Cal Lutheran Undeterred by Kernen’s Tactics

A man’s gotta do what a man’s gotta do, it seems.

Northridge Coach Bill Kernen apologized after Wednesday’s 2-1 loss to Cal Lutheran and said he hoped the Kingsmen didn’t interpret his sweeping lineup changes as a slight.

Kernen, upset at his team’s inability to play with sustained fire, benched several starters. Two pitchers were inserted into the lineup as position players.

Kernen didn’t discuss his team’s internal problems with the Cal Lutheran coaching staff beforehand, however.

Cal Lutheran Coach Marty Slimak said Kernen’s tactics had “no effect” on the Kingsmen.

All the Kingsmen knew was that they were facing a Northridge lineup that included five players who entered the game with a combined six at-bats. Not to mention the fact that Kernen didn’t allow his players to wear jerseys.

“This is totally about us,” Kernen said. “No disrespect was intended and I hope they didn’t see it like that.”

For the Kingsmen, a highly regarded NCAA Division III team, it was an important game against an annual area rival that has enjoyed great success in Division I. Kernen had a point to make, though, and Cal Lutheran settled for a narrow victory over a makeshift lineup.

Cal Lutheran was not disappointed. Starting pitcher Sam Arroyo, who did not allow an earned run in six innings, said he had been looking forward to the game all year. He was hit hard in an 11-4 loss to Northridge last season.

“I was very surprised (at the lineup,)” Arroyo said. “But I still had to go out and redeem myself.”

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Is Kernen overreacting in light of the Matadors’ respectable performance in Western Athletic Conference play?

Absolutely not, he said.

While the team has virtually no chance of qualifying for the regionals as an at-large team, winning the WAC title would earn the Matadors an automatic berth. Northridge is 6-3 and tied for first place in the WAC West Division with San Diego State (4-2).

Kernen pointed out that Northridge lost two of three at Cal State Sacramento last month. San Diego State swept a three-game series at Sacramento.

Life at the top may not last long, he said. Northridge plays a three-game set at San Diego next weekend. Besides, Kernen feels he has bigger fences to mend.

“We’re talking about something bigger than the WAC race in 1994,” Kernen said. “This is an erosion of the heart of the program.”

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Marco Contreras, a senior in his second year at Northridge, has seen Kernen’s fire-and-brimstone act before.

In fact, Kernen challenged the pitching staff for its season-long mediocrity before last weekend’s series with Fresno State. It made Contreras angry, which undoubtedly was the response Kernen was seeking.

Contreras beat Fresno State, 3-2.

“He told me before the Fresno series that I was basically (poor),” Contreras said. “I thought, ‘I want to show this guy that I’m not soft.’ ”

After the coach blasted the pitchers, the reaction of Contreras’ other mates perhaps underscores why Kernen says the team has little character.

“They were surprised I took it so hard,” Contreras said. “But you’ve got to take it personal.”

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What can his players to get back in Kernen’s good graces?

“Good question,” Kernen said. “They’d better be creative.”

The players seem stumped as well. The Matadors practiced for four hours Thursday, but haven’t arrived on a plan to appease the coach.

“There aren’t any magic solutions so far,” first baseman Jason Shanahan said. “We had a pretty good workout today, one of our better ones in a while.”

Shanahan said players will each wage a personal war to win back their positions.

“I’m fighting for my life here,” said Shanahan, a junior and a three-year letterman. “I think any person would take (this situation) and react like that.”

Kernen later said that in the past, teams that were in his doghouse might have considered practicing all day or sleeping in the clubhouse to prove their work ethic.

Shanahan characterized Thursday’s practice as “a lot more serious” than normal.

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For what it’s worth, Kernen has a degree in psychology. In fact, he graduated with honors from UC Riverside.

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Second baseman Keyaan Cook continues to enjoy his greatest success in WAC competition. Last year, the Montclair Prep graduate ranked among the Matadors’ best in conference play, and he has improved.

Entering the weekend, Cook led WAC West Division players in batting (.486), runs (11), doubles (five), hits (18) and on-base percentage (.558). He ranks third in slugging percentage (.703).

CAL LUTHERAN

Check Their Numbers

For the second year in a row, reports of the Kingsmen’s baseball game against Cal State Northridge included few details about the game.

Last season in a game won by Northridge, 11-4, news accounts centered around the perceived lack of respect Division III Cal Lutheran showed by vociferously ragging the Division I Matadors during the early innings.

This time, Kernen’s tactics to reprimand his players stole the show.

All but ignored was Cal Lutheran’s victory.

“Yeah, we were there. We were the ones with the uniforms on,” cracked Slimak, the Kingsmen’s first-year coach.

Cal Lutheran (16-4-1), ranked among the nation’s best small-college teams, has won two of its last three games against Northridge.

Slimak pointed out that major-college pitchers are often also talented position players. In fact, pitchers Contreras and Jason Vargas each went one for three and John Najar played well at first base.

“Most of those (pitchers) can play two positions,” Slimak said.

Seldom-used reserves James Woods and Steve Moreno also had their first hits.

Around the Campuses . . .

* Cal Lutheran’s victory over Northridge was its third in 34 head-to-head meetings.

* Cal State Northridge kicks off spring football drills April 13. Spring practice ends May 6 with a scrimmage.

Staff writers Steve Elling and Mike Hiserman contributed to this notebook.