Playoff Bid Is Payoff for Pomona : Colleges: Despite a 28-25 record, the Broncos earn their first postseason appearance since 1988.

Chuck Belk felt like an attorney, not a baseball coach, when he picked up the phone and spoke to members of the NCAA Division II regional selection committee Sunday.

Belk was summoned on line to plead the case of his Cal Poly Pomona team that was pitted against Cal State Stanislaus in an administrative fight for the third and final spot in the West regional playoff tournament.

Belk had two minutes to present his argument. Despite Pomona’s 28-25 record and second-place finish in the California Collegiate Athletic Assn., he noted that the Broncos were ranked most of the season, had defeated Stanislaus twice in nonconference games at Stanislaus and had an 8-1 record against Division II teams outside the competitive CCAA.

Belk thanked the committee, then stayed on the line to hear Stanislaus’ presentation.

“I didn’t feel very good at all when I hung up,” Belk said. “I honestly felt we had the better argument, but you never know what can happen.”

Late Sunday, Belk got another call from the committee. The Broncos were in the playoffs for the first time since 1988.

Pomona, ranked 20th, will play fourth-ranked UC Davis (41-12), the champion of the Northern California Athletic Conference, Friday in the first game of the double-elimination regional at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. The loser plays top-seeded San Luis Obispo (33-17), the defending national champion.

“We have our work cut out for us, but this team has responded in the big games,” said Belk, who is in his second season as coach.

Indeed, Pomona played well when it was faced with its toughest challenges. The Broncos, for example, won four of six CCAA games against San Luis Obispo.

Pomona, though, had problems against less-talented teams. The Broncos put together no prolonged winning streaks or losing streaks.

Pomona lost four of its final six regular-season games, including its finale against Cal State Dominguez Hills, and finished 16-14 in the CCAA, three games behind San Luis Obispo.

“When I first got here, everyone told me that Cal Poly was typically a slow-starting team that finished fast,” junior center fielder Tom Eide said. “We’re still waiting to have a hot streak. Hopefully, it will start right now.”

Eide, who had a 30-game hitting streak, has been waiting nine years for a taste of the playoffs. None of the teams he played on at Chino High and Chaffey College participated in postseason play.

None of Pomona’s players, in fact, have playoff experience at the four-year level.

Pomona, which won national championships in 1976, 1980 and 1983, lost to Sacramento State in the 1988 regional. In 1990, the Broncos tied for the CCAA championship, but did not receive a regional berth.

“Davis and San Luis Obispo have a lot more playoff experience,” Belk said. “But I don’t see that as a big factor.”

Pomona is led by senior outfielder Brian Mena, who is batting .400 with two home runs and 42 runs batted in. Eide is batting .341 and designated hitter Alex Villalpando is at .337. Grant Stephens has 23 stolen bases.

Senior Shannon Albright is the Broncos’ top pitcher with a 7-5 record and 3.33 earned-run average. Albright will start Friday against Davis.

“I just have to go out and do what I’ve been doing all year--hold the other team down and let the offense kick in,” Albright said.

Eide said San Luis Obispo is aware of the Broncos’ potential for scoring runs. But Pomona might sneak up on Davis.

“They are going to be surprised,” Eide said. “They’re going to look at our record and think we don’t have much. But we’re going to hit them pretty hard.”

If Pomona wins the regional, the Broncos will make their sixth trip to the Division II World Series. Belk said the regional championship could portend a national title.

“We have as good a chance as anybody,” Belk said. “The strength of our conference is such that if you get there (to the World Series), your chances are pretty good even if you’re playing teams from other parts of the country with much better records.

“They don’t have the quality of competition that we have out here on a daily basis.”