Azusa Pacific Catches NFL’s Eye

Although a small university that competes in the National Assn. of Intercollegiate Athletics, Azusa Pacific has had a knack for placing football players in the NFL draft in recent years.

In 1983, lineman Doug Barnett was selected in the fifth round by the Rams. Three years later, running back Christian Okoye was chosen in the second round by Kansas City and has since developed into one of the top backs in the league.

In 14 years as coach at Azusa Pacific, Jim Milhon has had nine former players sign NFL contracts.

He could have another when the NFL draft is held Sunday and Monday.

While it is anything but a certainty, Milhon thinks offensive tackle Ross Ritter has a good chance to be picked anywhere between the fourth and seventh rounds.

“We would hope for that, but you can never tell,” Milhon said. “They said Christian wouldn’t be drafted until the eighth round, and he went in the second.”

The 22-year-old Ritter, who has outstanding size at 6-feet-5 and 305 pounds, said he will be happy simply to be drafted at all.

“I kind of feel that if I go, it will be on Monday in Rounds 7 through 12,” he said. “You never really know with the draft. Unless you’re a top-round guy, you have to always be prepared for the possibility that it won’t happen. For me, I just hope to be drafted, and we’ll take it from there.”

After playing at Fullerton Community College for one season, Ritter established his reputation with the Cougars the past three seasons and earned NAIA All-American first team honors the last two years.

But he may have made the biggest impression when he participated, along with 300 other prospects, in NFL scouting combine workouts at Indianapolis in February.

“I think he made a good impression, and since that time there have been many teams come by to look at him,” Milhon said. “All of the athletes (at the combine) are on videotape. So they would have to like him to fly somebody out to look at him again.”

Milhon said he has been told by scouts that Ritter ranks among the top 30 offensive linemen in the nation.

“Everything is problematic in pro ball,” Milhon said. “If he gets with the right team and they bring him along the right way, he could have a good career.”

The coach pointed out that it is not easy to make the jump from a small college to the NFL.

“The step from Azusa Pacific to the pros is a lot larger than from a place like the University of Washington, and we’ve discussed that a lot,” Milhon said. “But there’s no reason why he can’t make it. It will be a little difficult, but I think he can do it.”

Said Ritter: “I think it’s more of a mental adjustment for me and just one more obstacle to get over. As far as I’m concerned, it’s going to be a huge jump for anyone coming out of college.”

If he isn’t selected during the draft, Ritter said he will probably take his chances as a free agent.

But he is hoping that by Monday he will not have to make that choice.

First place in the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference will be on the line when conference-leading Cal Lutheran meets second-place Redlands Friday and Saturday.

The three-game series will open at Redlands Friday and will end with a doubleheader at Cal Lutheran Saturday.

Cal Lutheran is 29-2 and ranked No. 1 in the NCAA Division III. The Kingsmen have a 14-1 record in the SCIAC, having lost to La Verne on April 10.

But Redlands appears to be Cal Lutheran’s most difficult assignment in its quest for the conference title.

The Bulldogs, defending conference champions, are 16-11-1 overall and 12-3 in the SCIAC. Redlands, ranked No. 26 in Division III, has a well-balanced offense that is led by catcher Mike Kon, outfielder Troy Haun and first baseman Marc DiCarlo.

DiCarlo, who was voted the SCIAC’s most valuable player last season, is also one of the team’s top pitchers, along with Vennie Henderson.

Cal Lutheran leads the SCIAC with a .337 batting average and a 2.03 earned-run average. The Kingsmen have outscored conference opponents, 189-36.

The Cal State Bakersfield women’s softball team moved into a familiar position when it was ranked No. 1 in NCAA Division II last week.

The Roadrunners won three straight Division II titles in 1988-90 and have been consistently ranked among the top teams in the division in recent seasons.

Bakersfield is 40-13 overall and 12-4 in the California Collegiate Athletic Assn. The Roadrunners are led by senior All-American left fielder Amy Van Allen.

But the biggest challenge for the Roadrunners might be holding onto first place in the CCAA. Bakersfield leads the conference by one game over 13th-ranked Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, and both teams have .750 winning percentages.

Cal Poly SLO is 26-9 overall and 9-3 in the CCAA. The Mustangs split a doubleheader with Bakersfield last week, losing the first game, 11-1, before scoring a 2-0 victory.

College Division Notes

The Cal Poly San Luis Obispo baseball team secured its position in first place in the CCAA with a three-game sweep of Cal State Dominguez Hills last week. The Mustangs, ranked No. 3 in NCAA Division II, are 28-10 overall and 13-5 in the CCAA. . . . The hottest baseball team in the CCAA at the moment is Cal Poly Pomona, which has won seven conference games in a row, including a three-game sweep of sixth-ranked UC Riverside last week. Pomona is in second place in the CCAA at 10-7. . . . Senior guard Chris Greene of Claremont-Mudd has been voted to the 1992 NCAA Division III All-American second team by Basketball Gazette. Greene, who was earlier selected to the Division III first team by the National Assn. of Basketball Coaches, averaged 22.3 points last season. Cal Lutheran guard Jeff deLaveaga, who led the SCIAC in scoring with a 29.2-point average, was voted to the Division III third team by Basketball Gazette. He was previously honored as SCIAC player of the year. . . . The Cal Lutheran women’s softball team holds a one-game lead over Redlands in the SCIAC with six games remaining. The Regals, 14-3 in the conference, are 23-12 overall.