A Bumper Crop on the Farm : 5 Northridge Players Who Signed Pro Contracts in the Spring Are Ripening in the Minors and Producing Impressive Numbers

The words echo quietly in Kevin Kloek’s mind, but their impact rings loud and clear.

“You’re getting soft,” the voice says.

And somehow, from somewhere, Kloek gathers strength and continues on--just as he did when he played baseball for Cal State Northridge and its taskmaster coach, Bill Kernen.

“Kernen always used to say that, so now, when I get tired, I tell myself the same thing,” Kloek said by telephone from Beloit, Wis. “We had long practices at Northridge and a lot of that was done for our mental toughness. But you know what? It’s paying off.”

And not only for Kloek.

From Bellingham, Wash., to Jamestown, N.Y., all five former Northridge players who signed professional contracts in the spring have enjoyed summers of success.

Outfielder Greg Shockey is batting .286; second baseman Scott Richardson has 17 stolen bases in 20 attempts; pitcher Kenny Kendrena is 5-2 with two saves and pitcher David Eggert is averaging almost two strikeouts per inning as a closer.

And Kloek? All he has done is nearly pitch two no-hitters.

Speaking from Beloit, a farming community (“I don’t think it’s on the map. There’s a lot of corn around here.”) midway between Milwaukee and Chicago, Kloek has charted the progress of his former teammates through various baseball publications.

He is not surprised by their achievements.

“Coming from Northridge, we were trained for this, playing baseball every day,” Kloek said. “When we left, we were ready.”

Shockey, who homered in his first game for Class-A Bellingham, concurred.

“Our advantage comes from the independence we had,” he said. “We had to take care of ourselves; there was no one there doing things for us.

“I have a roommate from Texas A&M; and he’s had a big adjustment. Now he’s out here fending for himself. We did that all along. It was part of life.

“The only difference here is we have long bus trips instead of schoolwork.”

A fast start was important for Shockey, who was signed as a free agent by the Seattle Mariners. Late-round draft choices and free agents are prime candidates for release.

“I knew when I got here that it was time to put up or shut up,” said Shockey, Bellingham’s regular right fielder. “You have to do well right away, or that’s it.”

The Northridge quintet seems to warrant further inspection.

Kloek, a fourth-round draft pick and the first pitcher taken by the Milwaukee Brewers, is 9-1 with a 1.67 earned-run average for Beloit, the second-half leader in the Class-A Midwest League.

His only loss was to the Springfield (Ill.) Cardinals, 6-1, Aug. 3, the final day of an eight-game trip. “Everyone was real tired and we made six errors,” Kloek said. “It was a nightmare.”

Otherwise, it was a fairly typical performance. Kloek gave up only one earned run, keeping intact a string of quality starts. He has not given up more than two earned runs in 12 of his 14 appearances and Beloit is 11-2 when he starts.

“The funny thing is, I’m not throwing at all as hard as I was at Northridge,” Kloek said. “Here, if you go down the middle, it doesn’t matter how hard you throw. They’ll hit it.

“But if you hit your corners and keep the ball down, it’s a done deal.”

Ted Higuera, a veteran left-hander who pitched for Beloit while on a rehabilitation assignment, provided a living example.

“He pitched twice and didn’t throw hard at all,” Kloek said. “We were all surprised. Here’s this $2-million-a-year pitcher who shows up throwing 82 (m.p.h.). But he painted the corners.”

So too has Kloek. Opponents are batting .207 against him.

During a span of three starts in July, Kloek carried a no-hitter into the eighth inning against the Quad City Angels and another into the seventh en route to a one-hit shutout of the Appleton Royals. Kloek has had scoreless streaks of 11 2/3, 11 and 10 innings.

Kendrena and Eggert, who once complemented Kloek in the Northridge rotation, have started their pro careers in the bullpen in the New York-Penn League, a short-season Class-A league.

On the advice of Florida Marlin instructors, Kendrena no longer is as animated in his delivery--but he seems as effective.

“I’ve lost the little hop I had, but my delivery is a lot more smooth now,” Kendrena said. “I’m throwing harder with a lot less effort.”

Kendrena, selected in the 28th round, has 50 strikeouts and only 10 walks in 46 1/3 innings for the Erie (Pa.) Sailors to go with a 5-2 record, two saves and a 3.50 ERA.

Eggert, a 21st-round pick, has been more overpowering. His 1.90 ERA and 67 strikeouts in 42 2/3 innings have earned an invitation from the Montreal Expos to attend the instructional league in the winter. Eggert has a 3-2 record and six saves as Jamestown’s top left-hander out of the bullpen.

Richardson, the Brewers’ 14th-round selection, is playing second base for Helena (Mont.) of the rookie Midwest League. He is batting .298 in 252 at-bats with 50 runs, 10 doubles and five triples with 32 runs batted in.

Kernen, who as an assistant at Cal State Fullerton tutored Chicago Cub right-hander Mike Harkey and Expo third baseman Tim Wallach, said he cannot recall another recruiting class doing as well.

“There’s always one guy who seems to get right into it, but usually not an entire group like this one,” Kernen said.

“Really, there are two things all the guys look forward to--getting away from me, and making all their hard work pay off. When you go through what we go through, it’s nice to know there’s a payoff at the end.”