Oxnard Finds Player’s Grades Met Standards

An eligibility question that placed the Oxnard College baseball team’s 1991 record in doubt has been resolved in favor of the college and the player in question, Oxnard Athletic Director Ralph Smith said Tuesday.

A problem with sophomore catcher Chris Gaston’s transcript had raised the possibility that Oxnard would have to forfeit most, if not all, of its 22 victories. But Smith said Gaston’s transcript was cleared.

Gaston’s transcript originally showed three failing grades from the fall semester, Smith said. If that were the case, Gaston would have fallen far short of the eligibility requirements, which call for 24 hours with a C average or better.

But Smith said Gaston actually passed all three classes and that the grades had been erroneously recorded. Gaston successfully appealed all three grades, Smith said.

“He’s not a C or D student,” Smith said of Gaston, a transfer from Ventura College. “It was kind of strange in the first place.”

Lee Smelser, College of the Canyons men’s basketball coach, has lost his position as athletic director because of budget cutbacks and will be required to teach more classes, Smelser said.

Smelser, basketball coach for 22 years and athletic director for the past five, will not take a pay cut and is simply being repositioned, said John Drislane, Canyons’ dean of personnel.

State rules mandate that 50% of a school’s budget must be devoted to instruction (typically instructors’ salaries), Drislane said. The 20% of Smelser’s salary that covered his duties as athletic director will shift to the instruction side of the ledger when Smelser picks up the equivalent of one more class per semester, Drislane said.

Joe Gerda, assistant dean of instruction, will assume the athletic director duties, Drislane said.

Dmitri Young of Rio Mesa High and Jacob Cruz of Channel Islands High are among 30 finalists for 16 positions on the West team that will play in the U.S. Olympic Festival in Los Angeles in July.

The final selections will be announced June 14.

Young, a shortstop who was drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals as the fourth pick in the amateur draft, would not be eligible to play in the Olympic Festival if he signs a professional contract. Young has signed a letter of intent to attend Miami but expects to sign a professional contract within two weeks.

Cruz, a center fielder, has signed with Arizona State.

The baseball portion of the U.S. Olympic Festival will be played July 16-20 at USC’s Dedeaux Field.