Hits Piling Up for Saddleback’s Nietzke

Ernie (Buster) Nietzke is moving up with some pretty impressive company on the career hit list at Saddleback College.

Nietzke, a sophomore left fielder, has 94 hits, which puts him in third place on the all-time list. He had two hits Tuesday to pass Tim Wallach (1976-77), an All-Star third baseman, who is beginning his 12th season with the Montreal Expos.

Nietzke passed another former-Gaucho and current major leaguer--Mark Grace of the Chicago Cubs--earlier this season. His next target is former teammate Brent Ferguson (1989-90), who had 95 hits. Ferguson is playing at San Diego State.

The No. 1 spot on the list--Steve DeAngelis (1983-84) finished with 121 hits--appears out of reach for Nietzke, who has 10 regular-season games left. DeAngelis is in the Angels’ minor-league system.

Nietzke, however, isn’t getting too caught up with his career record.

“It’s no big deal,” he said, “but it is nice to be up with those guys.”

Actually, just playing this season is an accomplishment for Nietzke. He missed most of the fall practices and games because of a dislocated left shoulder he suffered sliding head first into second base.

He had hurt the same shoulder a few days earlier diving for a ball in the outfield, but said at the time he didn’t think much about it. After the second injury, he lost feeling in part of his left arm for a few days.

“I was worried that my career might be over but that was only for a day,” Nietzke said. “The doctor told me that he had only seen a few separations as bad as mine.”

Nietzke spent the fall watching his teammates work out, while all he could do was lift weights and wait. He returned to the field in late January, only a few days before the season started Feb. 1.

“We (the team) really get a lot of work done in the fall,” Saddleback Coach Jack Hodges said. “People don’t realize that he started behind.”

Nietzke is hitting .315 (41 for 130), has scored 28 runs and driven in 20 this season.

He came to Saddleback from Capistrano Valley High School, where he hit .405 and scored 31 runs as a senior in 1989. Nietzke had been offered an 80% scholarship to Chapman but turned it down when Hodges, who coached at Laguna Hills High the previous season, got the job at Saddleback.

“I just wasn’t ready to go there (Chapman),” Nietzke said. “This way, I got to play right away.”

Nietzke was a first-team all-Orange Empire Conference player last season, when he hit .371, scored 41 runs and had 26 RBIs in the leadoff spot as a freshman.

“He is just a great, hard-working player,” Hodges said. “Everyone on this team benefits because he is a member of it.”

Proud father: Mike Mayne, in his 14th season as baseball coach at Orange Coast, got his 375th victory last Thursday when the Pirates beat Riverside, 3-2. But that’s not the main reason he is beaming these days. For that, look to Mike’s son, Brent.

Brent, a catcher who played at OCC in 1987, made the Kansas City Royals’ opening day roster although he was expected to start the season in the minors.

Brent will be the backup to Mike Macfarland.

Mike Mayne’s record is 376-167 and he is the winningest baseball coach in the history of OCC. He’s the winningest active community college baseball coach in Orange County.

Saddleback is the site of two important events Friday--one on the tennis courts and the other in the pool.

The Saddleback men’s tennis team plays host to Long Beach in a match that will decide the No. 1 team in Southern California. Saddleback (13-1) is ranked second and Long Beach is ranked No. 1.

The swimming news will most likely come from the opponents though. Orange Coast can clinch the men’s and the women’s swimming titles. The OCC women have won 74 consecutive dual meets.