COLLEGE DIVISION BASEBALL PREVIEW : Pitching Is Still Chapman’s Strong Point

It has been nearly three years since Chapman’s baseball program learned its Division I status would be brief, but Chapman Coach Rex Peters is still feeling the effects.

Peters, in his second season as coach and third with the team, said some recruits still are surprised to learn the Panthers are no longer a Division I team. Others are wary of further instability.

“Once we can get that out of the way we’ll be fine,” Peters said. “The program was successful at the Division II level and for the short time at Division I, and it will be good at Division III.

“We feel like we are getting there.”

Peters is confident his team will fare much better than last season when the Panthers were 10-25-1 and batted .236 as a team. The lineup will be bolstered by shortstop Matt Marquez, who hit about .360 for Rio Hondo College, and power-hitting catcher Colin Medeiros, a transfer from Hawaii Pacific.

Don Disbro, the Panthers’ leading hitter at .289 last season, is back at first base and will bat fourth. Second baseman Jason Smith and Kurt Townson, who is moving from shortstop to center field, are other returning starters.

Chapman’s pitching, which kept the Panthers competitive last year, again should be a strong point. Two starters, seniors Allistair Ray and Eleazar Elizondo, are back and so is sophomore closer Raul Guzman, who was 3-1 with a team-leading 4.12 earned-run average. Ralph Lopez, a transfer from Orange Coast, probably will be a starter too.

“If our pitching staff can give us what they gave last year, with our improved lineup, we should be a lot better,” Peters said. “We’re looking to turn that 10-win season last year into a 20-win season this year.”

Here’s a look at other Orange County college baseball programs:

Concordia: With 13 lettermen, including eight seniors, returning, Coach Jackie Schniepp believes his team could challenge the best teams in the conference.

Concordia’s top pitcher from last season, Jake Miller, has left school, but the staff remains strong. Jeff Daniel, who beat conference co-champions Point Loma Nazarene and Westmont last season, and Trevor Earle, who struggled with an injury, will battle for the No. 1 starting position.

Center fielder Doug Senne, an All-District 3 selection, hit a team-high .318.

Two transfers from Pima (Ariz.) College, Derrick Bly and Brett Waslefsky, will provide power in the heart of the lineup.

“I feel like this is a tough team, not much fazes them,” said Schniepp, whose team finished 18-28-1, 7-13 in the Golden State Athletic Conference last season.

Southern California College: SCC failed to advance to the postseason for the first time in Coach Charlie Phillips’ five seasons at the school. But it took a loss to conference co-champion Point Loma Nazarene on the final day of the regular season to knock the Vanguards (18-28, 8-12) out.

Ila Borders, who became the first woman to start a college baseball game, attracted most of the attention, but Jeff Beckley is the ace of the staff. Beckley, a 6-foot-4 senior left-hander from Trabuco Hills High School, expected to be drafted after finishing 5-7 with a 2.67 ERA last season.

Scott Slagel, a transfer from Mt. San Jacinto, is the No. 2 starter and Borders is No. 3.

On offense, the Vanguards will look to senior center fielder Ryan Seidel, who batted .270 with four home runs and 21 runs batted in last season. He tore up a summer league in Saskatchewan, hitting .471 with 11 homers and 31 RBIs.

“If we hit well, we’ll be fine,” Phillips said. “If we’re not hitting, it’ll be a lot like last year, a lot of tough losses and hopefully we can scratch and find a way to pull some games out.”