked No. 2 in Southern California, its highest ranking ever, and No. 5 in the state.

Staff writers Mike Hiserman, Brendan Healey, Theresa Munoz and John Ortega contributed to this notebook.