JUNIOR COLLEGE BASEBALL PREVIEWS : Imports Keep Cal Lutheran in Business

Cal Lutheran traditionally has recruited remarkably well in baseball. And the players come from all over the map.

Bounce-backs from high-powered Division I programs, a smattering of freshmen, and transfers from obscure four-year schools and junior colleges somehow jell into a cohesive unit that wins far more often than it loses.

This season should be no different for the Kingsmen, who are 54-24-1 in two seasons under Coach Marty Slimak and last season advanced to the NCAA Division III regionals for the fourth year in a row.

Only three starters return, yet the holes appear to have been filled.

“We’ve addressed a lot of our question marks,” Slimak said. “We were very young and inexperienced last season and still advanced to the regional. . . . I think we can do well.”

Doing well early is Cal Lutheran’s biggest challenge. Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play begins Feb. 16 for the Kingsmen with a two-game series against defending national champion La Verne. The Kingsmen dropped three in a row to La Verne in the West regionals to end last season.

The La Verne series is followed by two games against Redlands, another strong conference rival. The season opens with four games this weekend in the Claremont First-Pitch tournament.

“February will show us what kind of team we have,” Slimak said. “If we emerge this month in good shape, I can look at you and say we are on the way to having a real good year.”

The addition of several strong pitchers is cause for optimism. Richard Bell, a junior left-hander from Moorpark College, and Erik Kiszczak, a freshman right-hander from Lake Havasu High, will open as the top two starters. Kiszczak, the state player of the year in Arizona last season, has been especially impressive.

“A lot of people missed out on this kid,” Slimak said.

Returners Craig Arnold, a senior from Thousand Oaks High and Oxnard College, and Andrew Barber will start and relieve, as will Brian Padelford, a transfer from Phoenix College.

Steve Fjeldseth, a junior returner, and Rudy Lesko, a transfer from Cerro Coso College, are the closers.

At catcher, the addition of Tommy McGee, a transfer from Chaffey College, and Rik Work, the third-leading hitter in Division III last season at Maryville (Ill.) College with a .506 average, give Slimak a pleasant quandary.

The same is true of Mike Young, a transfer from Hancock, and Matt Moore, a power-hitting transfer from Nicholls State in Louisiana. Both are third basemen by trade, but Young has been moved to first.

Ruben Torres, who batted .355 last year, returns at second base, and Sean Smith and Frankie Maldonado are battling at shortstop.

Playing center field and leading off is Jamal Nichols, a transfer from Ventura College who played at Thousand Oaks and for the Newbury Oaks American Legion team that won the national championship in 1992.

Rich Holmes, a junior who batted .395 last season, moves from center to right field, and Adam Rauch and freshmen Eric Buben and Brad Larson will platoon in left.