Teams Back to Business After Break

Spring break is only a memory now, as Orange County’s athletic teams head into the final weeks of competition. So, after a week of mostly relaxation, it’s time to catch up on some of the spring sports.

Baseball: Rancho Santiago is in prime position to claim its third consecutive Orange Empire Conference title.

Rancho Santiago (23-10, 14-5 in conference) holds a two-game lead over Riverside (24-10, 12-7) with five left. The Dons are at Cypress Tuesday and play host to Golden West Thursday. They have a bye Saturday.

But the more jumbled race is for third place. Orange Coast (18-12, 9-9) currently holds that position, but still close are fourth-place Fullerton (16-15-1, 9-10), fifth-place Saddleback (15-16-1, 8-11), and Cypress (21-17, 7-12) and Golden West (14-16-1, 7-12), which are tied for sixth.

The top two finishers in the conference receive automatic playoff berths, and the third-place team is almost a lock for an at-large berth. The fourth-place finisher has a solid chance at an at-large berth because of the conference’s overall strength.

The regular season ends May 2 and the playoffs the next two weekends. The State tournament is May 23-25 at the Riverside Sports Complex.

Softball: Orange Coast is in command of the Orange Empire Conference race as it enters its final two weeks. The Pirates (14-3) hold a 1 1/2-game lead over Cypress (12-4) with four left. Riverside (11-5) is third, Rancho Santiago (10-7) fourth, Fullerton (9-8) fifth, Saddleback (7-10) sixth, Golden West (4-13) seventh and Irvine Valley (0-17) eighth.

Cypress can pick up half a game today with a victory over host Riverside.

The regional playoffs are May 8-9, and the State tournament, hosted by American River College, is May 15-17 in Sacramento.

Swimming: Both the men’s and women’s conference seasons have ended. Orange Coast won both titles in the Orange Empire Conference, and its men’s and women’s teams are the favorites in the conference finals Thursday through Saturday at Saddleback. Competition starts at 9:30 a.m. each day.

Golden West took the men’s title and El Camino won the women’s in the South Coast Conference. The conference meet begins Thursday at Long Beach Belmont Plaza and continues through Saturday. Swimming begins at 10 a.m. each day.

The State meet is April 30 and May 1-2 at Belmont Plaza. Orange Coast is the defending men’s and women’s champion.

Tennis: The Ojai tournament is the main order of business, starting Thursday and continuing through Sunday.

Orange Coast won the men’s Orange Empire title two weeks ago, but the women’s title won’t be settled until today at Orange Coast.

Orange Coast (12-1) holds a one-match lead over Riverside (11-2) and the teams meet at 2 p.m. The match is a makeup of one that had been rained out.

Saddleback plays host to the men’s Orange Empire conference tournament and Golden West the women’s tournament April 30-May 2. The May 7-9 regional tournaments are at Santa Barbara for the men and College of the Desert in Palm Desert for the women.

The State tournament is May 14-16 at the Rancho Bernardo Racquet Club.

Track and Field: The Orange Empire Conference preliminaries begin at 1 p.m. today and the conference finals begin Friday at 1:30 p.m. at Rancho Santiago. Orange Coast is the host college.

The Southern California prelims (May 2) and the finals (May 9) are at Santa Barbara, and the State meet is May 15-16 at Long Beach.

Community College Notes

Orange Coast baseball Coach Mike Mayne is nearing his 400th career victory. Mayne, in his 15th and final year as OCC coach, has a mark of 397-185. OCC has six games left in conference play, including one today at 2:30 p.m. against visiting Riverside. . . . Cypress softball Coach Brad Pickler won his 200th game as Cypress beat Fresno, 3-1, April 14 in the title game of the Merced tournament. Pickler, who coached Cypress to the State title last season, has a 200-82 record in his sixth season.