WAC Offers Membership to Northridge : Colleges: If invitation is approved, school’s baseball and softball teams would join conference in 1993.

Cal State Northridge has been invited to join the Western Athletic Conference in baseball and softball beginning in 1993, Mark Hollis, WAC assistant commissioner, said Friday.

Athletic directors from the WAC’s nine permanent members voted unanimously to add Northridge and Cal State Sacramento as affiliate members at a conference meeting Tuesday in Los Angeles. If the two schools accept, the conference will vote for approval in January at the NCAA Convention in Anaheim.

Bob Hiegert, Northridge athletic director, said Friday that the school had not been officially notified of the invitation but conceded “there is definite interest on our part.”

Hiegert said that such a move would need approval from an athletic oversight committee and school President James W. Cleary, but he added that he didn’t “anticipate any tremendous problems.”

Plans in baseball call for the WAC to be split into two divisions. Northridge, Sacramento, Fresno State, San Diego State and Hawaii would be in the West; Air Force, New Mexico, Brigham Young, Utah, Colorado State and Wyoming would be in the East.

There would be no interdivisional play. Teams in the West would play each divisional team six times in two three-game series, one at home and the other on the road. Teams would play one three-game series per week.

The champions of each division would meet in a best-of-three playoff, May 21-23, 1993, with the winner receiving the WAC’s automatic berth in the NCAA regionals.

Bill Kernen, Northridge’s baseball coach, declined comment on the proposed move, saying, “I’ve been given no information from my athletic department so, officially, I know nothing.”

Last season, its first in Division I competition, the Northridge baseball team finished with a 44-18-1 record and was ranked 10th in the nation by Collegiate Baseball in that magazine’s final poll.

Three of the West’s five teams in the proposed divisional format finished last season among the top 12 in the national rankings. In addition to Northridge, Fresno was sixth and Hawaii 12th. Fresno advanced to the College World Series in Omaha by defeating Northridge in the West II Regional final.

In softball, the WAC would compete as an eight-team conference. Northridge and Sacramento would join Fresno, San Diego, New Mexico, Colorado State, Utah and Southern Utah.

Northridge, 34-32 last season, cracked the Top 20 during the season but was eliminated from playoff consideration after a poor finish. Among the Matadors’ victories was a 1-0 decision in extra innings over Arizona, the eventual national champion.

“I want to go, no question about it,” Northridge softball Coach Gary Torgeson said of joining the WAC.

Northridge would play four games against each conference opponent--a two-game series at home and another on the road. The team with the best overall record would win the conference championship outright. No WAC postseason tournament is planned in 1993.

Hiegert said he is awaiting scheduling information from the WAC that Northridge officials will use to determine the cost of joining the conference. CSUN also is concerned about the length of commitment the WAC will require.

“That’s going to be a factor for us if it precludes us from joining another conference if the opportunity arises,” Hiegert said.

Although Hollis said he knew of no plans to offer Northridge permanent conference membership in all sports, or even other affiliate memberships, Hiegert hopes the WAC will offer membership invitations in sports such as track and field, cross-country and swimming.