Waiting Game

Chapman’s record may be good enough to earn a second consecutive appearance in the NCAA Division III baseball playoffs, but an invitation is far from certain.

With the regular season over, all the Panthers (28-10-1) can do is spend some time in the batting cages trying to stay sharp until Monday, when at-large bids are expected to be announced.

“This time of year, you sit around and wait,” Panther Coach Rex Peters said. “It’s been a long season and the players need to catch their breath and get their legs back. We’ll get a couple of workouts in this weekend and just wait for the word.”

The season ended with the Panthers winning three of four games last weekend at the UC San Diego Tournament, including its third victory over Cal Lutheran (26-12-2), which has already secured an automatic qualifying berth by winning the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference title.

But for Chapman, which doesn’t belong to a conference, postseason berths are allotted based on a variety of factors, including records and strength of schedule.

Chapman’s competition for the two remaining playoff spots allotted to the West Region--Southwestern (36-10), champion of the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference and eighth-ranked in the nation, secured the West’s second automatic berth--appears to be Trinity (35-11), runner-up in the SCAC; the University of Dallas (32-11) and George Fox (28-8) of Newberg, Ore., which has won eight in a row heading into its final three-game series this weekend.

“It’s tough, but we think we are in a good situation,” said Chapman second baseman Eric Albright, formerly of Los Alamitos High.

But this year’s double-digit losses, the product of a midseason slump, could be costly.

“Last year we had a great record and with only three losses we were pretty much locked getting into the playoffs,” said designated hitter Pat Stevens, who hit 12 home runs this year and hit for the cycle last weekend in a 13-5 victory over Cal Lutheran. “With 10 losses, it’s a little bit different.”

A total of 42 teams will be selected for the playoffs, which begin with eight regionals scattered across the county.

The site of the four-team West Regional tournament, which begins May 19, is also expected to be unveiled Monday.

Peters and Panther Athletic Director Dave Currey predicted the seeding committee will settle on one of two Texas locations: Trinity in San Antonio, or Southwestern near Austin, site of last year’s regional.

The finals are May 26-30 at Wisconsin Oshkosh.

Chapman could have bid on hosting the event, which might have helped the team get into the playoffs, but administrators passed because the school is hosting the softball regional this weekend.

“We’d [also] like to have it in our home town for the fan support . . . but I think we’ll be all right wherever we go,” said Albright, a second-team All-American at third base last season.

It was harder for the committee to overlook the Panthers in 1999.

Chapman was 39-5 overall when it earned its first Division III playoff bid. The Panthers fell to Cal Lutheran in the regional final.

Chapman has already beaten Cal Lutheran and several other nationally ranked teams--including Eastern Connecticut and William Paterson of New Jersey--that are expected to earn playoff bids.

Tim Huff, a pitcher from Edison High and Cypress College who led the team with a 9-1 record and 2.64 earned-run average, said some of his teammates are fretting too much.

“I’m very confident,” he said. “We’ve done well all season. We are going to go, and if we don’t, what can you do?”

Albright, who is drawing some interest from pro scouts as a relief pitcher, according to Peters, said many of the Panthers see another trip to the playoffs as a way to set the record straight.

“We were pretty young last year and we just had some bad breaks,” he said.

Said Stevens: “During the regular season last year we beat Cal Lutheran three times, but then for us to get to the regional and let them get us, was the most frustrating part. We didn’t play up to our potential in last year’s regional. We want to get some redemption against them.”