Angelenos set to open inaugural season on June 1
GLENDALE — The following are odds and ends from the local sports scene.
ANGELENOS RELEASE
PRELIMINARY SCHEDULE
Glendale’s and the California Collegiate League’s newest baseball team, the Glendale Angelenos, have formed a preliminary schedule for their upcoming inaugural season.
According to Tony Riviera, the coach and team president of the Glendale squad, a few more games will be added to the 50-game schedule.
Nevertheless, the first game in Glendale Angeleno history will be a nonleague contest at home at Stengel Field against the East Los Angeles Dodgers. In fact, the first five games of the season will be played consecutively at Stengel, with the franchise opener against East L.A. taking place at 7:05 p.m. June 1 — the starting time for nearly all Angeleno home games.
After two games with East L.A., the Angelenos will open up their CCL schedule with a three-game home set against Las Vegas on June 3.
Stengel and the Angelenos will also play host to the league’s all-star game, reportedly to be televised on Fox Sports West, on July 13.
Glendale will host seven straight home games from June 19-25.
VAQUEROS PICK UP
NATIONAL AWARD
The Glendale Community College men’s tennis team was named a recipient of the Intercollegiate Tennis Assn. National Team Sportsmanship Award for April.
The Vaqueros, coached by Bob MacKay, picked up the monthly award Thursday. The honor is given to one men’s and one women’s team that has shown outstanding sportsmanship, character and ethical conduct, according to the organization’s website.
“When they walk out of that gate, they know that they did their best to win the set,” MacKay said. “I make sure to remind our players to compete, play hard and have fun. Win or lose, remember it’s only a game.”
The University of North Carolina at Wilmington women’s team also garnered recognition.
The winners are selected by the ITA Ethics and Infractions Committee from nominations received from all ITA member institutions.
GFC FIGHTERS
ON FOR APRIL 23
On the undercard of a Showtime boxing event co-headlined by Armenian bantamweight standout Vic Darchinyan, two Glendale fighters out of the Glendale Fighting Club are scheduled to take to the ring on April 23 at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles.
Art “Lionheart” Hovhannesyan (12-0-1, 6 knockouts) will return to action after last fighting in July of 2010, as the light welterweight was forced to heal up an assortment of injuries.
Also fighting out of GFC, Azat Hovhanissyan is set to make his professional debut.
Neither fighters’ opponent has been determined.
BONDS HOLDING OWN
WITH NO. 2 VIKINGS
In his senior season with the Valencia High Vikings, St. Francis transfer James Bonds Jr. is doing his share for a squad that is ranked second in the latest CIF Southern Section Division I rankings.
Currently in Tennessee for the spring break USA Classic, the Vikings were 8-1 overall and 4-0 for first place in the Foothill League heading into the tournament, which began Wednesday.
In the Vikings’ last league game before the tourney, Valencia defeated rival Saugus, 17-13. Bonds, a former All-Area pick who transferred to Valencia after being sidelined with a knee injury during football, went five for five with three doubles, two runs batted in and one run scored.
Through the team’s first nine games, Bonds has notched 11 hits in 31 at-bats for a .355 average with six runs and four runs batted in.