Proving Mound

Pitching for Cal State Northridge means never having to say you’re sorry. Or, at least, resisting the urge.

Not even after giving up two ninth-inning home runs that cost the Matadors the game.

“I’m learning you can’t come in here and try to throw strikes with a fastball,” said freshman left-hander Bill Murphy, 0-2 with a 4.50 earned-run average in 11 appearances.

Murphy tried to do just that two weeks ago against Washington State and wound up being tagged for two blasts that resulted in a 6-4 Matador loss.

“You have to mix it up more,” Murphy said. “They’re going to catch up to you.”

Ivan Hernandez and Kameron Loe, freshman right-handers from Sylmar and Granada Hills highs, have plenty to feel low about--like their combined record of 1-6.

“It’s definitely been a growing-pains year,” Loe said. “I’ve made freshman mistakes. I’ve missed pickoff calls or thrown the wrong pitch in the wrong situation, where a more experienced pitcher would learn not to throw that pitch.”

Hernandez, 1-2 with an 11.12 ERA, has hit more rough spots in his first season as a Division I college pitcher than he cares to recount.

“There are days,” Hernandez said with a sigh. “Like against Oregon State in Las Vegas. They hit everything against me with two outs. I don’t know why.

“It’s a lot more complicated up here, a lot more to remember. You learn the hard way.”

And so it goes for the Matadors’ babes with arms, a young and talented staff that figures to be the team’s strength over the next few seasons.

But for now, they’re taking it on the chin and having the peach fuzz singed right off their cheeks.

Northridge (12-20), which opened a three-game series Friday at Oklahoma State with a 7-3 loss to the Cowboys, predictably is weathering a long season, largely because of inexperience. With few seniors, every lineup is dominated by underclassmen.

Nowhere is the Matadors’ greenish hue more evident than on the mound. The staff includes only one senior, and the ace is sophomore Mike Frick.

No starter has a winning record, the staff ERA was 6.09 entering Friday’s game and no one has pitched a complete game.

“The season isn’t over yet,” Murphy said. “And it’s not really a losing season. It’s an experience season. We’re learning how to be smart baseball players, and we’re learning from the older teams how to play smart. We have way too many good pitchers. If we just stay with it, it’s going to work out in the long run.”

The most valuable lesson learned? All seem to agree: College pitchers do not live by the fastball alone.

“Up here, the batters are better, definitely,” Hernandez said. “In high school, you could get away with a fastball down the middle if you had something on it. Here, if you put it there, it’s gonna get tattooed.”

These developments have come as no surprise to Coach Mike Batesole, who predicted his young staff would “take some lumps” this season. With Northridge likely to post a losing record for the second consecutive season, the focus understandably is on the future. Mistakes are to be expected, forgiven and, most of all, learned from.

“They’re learning on the job,” Batesole said. “That’s how it’s supposed to be when you’re a freshman. Things aren’t going well now, but maybe they can see the light at the end of the tunnel. They’re working for 12 months from now.”

Amid the low points and high ERAs, talent and potential abounds. Murphy, whom coaches expect to develop into a dominant starter, was 13-1 last season with 136 strikeouts while leading Riverside Arlington to a Southern Section championship.

Loe, 6 feet 7, and Hernandez were All-City selections last season and among the region’s top high school pitchers. Frick, from Buena High, was 3-0 last season and allowed only four earned runs in his final 10 appearances for Northridge.

Batesole is confident each pitcher will flourish.

“The inexperience thing is a huge factor for us,” Frick said. “If I’m one of the most dependable guys. . . . I’m only a sophomore and I wasn’t even a starter most of last season. I really didn’t get to learn from anybody last year.”

Frick is 2-4 with a 5.80 ERA.

“Nobody likes to lose,” Frick said. “But sometimes you learn more from your losses than your wins. Other schools have good pitchers who are juniors and seniors and you learn from them. But we’ve kind of had to find our way through.”

The Matadors have had their moments on the mound this season. Northridge provided a glimpse of its potential by twice defeating Long Beach State, ranked No. 12 in the nation by Collegiate Baseball. Northridge will join Long Beach in the Big West Conference next season.

Loe, Hernandez and Murphy, who pitched three hitless innings to earn his first save, combined to limit the 49ers to five hits in a 7-3 victory at Blair Field on March 21. On Tuesday, Frick earned his first save, retiring two batters with a runner at third in a 6-4 victory at Northridge.

The triumphs have gone a long way toward sustaining enthusiasm.

“It seemed from the get-go that everybody was focused on next year,” Frick said. “I really wanted to win this year. But when you think about it, we have so many guys coming back next year. When the new recruits come in, they’re going to have a hard time finding a spot to play.”