Concordia Assistant to Coach SCC Basketball

Concordia assistant Stephen French has been hired as men’s basketball coach at Southern California College.

French, who has been at Concordia for seven years, also will be the athletic academic counselor at SCC. He replaces Cameron Dollar, who left after a year to become an assistant at Georgia. SCC was 11-22 last season.

“My goal is to make SCC a top-20 team in the nation,” French said. “The [Golden State Athletic Conference] has shown that it is as strong as any league in the country. This past year four of our teams went to the regionals, so if we can compete in this league, I believe we have a chance to be a top-20 team.”

*

Far West Regional champion Southern California College (46-11) plays Columbia, Mo. (42-13) at 9 a.m. May 25 in the opening game of the NAIA softball finals in West Palm Beach, Fla.

The Vanguards are making their second consecutive appearance in the 16-team, double-elimination finals. They are seeded third behind Simon Fraser (35-7) from British Columbia and Oklahoma City (61-10).

“This is a tough bracket,” Coach Beth Renkoski said. “There’s no guarantees in the first round. If we get by Columbia, we’ll probably face Mobile, Ala., which is a very good team from a very tough region that has three teams in the tournament.”

*

Fullerton College pitcher Ken Chenard, who last December signed with Oklahoma State, changed his mind and signed with the New York Mets, Fullerton Coach Nick Fuscardo said.

Chenard, a 6-foot-3 sophomore, was selected in the 46th round by the Mets in last June’s amateur draft. The right-hander earned first-team All-Orange Empire Conference honors this season, posting a 6-5 record, 6.27 ERA, and 85 strikeouts.

*

Former Ram players Vince Ferragamo and Mike Lansford will speak at the Sports Newsmakers Luncheon today at the Arrowhead Pond.

The luncheon begins at noon and is open to the public. Tickets are $20 at the door. Reservations are suggested and can be made by calling (714) 758-0222.