OK in Oklahoma : Simi Valley’s Nykoluk Makes Move, Makes Mark at Seminole JC

Once a Pioneer, perhaps always one.

At least that’s the way it seems for Kevin Nykoluk, who etched his name into the Simi Valley High record book during his three-year varsity baseball career.

Two years after leaving the Pioneer program, Nykoluk, 20, is still a pioneer, blazing a trail to Seminole, Okla.

The sleepy town of 7,200 sits among gently rolling hills in the middle of Oklahoma and boasts a Wrangler Jeans distribution plant and the only children’s museum in the state. But most importantly to Nykoluk, it boasts one of the best junior college baseball programs in the country.

In 20 years at Seminole Junior College, Lloyd Simmons has become the winningest coach in junior college history with a 1,311-240 record. The Trojans have made a record nine appearances in the JUCO World Series, finishing second three times.

Those are impressive accomplishments, but whoever heard of a guy leaving baseball-mad Southern California to play junior college ball?

Nykoluk had a solid season at Moorpark College last year, leading the team with a .410 batting average. There are more teams in the Western State Conference (12) than in all of Oklahoma (10).

“It just doesn’t happen,” said Simi Valley Coach Mike Scyphers about Nykoluk’s migration. “I admit I had mixed emotions about him going, but it’s hard now to argue with his decision.”

Nykoluk has found a home on the range and halfway through the season hears nary a discouraging word. A hard-hitting, 5-foot-11, 190-pound catcher, he is leading the Trojans with a .418 batting average and seems to have accomplished his primary goal: enhance what he viewed as a stalled career in front of a new group of college and professional scouts.

Has he started a trend? A Dust Bowl migration in reverse? Nykoluk is too busy harvesting a baseball bonanza to consider such things.

“There’s not much social life here but the baseball life is great,” he said. “That’s the reason I’m here. To play baseball and get an education.”

Of course, Nykoluk didn’t land in Oklahoma by accident. He played in a high school all-star game in 1993 in Stillwater, Okla., where he first heard about Seminole. Last winter, the Trojans recruited him, offering a full scholarship.

Nykoluk arrived in January and moved into an apartment with three Seminole players. Tuition, books, room and board, all paid in full, just like an NCAA Division I college.

In keeping with National Junior College Athletic Assn. rules, Seminole has issued a full complement of 24 scholarships. Nearly half the players on the 35-man roster come from outside Oklahoma.

The Trojans travel almost as much as their four-year counterparts. Seminole this season has played in Arizona, Texas, Arkansas, Missouri and Kansas, logging nearly as much bus time as a minor-league team.

And when the playoffs roll around next month, nearly everyone in town will flock to Oiler Park, a former minor-league stadium--complete with lights--built in the 1930s.

And don’t bet against the Trojans in the playoffs. A trip to Grand Junction, Colo., and a 10th appearance in the JUCO World Series seem likely. Seminole is 30-3 and ranked third in the nation by the NJCAA.

Despite establishing himself as one of the area’s top players in high school--he was The Times’ Ventura County player of the year in ‘93--Nykoluk was a prime candidate for a change after his freshman season at Moorpark. He was a 20th-round draft pick of the Montreal Expos in 1993 after he batted .467 with 10 home runs, 50 runs batted in and 50 runs scored as a senior at Simi Valley.

Montreal offered him no money, taking him as a draft-and-follow selection, in part because he had played only one season at catcher. The Expos wanted him to catch for a season at Moorpark and would consider signing him shortly before the 1994 draft.

He caught nearly every game for Moorpark and led the team in batting, but the Expos did not offer a contract, and Nykoluk was not chosen in last year’s draft. Because he failed to meet NCAA academic requirements out of high school, attending a four-year school was not an option.

“It was tough for him,” said Scott Stanley, a Montreal scout who lives in Canyon Country. “Our supervisors saw him early in the season and he got much better later on. I think Kevin thought scouts out here were not giving him a fair chance.”

Scyphers offered a similar assessment, saying, “Kevin needed to get new people to look at him. He was being seen by the same old West Coast scouts.”

Nykoluk chooses his words carefully when discussing his reasons for moving, perhaps leery of offending college and pro scouts. He called his draft situation a setback and said the offer by Seminole was too good to pass up.

“With the winning tradition here, it’s just like at Simi,” Nykoluk said. “No one really likes Scyphers because he is always winning, and no one really likes Simmons because he’s always winning.

“I like guys like that. The only thing they worry about is winning ballgames.”

Nykoluk has helped Seminole keep the victories coming. He rates among team leaders in home runs (5), RBIs (26) and runs (28) and has earned raves from Simmons for his work with the pitching staff.

“He’s a gamer,” Simmons said. “That’s what I like about him. He’s done an excellent job as a catcher. Being able to come in and handle our pitching staff has been very important.”

Simmons made adjustments in Nykoluk’s throwing technique to improve his release, but the veteran coach has no plans to tamper with Nykoluk’s hitting mechanics.

“I haven’t messed with that,” Simmons said. “Don’t think I’m going to. I’m country but I’m not that country.”

The only downside this season for Nykoluk was leaving Moorpark. He enjoyed his experience there and frequently calls shortstop Ryan Briggs and second baseman Britten Pond, long-time friends and former Simi Valley teammates.

Even though Nykoluk left the program just weeks before the start of the season, the Raiders have accepted his departure graciously, in part because they are winning too. Moorpark is 22-9, 12-5 in WSC play.

“It was tough losing him because he caught most of our innings in the fall and that was one spot that we were counting on,” pitching coach Dennis King said. “We were disappointed to lose a player like him. But Kevin’s such a great kid. You want things to work out for a kid like that.”

For Briggs, the loss goes beyond baseball. “I enjoyed playing with Kevin, but I’m going to miss him more as a friend.

“But it’s working out for him. I’m happy for him.”

Of course, Nykoluk is still waiting to see how the move plays out. Will his transfer result in a Division I scholarship or a draft selection?

Nykoluk isn’t sure. Simmons has a team rule that keeps inquiries about players by college and professional scouts a secret so his players remain focused on team goals.

That hasn’t stopped pro scouts from asking. Over the years, more than 120 Seminole players have signed professional contracts. When catcher Kelly Stinnett was promoted to the New York Mets last year, he became the eighth former Trojan to reach the big leagues.

Regardless of Nykoluk’s final destination, he might become a role model for other Southern California players. Briggs talked enviously about Seminole, and Nykoluk rates the quality of play--especially the pitching--better than what he saw at Moorpark.

“The connection might be there now,” Scyphers said. “Once you send a kid and it works out, it’s easier to send the next one.”

If other players follow, they might avoid the question that was put to Nykoluk when he first told friends about his decision.

“People would say to me, ‘Why are you leaving California to go to Oklahoma?’ They couldn’t understand,” he said.

The answer is simple.

“Baseball,” he said. “Why else would I leave California?”