Flaws in WSC Baseball Playoff Format Need Fixing

The Western State Conference has a chance to succeed where the National Hockey League has failed. The WSC can assure that its regular season means something.

When baseball coaches from the WSC’s 11 schools convene in Ventura on Monday, they will consider restructuring the conference’s playoff format.

Here’s hoping they do exactly that.

As it is, teams that have played well during the regular season still face a single-elimination postseason tournament that could scuttle an entire season.

Currently, the conference champion is the only team that advances directly to the Southern California regional, the first step in the state playoffs.

Second- through fifth-place teams participate in a conference tournament, which this season is scheduled for Tuesday and Thursday. The tournament winner earns the WSC’s second guaranteed berth in the regional playoffs. The team that loses in the conference tournament final receives the WSC’s nomination for one of four at-large playoff berths.

The problem with the setup is that the conference’s second-place team during the regular season could lose its conference tournament opener and fail to reach the state playoffs.

It could happen to Ventura this season.

The Pirates (23-12, 14-5 in WSC play) can forge a first-place tie with Pierce (27-6, 15-4) by defeating the Brahmas in their final regular-season game today. But if Ventura loses, it must defeat either Cuesta, Valley or Moorpark on Tuesday to remain in playoff contention.

Ventura, a playoff-caliber team, is only safe if it defeats Pierce and becomes co-champion. Conference bylaws protect both teams in case of a tie, granting its two playoff berths to the co-champions. Under that scenario, the third- through sixth-place finishers meet in a tournament for the right to be the WSC’s at-large nominee.

Confused? So were the conference’s coaches, many of whom did not understand the intricacies of their tournament until the bylaws were deciphered earlier this week.

“It’s a mess,” Pierce Coach Bob Lofrano said. “The scary part is that we (set up the playoff format) last year. I was at the meeting, we talked about all this and it still came as news to me.”

Conference coaches should consider a more equitable, less complicated plan:

After their usual knock-down, drag-out 20-game regular season, they should grant the WSC’s top berth to the conference champion and the second berth to the second-place team. The third place team would be the nominee for an at-large berth.

Group effort: The Northridge baseball team has not bestowed individual awards since Coach Bill Kernen, who stresses a team approach to everything, took over in 1989.

And so is saved a great debate. Forty games into the season, the eighth-ranked and presumably playoff-bound Matadors lack a clear-cut MVP choice.

They do have several candidates, however:

* Scott Richardson, who has raised his batting average from .295 to a team-high .352 during a 10-game hitting streak. The junior second baseman has hit in 34 of Northridge’s 40 games and had driven in runs in eight consecutive games before being shut out by California and St. Mary’s this week.

* Mike Solar, who has hit in 18 of the past 19 games, raising his batting average from .217 to .286. Solar, a senior, has played shortstop, first base and third base. He leads the Matadors with 12 home runs and has driven in at least one run in nine of Northridge’s past 11 games.

* Andy Hodgins, Northridge’s Mr. Consistency. In the past 20 games, his batting average--now .319--has remained between .310 and .343. He has struck out only five times in 89 at-bats. Hodgins, a junior shortstop and outfielder, has hit in 10 of his past 11 games.

* Greg Shockey, who has adapted well after being switched from third in the batting order to the leadoff slot. Shockey is batting .333 and has a .472 on-base percentage. He has reached base by walk or hit in all but three of the Matadors’ 40 games.

The senior center fielder had scored in 10 consecutive games before being shut out by Cal and St. Mary’s.

* Mike Sims, whose leadership and signal-calling at catcher is a big reason the Northridge pitching staff has a stingy 2.62 earned-run average. Sims, a junior, has not allowed a passed ball and is batting .314.

* Kenny Kendrena, the school’s career strikeout leader. The senior right-hander exemplifies Northridge’s team: At 5-foot-11, he is not physically imposing, nor does he throw particularly hard. He just wins.

Ask USC and Chapman how nasty Kendrena’s split-finger fastball can be. He struck out 16 Trojans in a 6-1 win and shut out Chapman, 6-0, striking out 17.

On Tuesday against a good-hitting Cal team, Kendrena could not throw his breaking ball for strikes. So, using primarily a fastball and split-finger, he worked 12 innings--throwing 176 pitches--and held the Golden Bears to one run.

Bob Milano, Cal’s respected coach, put Kendrena’s effort in perspective while passing by to compliment him after the game. “Deuces,” he said, referring to the No. 22 that Kendrena wears, “you were aces.”

There are others, certainly, who also deserve mention.

David Eggert, a senior left-hander, spent the first part of the season wondering if he would ever be summoned from the bullpen to pitch in a game.

He was. And he won. And won, and won and won and won and won and won. In seven appearances, Eggert has seven wins, a 1.68 ERA and 55 strikeouts in 53 2/3 innings.

Scott Mowl, too, has made the best of an opportunity. A senior who last played part time for NCAA Division II Cal State Los Angeles, Mowl had only four at-bats as a pinch-hitter in Northridge’s first 10 games.

Since, he has become the regular designated hitter and is batting .318 with nine home runs in only 107 at-bats.

Against St. Mary’s, Mowl made two dazzling defensive plays in his debut at first base.

Statwatch: Northridge has reached double figures in hits in 26 of 40 games--including 10 of its past 11--and scored 10 or more runs 13 times. . . .

Meanwhile, Cal and St. Mary’s this week became the first Northridge opponents to hit in double figures in consecutive games against the Matadors. Cal had 11 in 13 innings and St. Mary’s had 10, becoming only the sixth opponent to hit in double figures. . . .

Northridge opponents are batting only .220. The Matadors are batting .293. . . .

Northridge is 19-1-1 when its pitchers have struck out 10 or more. Matador opponents are 0-4-1 when their pitchers have reached double figures in strikeouts.

Coming home: The ace of Cal State Sacramento’s pitching staff is Roland De La Maza, a right-hander from St. Genevieve High and College of the Canyons.

De La Maza, who is scheduled to start for the Hornets against Northridge on Sunday at Matador Field, is 9-4 with a 2.30 ERA.