3 Pitchers to Lead Valley Rangers in NBC World Series

The Valley Rangers, a team that includes several area players, will open play in the National Baseball Congress World Series on Saturday in Wichita, Kan., against the Greensboro (N.C.) Brewers.

The 32-team double-elimination tournament began Wednesday and will run through Aug. 15.

The Rangers, coached by Frank DesEnfants, finished the regular season 24-17, 15-11 in the Golden State League. The Rangers advanced to the World Series with a 10-4 league playoff victory over the San Diego Stars on Saturday in San Bernardino.

The Rangers are led by three pitchers who have 3-1 records: Steve Dempsey, Kevin Mallen and Chris Matkin.

Mallen, from Brooklyn, is the only member of the team from outside California. Mallen, a left-hander, has a 1.89 earned-run average and 36 strikeouts in 29 innings. He has four saves.

Dempsey, a senior on the Cal Lutheran team last spring, has a 2.42 ERA in 26 innings. At Cal Lutheran, he was 11-1 with a 2.11 ERA in 106 2/3 innings. Dempsey helped the Kingsmen (42-6) to the final of the 1992 NCAA Division III World Series in Battle Creek, Mich., where they lost, 3-1, to William Paterson College.

Other 1992 Cal Lutheran players on the Rangers are pitchers Mike Winslow and Tim Barber and designated hitter Jim Fifer.

Matkin has a 1.05 ERA in 17 innings. Matkin, formerly of Hart High, played at Cal Lutheran for two years and at Azusa Pacific for two years.

Ranger second baseman Joey Arnold led Pierce College (34-8-1) to a third-place finish in the junior college state tournament in May. Arnold was selected most valuable player of the Western State Conference this spring and earned a scholarship to play for Cal State Northridge.