Striking Out : Most Northridge Baseball Players Have Had Little Luck Latching On Elsewhere

Three weeks have passed since Cal State Northridge dropped baseball, sending players and recruits frantically seeking new teams.

So far, few have found takers.

Besides left-handed pitchers Erasmo Ramirez and Benny Flores, juniors who transferred to Cal State Fullerton a week before the program was cut, only sophomore outfielder Terrmel Sledge (Cal State Long Beach), sophomore first baseman Casey Cheshier (San Jose State) and junior catcher Bryan Wagner (Southern Mississippi) have accepted scholarship offers.

Northridge eliminated four men’s sports--baseball, volleyball, swimming and soccer--on June 11 to meet budget and gender-equity requirements. Soccer, relying on private funds, has since been reinstated for a farewell season.

“The biggest problem with the whole mess is that the people making the decision [to cut baseball] didn’t consider the student-athletes,” Northridge baseball Coach Mike Batesole said. “And the student-athletes should have been the first people they considered.”

Under NCAA rules, Northridge must honor all baseball scholarships for one year, which includes players with eligibility left and recruits who signed letters of intent. But few, if any, of the players are interested in attending a school that does not offer baseball.

“If they sit out a year, their stock plummets,” said Batesole, whose team went 42-20-1 last season.

That leaves limited options. Most schools already have doled out scholarship money and filled their rosters.

The situation smacks of unfairness to Daniel Petrocelli, the attorney who represented Fred Goldman in the civil suit against O.J. Simpson. Petrocelli is a friend of Phil Horvat, whose son, Eric, is a recent Hart High graduate who signed a letter of intent with Northridge.

“[Eric] certainly could have received a full scholarship to play baseball elsewhere,” Petrocelli said. “I’m looking to the university to make my client whole, to mitigate the damages and compensate his loss.

“The scholarships are long gone and that’s what I find so troublesome.”

Petrocelli recommended that Horvat sue Northridge to pay the tuition for his freshman year at whatever school Horvat attends. The Horvats, however, are reluctant to take the matter to court.

“I don’t want to scare other coaches,” said Phil Horvat, Eric’s father. “I’m worried that [a lawsuit] could hurt Eric.”

Several players who proved themselves as Northridge freshmen in 1997 might be forced to play at a junior college for a year before returning to Division I.

Adrian Mendoza, a freshman from Royal High, won the first base job early in the season, batted .274 and was often spectacular defensively. He is resigned to attending Oxnard College.

Jason Gause, a freshman third baseman who batted .280 in 34 games, will attend Rancho Santiago at the suggestion of Fullerton Coach George Horton.

Outfielder Matt Pitstick (.300), catcher Jeremy Sickles (.310) and designated hitter Dan Pierce (.264) also may end up at junior colleges.

“The JCs are not a bad way to go because they can have a good season and become available when everybody opens a new recruiting year,” Long Beach State Coach Dave Snow said. “They’ve already established credibility at CSUN, so opportunities will be there.”

Players with only one or two years of eligibility have fewer options.

Chris MacMillan, an infielder who batted .318 as a junior, sent 80 letters to schools and has received five responses. Kansas State seems most interested, although MacMillan must win an appeal to have an F grade changed to a withdrawal for him to be eligible.

Ryan Hurd, a sophomore outfielder who hit 16 home runs and batted .245 the past two seasons, has told San Diego State coaches he wants to play baseball and football. The only schools that have actively recruited him are Division II UC Riverside and Cal Baptist, an NAIA school.

Long Beach took Sledge because he fit a specific need: a center fielder who bats leadoff. The fact that he batted .392 last season didn’t hurt.

“Sledge was a perfect fit,” Snow said. “For the other guys, it’s a two-part question of scholarship money and available positions. There are a lot of players at Northridge who I know can play for me, but I won’t talk to them because I’d be over-recruiting.”

The limited interest in his players has shocked Batesole, who in two seasons led Northridge to a record of 94-38-1. He believes in them and takes as a personal affront anyone questioning their ability.

“The kids who have been here know how to answer back from adversity,” Batesole said. “They have proven they can find a way to get it done. They will be an asset to any program.”

Still, many coaches are reluctant to take a Northridge player unless they are certain he will fit in. Half a dozen players called Fullerton, only to get a lukewarm response.

“The worst-case scenario is that a guy comes to Fullerton and ends up playing less than he did at Northridge,” Horton said.

Amid the uncertainty, the outlook of infielder John Wilson is refreshing. Wilson, who redshirted as a Northridge freshman last season, knows something about battling back from adversity.

Last year he was shot in the chest with a shotgun by his father, yet he was back at practice two months later. Wilson recovered and is being recruited by San Francisco, Loyola Marymount and Nevada.

“Mentally, I was already in the fight mode when the program was cut,” Wilson said. “The perspective I share with other guys is that when these things come your way, you can say, ‘Poor me,’ or you can look at it optimistically.

“We can all find schools where we can get a better education and get more support from the school than we did at Northridge. We are all in this together, even though inevitably we will split up.”