Chapman Pitching Staff at Full Strength

Chapman Coach Rex Peters is expecting his pitching staff to be back to full strength for the NCAA Division III Championship baseball tournament, which begins Saturday in Salem, Va.

The Panthers, then ranked 17th in the nation, beat third-ranked Cal Lutheran in the five-game West Regional series even though they were not able to use their No. 2 starter, Justin Miner (6-3, 2.42 earned-run average).

Miner separated his shoulder while roughhousing with third baseman Jason Moeller during practice the week before the Cal Lutheran series. Peters said Miner was nearly ready to pitch last Saturday, the final day of the regional, and with another week’s rest, should be available.

“We think he’s going to be ready to throw,” Peters said. “We just don’t know when.”

Chapman (31-14), which is ranked seventh this week in the American Baseball Coaches Assn. poll, will begin the eight-team double-elimination tournament against No. 1-ranked North Carolina Wesleyan (39-5). The tournament also includes Cortland (N.Y.) (28-8), Carthage (Wis.) (38-8), Wooster (Ohio) (42-6-1), Wisconsin Stevens Point (30-11), Bridgewater (Mass.) State (29-9-1) and Southern Maine (35-8). Play continues through Wednesday.

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Baseball honors: Three Chapman baseball players--pitcher Josh LaRocca, first baseman Robert O’Brien and pitcher/first baseman Cale Shepherd--were named to the NCAA Division III All-West Region first team by the American Baseball Coaches Assn.

LaRocca, a junior right-hander, was 8-3 with a 1.99 earned-run average and 80 strikeouts in the regular season. O’Brien, another junior, batted .354 with 46 runs batted in, and Shepherd, a senior, batted .395 with 49 RBIs. Chapman outfielder Dusty Martin and pitcher Miner were second-team selections.

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Academic honors: Chapman had six players from the baseball and softball teams named to the GTE Academic All-District VIII college division team.

The baseball players are: sophomore Matt Barcellona, a biology and chemistry major from Huntington Beach with a 3.85 grade-point average, sophomore Josh Fallon (La Verne, 3.56 GPA, studio art) and junior Luis Garcia (Placentia, 3.2 GPA, criminal justice).

The softball players are: sophomore Jenni Bankus (Fontana, 3.43, athletic training), sophomore Laurel Bailey (Phoenix, 3.46, broadcast journalism) and senior Lisa Simpson (Laguna Niguel, 3.42, psychology).

Southern California College softball second baseman Sarah Waters, a junior business administration major with a 3.70 GPA, was named a Scholar-Athlete All-American by the NAIA.

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Track and field: SCC has sent five athletes to the NAIA track and field championships, which start today at Life College in Marietta, Ga.

The Vanguards are entering three women--sophomore Isis Orejel (400 meters), freshman Maribel Delgado (800 meters) and Darriann Kenworthy (pole vault)--and two men--junior Brian Carlson (high jump) and senior Larry Holland.

The meet continues through Saturday.