Area Teams Ready to Rumble

It’s down to serious business for the 16 teams in the junior college Southern California baseball regional that starts today with eight best-of-three, first-round series.

The winner in each series, which conclude Saturday, advances to one of two second-round tournaments, May 17-19. The survivors of those double-elimination competitions join two Northern California counterparts in the four-team state championships on Memorial Day weekend at Fresno.

Today’s games start at 2. The second game is Saturday at 11 a.m. with a third game, if necessary, to follow.

Oxnard and Canyons have the advantage of playing at home in the first round. Pierce travels to Saddleback.

Oxnard (31-8), seeded third, plays No. 14 Harbor (26-14). Oxnard won the Western State Conference North Division title and is enjoying its most successful season.

“We have as good a chance as anybody,” said Pat Woods, Oxnard’s first-year coach. “We have a bunch of guys who can compete with anybody.”

Right-handers Josh Towers and Ray Clinton are Oxnard’s top pitchers and left fielder Scott Foli (.382 batting average, 11 doubles, 26 runs batted in) leads the offense. Towers is 11-1 with a 1.84 earned-run average and Clinton is 10-2 with a 2.35 ERA.

Steve Rawson, a sophomore third baseman who batted .380 with 12 home runs in South Coast Conference play, paces Harbor. The Seahawks have hit 40 home runs and 84 doubles overall.

Canyons (25-17), seeded eighth, plays Mt. San Antonio (25-18). The Cougars won the WSC South Division, their fifth division or conference title under Coach Len Mohney. Right fielder Rick Nadeau, who has 15 home runs, leads the Cougars.

Mt. San Antonio finished tied for first place with Long Beach City in the SCC. Outfielder Joe Thomas, who was second in the conference in batting with a .452 average, leads the Mounties. Right-hander Josh Schuler was 9-1 with a 2.76 ERA in conference play.

Pierce (28-12), seeded 12th, plays No. 5 Saddleback (26-13). The Brahmas, who tied the school record for regular-season victories, finished second in the WSC South. They are in the playoffs for the sixth consecutive year, all under Coach Bob Lofrano.

The Brahmas feature one of the top sluggers in the state, sophomore third baseman Mike Glendenning, who set a WSC single-season record with 15 home runs. Glendenning has 17 homers and 43 RBIs, both school single-season marks. Left-handed sophomore Keith Reid (8-3, 4.13 ERA) will start for the Brahmas.

Saddleback, the Orange Empire Conference runner-up, has a .338 team batting average. Designated hitter Jon Lauderdale (.355, 11 home runs, 56 RBIs) and shortstop Tavares Comeaux (.402, 25 RBIs) are the team’s top hitters.