Chapman Eyes Postseason in Baseball Again

It’s understandable that expectations are high for the Chapman baseball team, considering the Panthers reached the NCAA finals last season under the guidance of Rex Peters, West Region coach of the year.

In the Division III preseason poll, Chapman is ranked 13th. But Peters isn’t putting a lot of stock into the poll.

“Those rankings don’t give any indication of where you’ll end up,” Peters said. “They’re based on what you did the previous year. But we’ve lost a lot of very good players.”

Among the losses were All-American Cale Shepherd and the core of a productive pitching staff that had an impressive 3.39 earned-run average in the Panthers’ 31-16 season.

But it’s not as if Chapman will be hurting either. Peters said the Panthers should contend for the postseason, and it’s easy to see why with returners including clean-up hitter Robert O’Brien, home run leader Luis Garcia, and pitcher Jim Brewer, who was second on the team in wins last season.

A closer look at Chapman and the other Orange County small college teams:

Chapman 1997 record: 31-16

Peters said pitching was a big reason the Panthers made their postseason run last season. So there is some concern, considering that three pitchers who started two-thirds of Chapman’s games are gone.

Brewer, a senior left-hander from Huntington Beach High, returns after making a team-high 15 starts last season and finishing 7-3 with a 4.12 ERA. He was second on the team in wins and innings pitched (83), allowing 74 hits with 41 walks and 54 strikeouts.

But after Brewer . . .

“The mound is our biggest question mark,” Peters said. “We’ll need some young pitchers to mature quickly.”

Peters said Eric Hayden, a freshman right-hander from Spokane, Wash., has shown promise early. Two transfers, Jeff Blitstein, a junior right-hander from Pasadena College, and Richard Torres, a 6-foot-3 junior right-hander from Cal Poly Pomona, also should contribute.

The lineup is a little more settled.

O’Brien, a senior first baseman who was a first-team all-region selection last season, batted .345 with nine home runs and 55 runs batted in. Outfielder Luis Garcia hit .378, led the team in slugging percentage (.678) and hit a team-high 11 home runs.

Junior catcher Mike Thornton, who hit .338 with 26 RBIs, also returns along with middle infielder Matt Barcellona, who hit .323 with a .452 on-base percentage. Peters hopes Barcellona, sophomore outfielder Ignacio Galaz and infielder freshman Esteban Enriquez can set the table.

“The middle of our lineup will do the most damage,” Peters said, “but what our No. 1 and No. 2 guys do will set the tone.”

Concordia 1997 record: 21-26, 8-16 in the Golden State Athletic Conference

With seven starters and their two top pitchers returning, the Eagles hope to improve on their fifth-place conference finish.

Senior Ben Kindreich, an honorable mention All-GSAC selection, returns after hitting .351, scoring a team-high 44 runs and leading the team in slugging percentage (.585), doubles (11), triples (10), walks (28) and on-base percentage (.444).

Also returning is the team’s top run producer, sophomore Matt Broesamle, who hit .314 and had a team-high five home runs and 41 RBIs. Senior Jeff Stodgel returns after hitting .328, scoring 42 runs and stealing a team-high 26 bases.

The two big pitchers returning for Concordia are sophomore right-hander Jeff Sybesma and junior Bobby Sprain. Sybesma was 4-4 with a 3.27 ERA in a team-high 12 starts. He struck out 77 in 77 innings. Sprain was 5-4 with a 3.73 ERA in 11 starts.

Southern California College 1997 record: 33-17, 15-9 in the Golden State Athletic Conference

The Vanguards return the core of a team that reached the NAIA playoffs for the first time in four seasons, finishing third in conference, and SCC has high hopes this season.

“We have as good a shot as anybody to win the conference,” SCC Coach Kevin Kasper said. “We just won’t be able to sneak up on people like last season.”

Staff ace Bryce Primm, a senior right-hander, was a first-team All-GSAC selection after finishing 10-3 with a 2.24 ERA over 112 1/3 innings. He returns with junior right-hander Donovan McReynolds (6-5, 3.25) to anchor the pitching staff.

Kevin Moore, a senior switch-hitting outfielder who also was a first-team All-GSAC selection, hit .392 with seven home runs--both team highs--and had 42 RBIs last season.

Senior Greg Schrieber, a second-team all-conference second baseman, hit .375 with three home runs and 41 RBIs and returns alongside starting shortstop, sophomore Terrik Clark (.255, three home runs, 26 RBIs). Junior Kevin Doyle (.333, 28 RBIs), the starting third baseman and a switch-hitter, also returns.