Tritons Downgrade Cal Lutheran’s Power Source

Cal Lutheran’s numbers appear imposing--79 home runs in 39 games. But they don’t scare UC San Diego Coach Lyle Yates.

Yates and pitching coach Tom Cartier took a trip to Cal Lutheran’s field last weekend to see what all the fuss was about. They came away with a better understanding of Cal Lutheran’s power figures.

In two games against Whittier, Yates and Cartier saw Cal Lutheran hit five homers.

“A lot of those home runs would just be fly balls at our park,” Yates said. “That made us feel a lot better.”

It should. UCSD will play host this weekend to the NCAA Division III West Regional--a best-of-five series--against Cal Lutheran and UCSD.

Cal Lutheran doesn’t have distance markers on their fences, but Yates and Cartier walked off the right and left field lines and estimated them to be about 305 feet away from home plate--some 25 feet shorter than UCSD’s distances down the foul lines.

Yates said UCSD’s park is also considerably bigger in the power alleys and in center field than Cal Lutheran’s. But Yates said the differences don’t end there.

“In foul ground, we have a full 60 feet all the way around the field,” he said. “They don’t have much foul ground at all.”

In two games at UCSD’s field earlier in the season, Cal Lutheran had eight doubles and two home runs. UCSD won the first game, 5-3, but lost the second, 9-3, in the championship game of the UCSD Invitational.

“We beat them at our own field and our team knows that we can beat them,” Yates said. “We have more familiarity with our own ballpark. Our style of play fits our ballpark. Their park is much smaller and that fits their style of play.”

How did ninth-ranked UCSD (27-6-1) get selected as a regional host instead of top-ranked Cal Lutheran (36-3)?

“I was surprised at first because I thought it had more to do with seeding and record,” Yates said.

But when Yates learned that the first criteria was quality and availability of facility, he understood.

“I’m sure they’re very disappointed,” Yates said. “I truly feel our facility is in better shape and I feel that’s why they gave it to us. We can seat more and have a easier job of controlling ticket sales.”

UCSD’s Triton Field can seat between 300 and 350 people.

Center fielder Darrell McMillin has 19 home runs--almost a fourth of the Kingsmen’s total. He also leads the team in batting (.428) and RBIs (49). Switch-hitting left fielder Eric Johnson is hitting .363 with eight home runs, 17 doubles and 37 RBIs and first baseman Jay Lucas is batting .348 with eight homers and 41 RBIs. As a team, the Kingsmen are hitting .330.

Center fielder Ernie Isola is UCSD’s leading hitter at .426. He has three homers, 41 RBIs and a school record 17 doubles. First baseman Dave Rex is hitting .374 with a team-high eight homers and 43 RBIs. UCSD’s team batting average is .323, but they have only hit 21 home runs.

The Tritons have been to four regionals since 1986, but have only advanced to the NCAA Division III championships in 1987 when they finished fifth.

How does Yates compare his 1992 team to the 1987 squad?

“Across the board we are much more consistent this year than we were in 1987,” Yates said. “We would be definitely disappointed if we didn’t make it to the NCAA championships.”

Friday’s single game begins at 3, Saturday’s doubleheader at noon and Sunday’s games, if necessary, at noon.

Tickets are $3 for general admission, $2 for students and $1 for children 12 and younger.

Basketball fans denied great access: Clyde Drexler, Portland Trail Blazer guard, and Christian Laettner, Duke center, were named to round out the 12-man U.S. Olympic basketball team that will practice at UCSD June 22-26. But if you’re planning to catch a glimpse of this team, forget it.

All practices will be closed to the public. The media will only be allowed to watch for 10 minutes at the beginning of the three-hour practices that will start each day at 11 a.m.

UCSD has already begin preparing for Olympic team by refinishing their floor.

“Every layer of old varnish and paint was taken off,” said Bill Gannon, UCSD sports information director. “This is a totally new surface.”

After five days in San Diego, the team will play at the Tournament of the Americas in Portland from June 27-July 5. The U.S. team must finish in the top four at Portland to qualify for the Olympics.

Crusaders blow chance a nationals: The Point Loma Nazarene College men’s tennis team finished second to Cal Baptist in District 3 tournament last Friday at PLNC, losing 18-14.

But the score was actually closer than that. The Crusaders’ doubles team of Sean Willette and Enrique Guajardo had a match point on Cal Baptist’s Frank Ofori and Emanuel Paddi in the second set, but wound up losing, 4-6, 7-6 (7-4), 6-4.

A victory by PLNC in the men’s doubles semifinals would have forced a six-match singles tiebreaker Saturday to decide the district title and the right to advance to the NAIA nationals in Kansas City May 18-23.

If it was any consolation, PLNC’s Rich Hills was named District 3 men’s coach of the year.