Life on Road Hits Home for Barrett

Every game is a road trip this season for Denny Barrett, Glendale College’s baseball coach.

Barrett moved last fall from Northridge to Taft with his wife, Tonya, and their two children, Whitney, 5, and Brendan, 2.

But Barrett didn’t switch uniforms.

“We decided to buy a house up there,” Barrett said. “My wife’s parents live in Taft, so she can be closer to her folks.

“As a coach, you’re hardly ever home anyways.”

Barrett doesn’t spend much time in the new digs. He lives mostly with his parents in North Hollywood while coaching and working on his master’s in education at Azusa Pacific.

“I go home and see my family on Saturday night, all day Sunday and drive back to Glendale on Monday morning,” Barrett said.

Barrett said the two-hour haul each way can be hard because of the physical and emotional wear and tear. And adjusting to a small town, Barrett said, can take time.

“Don’t get me wrong, it’s nice, but it’s like going into Mayberry a little bit,” Barrett said. “It’s a culture shock.”

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The Antelope Valley College men’s basketball team barely has a winning record, but the Antelopes were undefeated leaders in the Foothill Conference after six conference games.

Le’Tre Kelly has been pacing Antelope Valley, 15-14 overall going into a game Wednesday night at College of the Desert, averaging 19.1 points and 9.7 rebounds.

Kelly, a Times’ All-Valley selection for Antelope Valley High in 1997, has been almost unfailingly consistent. In 29 games, he has led the Antelopes in scoring 19 times and in rebounding 19 times. He had seven double-doubles and led Antelope Valley in both scoring and rebounding in an eight-game stretch from Dec. 28 to Jan. 13.

Antelope Valley had an 11-game winning streak and has clinched at least a share of its fifth consecutive conference title with a 6-0 mark.

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Sometimes, a new coach comes in and cleans house.

Rich Hill took over at the University of San Diego and cleaned the slate for former Newbury Park High right-handed pitcher Mike Amundson.

Amundson, a junior who had mixed success as a reliever the last two seasons, is 2-0 as a starter heading into a game against Arizona on Friday.

“Mike had a great summer [in the San Diego Collegiate League] and has been impressive since I got here,” Hill said.

In San Diego’s opener against Cal State Northridge, Amundson started and pitched two scoreless innings, striking out four.

He has since established himself as a stopper for the Toreros (5-2), throwing a six-hit shutout against Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.

Staff writers Fernando Dominguez, Steve Henson and Mike Hiserman contributed to this notebook.