UC Riverside Poised to Dominate CCAA

With only two position players and one starting pitcher returning, UC Riverside still won a share of its second consecutive California Collegiate Athletic Assn. baseball title and finished third in the NCAA Division II World Series last season.

But it will hardly be a surprise if the Highlanders win another conference title this year.

The Highlanders, who were 38-25-1 overall and finished in a three-way tie for the CCAA title with Cal Poly Pomona and Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, appear to have as much talent as any College Division team in Southern California.

The pitching staff returns Ron Cody, Daron Kirkreit, Bill Jordan and Jon Norris. The Highlanders also should be strong defensively with the return of six of eight position players.

Leading the way are outfielders Stephen Bishop, Brett O’Dea and Derek Edwards, first baseman Chad Townsend and third baseman Mark Saugstad. They also have an outstanding catcher in David Kessler, a preseason All-America selection by Collegiate Baseball magazine.

Here is a look at the rest of the conference teams:

There is a changing of the guard at Cal Poly Pomona, where longtime Coach John Scolinos has retired after guiding the Broncos to a 27-26 record and a share of the CCAA title last season. Replacing Scolinos is longtime assistant Chuck Belk. The Broncos should have a good pitching staff, led by All-CCAA selection Dan Mead, and a solid offense behind catcher Chris Hunt and outfielder Scott Daniels.

Cal Poly San Luis Obispo has won or shared the CCAA title two of the last three years, and the Mustangs have the personnel to contend again after reaching the Division II playoffs, finishing 27-23 and tying for the CCAA title last season. The Mustangs should have steady pitching with the return of Dan Chergey and Paul Souza and the offense features first baseman Mike Oakland, catcher Paul Gamberdella and outfielder Scott Ferreira.

Cal State Dominguez Hills has one of the top pitching staffs in the conference with the return of starters Mark Tranberg, 11-3 last season, and Armando Plascencia. But the success of the Toros, 27-23 last season, might depend on the development of their offense. The top returning hitter is outfielder John Otte.

It is a new era at Cal State San Bernardino, where the Coyotes have stepped up to the CCAA after going 28-13 record last season and reaching the Division III World Series for the second consecutive season. They also have a new coach, Don Parnell, and several new players. The top holdovers include pitcher Rene Aguilar and outfielder Steve Stanfield.

After going 21-34 and finishing fifth in the conference last season, Cal State Los Angeles is faced with the prospect of playing 18 of its first 20 games on the road. The Golden Eagles figure to be led by pitchers Eddie Juarez and Shane Borowski. Their offensive leaders include shortstop Randy Solar and first baseman Scott Thielman.

Year in and year out, Azusa Pacific produces one of the top teams in the National Assn. of Intercollegiate Athletics District 3.

The Cougars, who finished 29-11 and won the district title last season, might have the best pitching in the district with the return of Todd Long, Ralph Montenegro and Chris Matkin, and the addition of transfer Pablo Paloni. They also return top offensive players such as outfielders Scott Morgan and Chris Garife and catcher Michael Jordan.

With only two starters missing from a team that went 25-22 and reached the district final, The Master’s should be among the teams to beat in the district once again. The Mustangs will rely on the offense of infielders Russ Henzie, E.J. Pape and Russ Henzie and catcher Dan O’Sullivan, along with the pitching of Chris Beck and Mike Smith.

Christ College Irvine made giant strides last season in going 28-15-1 and reaching the district playoffs. The Eagles should continue their improvement with the return of pitcher Mike Adams, who was 12-3 and batted .461 last season. They also return another outstanding pitcher in Gary Sussman and catcher Robert Campillo.

Behind a strong pitching staff, Southern California College reached the district playoffs last year and the Vanguards have the pitching to be a factor again. The Vanguards, 28-22 last season, return pitcher David Black, who had a 2.12 earned-run average last season. They also return shortstop Doug Rystrom, outfielder Justin Rysar and catcher Matt Dahlgren.

After slipping to 15-24 last season, Westmont might be a year away from contending for the district title. The Warriors have only one senior starter, outfielder Jeff Kliewer, and will count heavily on underclassmen such as pitcher Brent Overfelt, outfielder Mike Foster and freshman infielders Paul Pierson and Dan Deeble.

Despite a new coach, Jerry Huson, and new uniforms, Biola still might have difficulty improving upon its 10-24 mark of last season. The Eagles will depend on players such as pitcher Eric Pollom, infielder Rich Warnol and catcher Jay Acocks.

It is no wonder Coach Rich Hill is looking forward to Cal Lutheran’s first year in the NCAA Division III and SCIAC. The Kingsmen, ranked No. 7 in Division III in a preseason poll, have a solid nucleus returning from last year’s team that had a school-best 32-8 record and has added five Division I transfers.

Among the team’s top position players should be catcher Eddie Lample, infielder Jim Fifer and outfielders Bob Farber, Darrell McMillin and Eric Johnson--a transfer from Cal State Northridge. The pitching staff is headed by returnees Steve Dempsey and Tim Wimbish and newcomer Mike Winslow.

If any team has the ability to challenge the Kingsmen for the title, it could be defending SCIAC champion Redlands. The Bulldogs, who were 20-23 and reached the Division III playoffs last season, have a top all-around performer in SCIAC player of the year Marc DiCarlo at first base and pitcher. Another pitching leader is Vennie Henderson, and the offense should be bolstered by the return of All-SCIAC choices Mike Kon at catcher and Jeff Sofro at third base.

Claremont-Mudd-Scripps returns seven starters from a team that went 22-18 and tied with La Verne for second in the conference last year. The leaders include outfielders Rob Easley, Marc Sherman and Schon Branum and catcher Jeff Flaim. The pitching staff returns Dan Giddings, but is largely inexperienced.

With the return of three top pitchers and solid hitting, La Verne also has the talent to rank among the conference leaders. The Leopards, who were 23-17 last season and have not had a losing season since 1960, will rely on the pitching of J.D. Haendiges, Gary Irvin and Tim Greene and the hitting of outfielder Monty McDermott, Jeff Fraser and Greg Knight.

It has the look of a rebuilding year for Occidental, which lost most of its top players from a squad that went 14-19 and finished fifth in the SCIAC last season. The Tigers will rely on first baseman Mike Bonetto, who sat out last season because of a shoulder injury, catcher Bob Kennedy and second baseman Jeff Heberlein. They also have a good pitcher in freshman Dan Hart.

There is an accent on youth at Whittier, where the Poets went 12-26 overall and finished fourth in the SCIAC last season. They have only two seniors on a 26-man roster. The Poets should benefit from the return of All-West Region shortstop and pitcher Tony Fimbres, outfielder R.C. Chavez and pitcher Dave Berliner.

It was a struggle last season for Pomona-Pitzer, which finished 12-26 and sixth in the SCIAC. But the Sagehens could be more of a factor with the return of All-SCIAC infielders Steve Fenton and Bob Connolly and the pitching of Stefan D’Annibale and Shin Katano, who excelled as a freshman.

Caltech finished 3-27-1, including 0-18 in the SCIAC last season, and the prospects for the Beavers do not appear much better this season.