COLLEGE BASEBALL PREVIEW : Cal Lutheran, The Master’s to Fight for Different Causes

Cal Lutheran and The Master’s College might well have been locked in a battle for the NAIA District 3 baseball championship this season. As it is, the schools have gone their separate ways and, perhaps, in the nick of time.

In its first season of NCAA Division III competition, Cal Lutheran is the preseason favorite to win the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference championship. The Kingsmen are ranked seventh going into their opener at home Saturday against Christ College of Irvine.

Master’s, meanwhile, should benefit from having to contend with one less top-flight competitor in District 3.

An influx of talent added to a solid nucleus from a 32-8 team has sparked title hopes at Cal Lutheran. The Kingsmen have been bolstered by five Division I transfers and four returning position players.

Mike Suarez and pitcher Jeff Berman, who played together on Moorpark’s 1990 Western State Conference tri-champion team, are among the transfers.

Suarez batted .250 as a pinch-hitter and reserve infielder last season for Arizona. He is battling for the starting job at second base that was left vacant when Dave Leonhardt signed a contract with the Detroit Tigers after last season.

Berman redshirted last season at San Jose State after injuring his right (throwing) shoulder. He still is recovering and will not have medical clearance to play until Feb. 10.

“Jeff Berman is the X factor in this whole thing,” Coach Rich Hill said. “If he comes back strong, he could be the key to us reaching Battle Creek, Michigan,” site of the Division III World Series.

Transfers Mike Teron (Cal State Northridge), Pat Norville (Saddleback College) and Berman form a revamped pitching staff. Last season’s top pitcher, Mike Clark, has exhausted his eligibility. The only returning pitcher is 6-foot-2 junior right-hander Tim Wimbish.

Louis Birdt, a transfer from Pierce College, for which he was an All-WSC selection, will be in the bullpen.

Eddie Lample, who batted .264 last season, is the starter at catcher, but first base remains a question.

Eric Johnson, another Northridge transfer, is challenging Jay Lucas, who batted .325 last season. But Johnson, who will bat in the middle of the lineup, also is being considered as an outfielder.

At shortstop, Jason Wilcox is filling in while San Jose State transfer Dan Smith is recovering from a pulled hamstring.

When Smith returns, Wilcox will challenge Suarez at second base.

Jim Fifer, a redshirt senior, will play third.

Bob Farber, who batted a team-high .414 last season, returns as the right fielder, but the rest of the outfield is unsettled.

Darrell McMillin, an All-WSC third baseman last season at Ventura College, is the front-runner to take over in center field.

At Master’s, Coach Chris Harrison hopes to build on last season’s performance. The Mustangs finished 25-20 and advanced to the District 3 championship final for the first time.

Harrison expects his team to again contend for the District 3 title despite the loss of second baseman Craig Johnson (no longer eligible), who batted .315 and led the team with 47 runs batted in, and center fielder Sheldon Sparks, who batted .264 last season but sustained a career-ending back injury in September.

Master’s, which split a season-opening doubleheader Saturday at Cal State San Bernardino, 2-8 and 11-8, has a pair of returning all-district players in Dan O’Sullivan and Andy Martin. O’Sullivan, a catcher, batted .315 last season and Martin batted .356 and set a school record with 12 home runs. Martin will move from third base to first.

Russ Henzie, Master’s designated-hitter last season, will play third. He batted .411 last season.

Senior E. J. Pape has made the transition from shortstop to second base and Joe Pence, a transfer from Orange Coast College, takes over Pape’s old post.

The Mustang outfield has been shifted around in the preseason because of injury.

With Sparks out, the center field job goes to junior George Menges, who batted .304 last season as a part-time player. Right field duties will be handled by sophomore Steve Smith, who batted .252 last year. Tony MacCaughtry, a redshirt sophomore, will play left field.

The pitching staff is led by Chris Beck, who was 9-3 and made all-district honorable mention last season as a freshman. Senior Mike Smith, who was 5-5, had two wins and a save in three appearances against Cal Lutheran. He also defeated Biola twice. Eric Totemeier will be counted on to improve his 2-5 mark.

The Mustangs’ only left-handed pitcher is Sam Minyard, who can start or come out of the bullpen.