SCC Wants to Host Baseball Playoffs

Southern California College’s baseball team has clinched a spot in the postseason for the first time in four seasons, but the Vanguards have a chance on Friday to further improve their lot.

By sweeping Azusa Pacific in a regular-season-ending doubleheader in Azusa, SCC would tie the Cougars for second in the Golden State Athletic Conference. The Vanguards would win the tiebreaker with the Cougars and host a four-team NAIA sectional playoff series May 8-10.

GSAC champion Cal Baptist and the winner of that series will advance to the NAIA Pacific Northwest/Far West Regional the following weekend.

SCC has made a remarkable turnaround in Coach Kevin Kasper’s second season. In his first, the Vanguards were 12-34.

Kasper, however, says the team last year wasn’t as bad as its record would indicate--bad luck played a part in many losses.

“I’ve seen some unbelievable breaks this year that went the other way last year,” Kasper said.

A case in point in the fourth inning of Tuesday’s 5-3 victory at Whittier: Terrik Clark’s high drive missed clearing the fence in left center by about a foot and caromed back toward the infield, away from two onrushing Whittier outfielders.

Meanwhile, Clark was steaming around the bases and was able to beat the throw to the plate for a two-run, inside-the-park home run that gave SCC a 4-3 lead.

Kasper also can point to an outstanding pitching staff and a solid lineup. The Vanguards have a 3.38 earned-run average, which is nearly 1 1/2 earned runs per game lower than the conference’s second-best pitching staff.

Bryce Primm, a junior right-hander, is 8-3 with a conference-leading 2.04 ERA. Freshman right-hander Jeremiah Taylor is second at 2.80 and sophomore right-hander Donovan McReynolds is fourth at 3.25.

SCC is batting .315 as a team with six starters hitting better than .300. Junior outfielder Kevin Moore (.397, seven home runs and 40 RBIs), senior catcher Rob Pegg (.389, five homers, 38 RBIs) and junior second baseman Greg Schrieber (.365, 37 RBIs) lead the way.

The Vanguards (31-14, 14-8) will need strong performances from everyone against Azusa Pacific (16-6 in the conference). The teams split a doubleheader at SCC in March, SCC winning the first game, 10-8, and losing the second, 11-4.

“We know it’s going to be tough,” Kasper said. “You don’t go into Azusa and just take two and leave.”