CSUN Players on a Good Run of Bad Luck

If Cal State Northridge first baseman Jason Shanahan has seen any black cats lately, disaster could be just around the corner. Or in the next room.

Shanahan shares a townhouse with four teammates, each of whom has spent at least part of the season in the repair shop. Bad luck seems to rub off on the home front.

Andy Shaw, a sophomore first baseman, had knee surgery in the preseason and hasn’t had a single at-bat.

Junior right-hander Jason Van Heerde has a bum elbow that has prevented him from pitching all season. He is expected to have reconstructive surgery in a few weeks.

Junior shortstop Chad Thornhill suffered a broken bone in his right elbow Sunday and will miss the rest of the season.

Outfielder Jonathan Campbell came down with flu-like symptoms 10 days ago and hasn’t played since. He might have contracted Valley Fever, but more tests are needed.

“They took a chest X-ray,” Campbell said. “They found a broken heart.”

Said Shanahan: “Maybe I should get a motel room.”

CAL STATE NORTHRIDGE

His Kind of Guys

Matador baseball Coach Bill Kernen is looking for a few good men.

Kernen has signed only one player during the NCAA’s spring signing period, but that’s purely by choice. Already in the midst of his worst season in six years at Northridge, Kernen doesn’t plan to repeat the experience in 1995.

Kernen said he is making his list and checking it twice.

“I’m still scouting,” he said. “I want to make sure whoever comes in here is an animal . I want to make sure they can play for me, that they know what’s going on and what’s expected.

“I’ve never been on a losing team before as a player or coach. . . It’s my fault some of this stuff is going on. I’m looking for my kind of guys.”

JUNIOR COLLEGES

WSC Showdown

A victory for Pierce over visiting Bakersfield today in a Western State Conference baseball matchup between South Division leaders--both are 13-7 in conference play--would have additional significance for the Brahmas.

“The important thing is that we want to make sure we don’t lose the season series to them,” said Bob Lofrano, Pierce coach. Head-to-head results are used as the first championship tiebreaker.

Lofrano believes, however, that a loss today wouldn’t be catastrophic.

“This game still doesn’t determine who wins the championship because of the games that are left (five, including a makeup of Tuesday’s rained-out game against Canyons) and the way the teams have been bumping each other off (in the division),” Lofrano said.

*

He didn’t compete last season and he’s had to change his takeoff leg because of an injury suffered during basketball, but Glendale College freshman Mike Wright is performing as well as ever in the long jump.

Wright, a three-sport standout at Glendale High, had personal bests of 23 feet 9 1/2 inches in the long jump and 48-3 in the triple jump for the Dynamiters. But he did not compete in sports during the 1992-93 school year while completing requirements for his high school diploma at a continuation school.

He played for the Glendale College basketball team this season but, after twice twisting his left knee in games, learned to long jump off his right leg.

Wright jumped 22-10 in his first meet before tying his personal best to win the junior college division of the Mt. San Antonio College Relays on April 15. He followed that with a 23-8 1/2 effort to lead all qualifiers in last week’s Western State Conference preliminaries.

“If he stays healthy, he should definitely go over 24 feet and possibly, much further,” Coach Tom McMurray said. “A 25-foot jump is not out of the question.”

Around the Campuses . . .

* In six WAC games against Cal State Sacramento, Northridge pitchers allowed an average of 10.5 runs and 14.8 hits. Of the 63 runs scored by the Hornets, 56 were earned, giving the Northridge staff an earned-run average of 9.69.

Overall, the opposition is batting .302 against the Matadors.

* Northridge, racked by injuries to its pitching staff, has lost five consecutive nonconference games played on a Tuesday. The last four defeats are by a combined score of 53-23, which might be reason enough to celebrate Tuesday’s rainout with the University of San Diego.

Staff writers Fernando Dominguez, Steve Elling and John Ortega contributed to this notebook.