Kingsmen Ready for Title Run

The way Marty Slimak sees it, the hardest work is done.

Slimak, Cal Lutheran’s baseball coach, has the Kingsmen in position to challenge for a national title at the NCAA Division III championships today through Tuesday at Salem, Va.

The Kingsmen (31-12) face Cortland State (35-8) today in the opener of the eight-team, double-elimination tournament. It’s the Kingsmen’s fifth appearance and second in a row in the championships.

But Slimak, in his 10th season as coach, believes the road traveled was rougher than the one ahead.

“I think it’s tougher to get out of your regional than it is to win at the [championships],” Slimak said. “There’s more pressure in the regional just to get [to the tournament].”

Cal Lutheran qualified by winning the West Regional at Georgetown, Texas, last weekend and is riding an emotional high.

“This is exactly what a college kid plays for,” Slimak said.

Slimak is counting heavily on pitchers Tom Canale (9-5, 2.09 earned-run average), Erik Kiszczak (5-0, 3.27) and Alan Springston (4-3, 5.76) to keep the Kingsmen in the hunt.

Canale, a right-handed sophomore and the team’s workhorse with 116 1/3 innings pitched, is starting against Cortland State, the New York Regional champion.

Kiszczak or Springston, both right-handed seniors, will follow in the rotation, depending on the matchups.

Slimak said several players are nursing injuries, but are not about to sit out the tournament.

“We are pretty banged up,” Slimak said. “I told them, ‘Ten more days and you can rest all you want,’ ”