Manarino’s Six Seniors Are His Picks to Click

Pretty soon, Pete Manarino will have to say goodbye.

Manarino, Long Beach State’s softball coach, will have to say farewell to six seniors who have meant much to the 49er program and to him personally. The softball season is winding down, so Tiffany Blood, Tammy Dietrich, Amy Miner, Marie O’Beck, Shari Shultz and Christy Tucker will soon leave.

“The way they’ve all led the team, how hard they’ve worked, their commitment . . . they’re just such fine young ladies,” Manarino said. “You don’t find too many young people like them these days.”

Fortunately for Manarino, he found a bunch. As juniors last season, the Super Six led Long Beach to its first Big West Conference title under Manarino.

Things are going well again this season. Long Beach (37-16-1) leads the conference standings at 18-8. Long Beach plays a doubleheader Sunday at Cal State Fullerton.

“We started out really well during the [nonconference] season, then we had a little lull when we got into the conference season,” Miner said. “But I think we’re peaking at the right time. Hopefully we can carry this momentum for the rest of the season.”

Miner and Tucker are Manarino’s on-field leaders. They are four-year starters and co-captains who have done everything Manarino has asked.

“Christy has been a great role-player for us,” Manarino said. “She started out as a pitcher, but we needed her to fill some different spots to help us the most.”

Several gifted players will return next season, but Manarino will miss one of his favorite senior classes.

“They helped us win a lot of games, and that’s nice, but that’s not really what I care about,” he said. “The most important thing to me is that I’ve watched them grow up, that I saw them succeed in the classroom and mature as young ladies. That’s what I’m going to remember most.”

*

More confusion: What is going on with the Long Beach men’s basketball program?

Since the season ended, seven scholarship players have left the program with eligibility remaining. Several rival Big West coaches said the 49ers aren’t exactly setting the world on fire in recruiting. Now, the 49ers also seem to have some major in-house communication problems.

There has been a lot of confusion about whether Coach Wayne Morgan is planning to have an annual banquet to honor the team. Brandon Titus, a senior guard, said he heard rumors that the banquet was canceled.

“To be honest with you, this whole thing kind of shocked me,” Titus said. “A banquet is supposed to be a farewell to your players, it’s supposed to be a chance for you to thank your fans and to thank your parents for everything they’ve done for you. It’s like a ritual.”

Long Beach Athletic Director Bill Shumard said Tuesday the banquet has only been postponed until May 8 because of the problems surrounding the program and scheduling conflicts of its organizers.

*

Another quick exit: Ray Ratelle just can’t catch a break.

For the second consecutive season, Santa Barbara eliminated Long Beach from the first round of the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation men’s volleyball playoffs. Saturday at the Pyramid, the Gauchos defeated the 49ers, 15-8, 15-5, 15-11, leaving the 49er coach with another bad playoff memory.

“The whole thing is pretty exasperating,” said Ratelle, whose team finished 19-10. “They did everything right and we didn’t, so this is real, real discouraging.”

49er Notes

The Long Beach women’s tennis team is second-seeded in the Big West Championships at the Ojai Valley Racquet Club in Ojai. The 49ers had a first-round bye Thursday and will play Cal Poly San Luis Obispo today. . . . Volleyball player Misty May, who graduated from Newport Harbor High, has been named a 1996 All-American athlete by the National Strength and Conditioning Assn.

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

Coming Attractions

Here’s a look at key upcoming games for Long Beach State:

* Softball doubleheader 1 p.m. Sunday at Cal State Fullerton. Long Beach has won five in a row and six of its past seven.

* Women’s tennis in the Big West Conference championships beginning 10:30 a.m. today at the Ojai Valley Racquet Club. The 49ers, second-seeded in the conference, will play Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.