COLLEGE DIVISION : Cal Lutheran Works Toward a Long-Range Goal

This is a year in transition for Cal Lutheran’s baseball program.

Coach Rich Hill said the Thousand Oaks school is looking forward to next season, when it will move from the National Assn. of Intercollegiate Athletics to the NCAA Division III and compete in the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.

But for the moment, Hill said, the focus is strictly on this season and with good reason.

The Kingsmen have the best record of any College Division team in Southern California at 25-6 and are riding the momentum of a 13-game winning streak.

Their last defeat was a 20-3 pasting by Cal State Fullerton--an NCAA Division I team--March 22 and the team has yet to lose a game this month.

Not that Cal Lutheran has been unaccustomed to winning. The Kingsmen have averaged more than 25 victories a year since Hill became coach four years ago, and he posted his 100th triumph at the school against Westmont in early April.

Hill said the Kingsmen began the season with a good attitude after having won the NAIA District 3 title and advancing to the NAIA area playoffs last year.

“That was the first time in school history that we got through the league championship,” Hill said. “We had some guys that just competed their brains out for that team, and I think there’s been some carry-over to this season.”

Except for early in the season, Hill said, the team has received consistent play.

“We did a lot of experimenting in our first 20 games, but since the spring break we’ve been playing very well,” he said. “We’re getting hitting, pitching and defense and we’ve also improved our efficiency in stolen bases recently.”

The Kingsmen have received strong hitting from junior right fielder Bob Farber, who has a .432 average. Other batting leaders include designated hitter Pete Washington, first baseman Dan Weis, third baseman Jay Lucas and left fielder Jeff Parsons.

Cal Lutheran has also displayed a potent 1-2 pitching combination in senior Mike Clark and junior Mike Rooney. Clark improved his record to 6-2 and lowered his earned-run average to 2.18 with a no-hitter against Pomona-Pitzer in his last outing.

“Those guys have really been holding the pitching staff down,” Hill said. “Every time they go out, we feel like we can always be right in the game.”

The Kingsmen have been particularly impressive against SCIAC opponents, against whom they have a 12-0 record. With the return of players such as Rooney, Farber, Lucas and Parsons next season it is no wonder Hill is optimistic about 1992.

“We’ve been runner-ups in the district for a number of years and now we feel like we can make the transition well and really compete for a national championship,” Hill said. “We’ve tried to put things in a positive light. We’re trying to build for 1992, and we’re hoping for a chance at a national title.”

Cal Lutheran still has a little unfinished business. The Kingsmen are fighting for a berth in the District 3 playoffs and a chance to repeat as district champion.

“I’ve been very pleased to see our guys improve like they have up to this point,” Hill said. “But I also know that we have a war ahead of us. The tough part of our schedule is coming up.”

The coach is concerned about games against The Master’s on Thursday and May 2, and the Kingsmen must also play SCIAC leaders Redlands and La Verne. But with his team’s success this season, Hill isn’t complaining.

Cal State San Bernardino chose a familiar name in Southland basketball circles when it announced this week that Reggie Morris will be its new men’s basketball coach.

Morris, 41, has already established a winning tradition at the prep level at Manual Arts High and in community college at L.A. City College.

He posted an 11-season high school record of 224-53 and was 72-25 in three seasons at L.A. City. He guided Manual Arts to the Division I state title in 1988 and L.A. City titles in 1977 and 1981 and coached his community college squad to three consecutive playoff appearances.

So he said the move to San Bernardino is a logical step in his coaching career.

“I’ve been doing things step by step without an aggressive pursuit at any time,” Morris said. “This appeared like the right thing to do at this time. This is something that appears to be a challenge and I’m looking forward to it.”

Morris said it will be a challenge because the Coyotes will be moving up from the NCAA Division III to Division II and will compete in the California Collegiate Athletic Assn. next season.

He is also behind in recruiting. The spring signing period started April 10. But Morris likes the program’s chances for success in the future and he already has a proven track record.

“I do think it’s something that can be done within a reasonable period of time,” he said.

College Division Notes

Azusa Pacific sprinter Davidson Ezinwa excelled at the Mt. San Antonio Relays. Ezinwa, a Nigerian who ran for Mt. San Antonio last season, finished second in the invitational 100 meters with a time of 10.08 seconds. . . . The Cal State San Bernardino baseball team reached the 20-victory plateau for the fourth year in a row by sweeping a doubleheader from Menlo last week. The Coyotes, who are ranked eighth in the NCAA Division III, have a 20-8 record.

The Cal Poly Pomona baseball team took undisputed possession of first place in the California Collegiate Athletic Assn. by winning two of three games against Cal State Dominguez Hills last week. Pomona is 13-8 in the conference and Dominguez Hills is 12-9 with nine games left.