Richardson Finds His Niche With Long Beach

Jeff Richardson is a part-time player for the Cal State Long Beach baseball team, a distinction that would probably mean little on any other team except the 49ers.

Long Beach advanced to the College World Series for the third time in five years with a roster full of role players. There are standouts, to be sure, including sophomore pitcher Daniel Choi, who is 16-2, and designated hitter Jeff Liefer, a freshman who is batting .344 with 10 homers and 50 runs batted in.

But many of the Long Beach players are utilized as if they were interchangeable parts. And Richardson, a junior outfielder who played at St. Bernard High, Cal State Dominguez Hills and Rancho Santiago community college before arriving at Long Beach this year, is among the best.

The 6-foot-1, 180-pound Richardson played in 36 games this season, 15 as a starter. He is batting .314 with two homers and 13 runs batted in in 70 at-bats.

Richardson did not play in fourth-seeded Long Beach’s 7-1 loss to fifth-seeded Louisiana State in the 49ers’ World Series opener Friday night. He is hoping to contribute tonight when Long Beach plays an elimination game against eighth-seeded Kansas, a 5-1 loser to top-seeded Texas A&M; in the first round of the eight-team tournament.

“As long as we’re winning and I can contribute, I’m happy,” Richardson said. “I’m just like the rest of the guys on this team--we just want to play hard.”

Richardson’s circuitous route to Long Beach began at Dominguez Hills after he batted .474 as a senior at St. Bernard. He had been drafted in the 51st round of the 1990 draft by the Philadelphia Phillies, who suggested that he attend Harbor College, but Richardson enrolled at Dominguez Hills hoping for a chance to play as a freshman at a four-year school.

He was a starter for a few games, but spent much of the season struggling to get in the lineup. At the suggestion of a teammate, he contacted Rancho Santiago Coach Don Sneddon and subsequently transferred to one of the perennial powers in community college baseball.

Last season, Richardson batted .385 for Rancho Santiago and was recruited by Long Beach and Cal State Fullerton.

“I chose Long Beach because they had 11 players drafted, so there was going to be some opportunities,” Richardson said. “I’m very happy with the way things have worked out.”

None of Long Beach’s players was happy at the end of March when the 49ers’ record was 12-12. After a team meeting, Long Beach turned around its season and won 31 of 36 games.

Richardson’s best game came against UC Santa Barbara. He entered the game as a pinch-hitter and finished the day three for three with two RBIs.

“After that team meeting, we got to know each other a lot better,” Richardson said. “There had been a lot of switching around early in the season and people didn’t accept their roles. Once everyone did that, we took off.”

Richardson is hoping for a chance to help Long Beach come back through the loser’s bracket to win the national championship. No team has won the title after losing its first game since the current two-bracket format was instituted in 1988.

Richardson isn’t worried.

“This team never quits,” he said. “We play our best when we’re behind and it doesn’t look like we have a chance.”