April 2009 Archives

The Cal State San Bernardino men's golf team, ranked No. 2 in the West Region and No. 8 in the nation, will make its 13^th appearance in the NCAA tournament when play begins Monday in the 2009 West/Northwest Super Regional outside Lincoln, Neb.

The Coyotes, winners of four 54-hole tournaments in 2008-09 and coming off a disappointing fourth place finish at the California Collegiate Athletic Association conference championship, are hoping the return of their No. 2 player will give the five-member team a big lift.

Ten West Region teams and 10 Northwest Region teams along with four individuals from non-qualifying teams in each region  will tee it up for three 18-hole rounds over three days at the Wilderness Ridge Golf Club. University of Nebraska-Kearney is hosting the NCAA Division II event.

Back in the fold for CSUSB is sophomore Kenny Pigman, who was the medalist  at the Grand Canyon University-Thunderbird Invitational in March with a 54-hole total of 205, 11 under par.  Pigman missed the final two tournaments of the regular season due to an academic issue that has now been resolved in his favor.

The lanky Norco resident ranks No. 5 in the West Region in stroke average at 73.04, just behind teammate Gene Webster Jr., of San Bernardino, fourth at 72.38. CSUSB senior Micah Burke of Los Angeles ranks No. 7 at 73.24 and junior Joe Alldis of Riverside is 10^th at 74.21.

Sonoma State, the back-to-back CCAA champion and ranked No. 1 in the West Region, is the team to beat in the West Regional. The winners of each regional plus the next four lowest scoring teams from either regional will advance to the national championship tournament in Blaine, Wash., on May 19-22 at Loomis Trail Golf Club.

The Coyotes have competed in 12 NCAA national championship tournaments, seven in Division II and five in Division III (1987-91) and have finished third three times (1997, 1998, 1988) and fourth twice (1987, 1990). This regional marks the fourth straight NCAA appearance by the Coyotes since Tom Mainez Jr. took over as head coach in early 2006.

The Coyotes won the West Regional in 2007 with a 54-hole score of 841 as then-freshman Webster took medalist honors with a score of 202 on rounds of 69, 66 and 67.

CSUSB has enjoyed its most successful regular season in the history of the program with four wins in 54-hole tournaments. The team finished in the top five in nine of its 10 tournaments in 2008-09.

Wilderness Ridge favors the long hitters, measuring 7,016 yards from the black tees and playing to a par-71. The longest par-5 is 576 yards. The shortest par-3 is 164 yards. Only three of the par-4s measure less than 400 yards.

Joining CSUSB and Sonoma State in the West Regional battle will be fellow CCAA members Chico State, Cal State Monterey Bay and Cal State Stanislaus along with Western Washington, Grand Canyon, Hawaii-Hilo, Dixie State and Saint Martin's University.

UC San Diego, a non-qualifier in the team event, placed three individuals into the tournament based on stroke average and strength of schedule.

CSUSB golfers at a glance:

Gene Webster Jr., junior, San Bernardino - Webster has been a key player for the Coyotes for three seasons. He leads the team in stroke average (72.3) with five top-five finishes in tournaments this year. He twice shot 207 for 54-holes, nine-under-par and both times finished second. He was the 2007 NCAA West Regional medalist and a third-team all-American as a freshman and was CSUSB's co-Male Athlete of the Year that year. He was selected to the all-CCAA first team.

Micah Burke, senior, Los Angeles - Burke is finishing his four-year CSUSB career on a high note. He has a stroke average of 73.2 with five top10 finishes this season, including a second place finish at the CCAA conference championship with a 54-hole total of 209 on rounds of 71-70-68. He was the medalist at the 2008 Southern California Intercollegiate tournament. He was selected to the all-CCAA first team.

Kenny Pigman, sophomore, Norco - Pigman has been an impact player for the Coyotes in his first season at CSUSB. He is averaging 73 shots per round with five top-10 finishes including a tournament victory at the Grand Canyon Thunderbird where he shot 205 - 65, 70, 70. He transferred in from Riverside Community College.

            Joe Alldis, junior, Riverside - Alldis has improved his stroke average to 74.2 this season with two top-five finishes. His best effort was a 208 at the Grand Canyon Invitational last fall on rounds of 68, 69, 71 to finish third and help the Coyotes win the team title.

            Thomas Chu, junior, San Diego - Like Pigman, he is in his first year of play with CSUSB and is averaging 76.7 strokes a round. He has three top-20 finishes with a 12^th place at the InterWest Classic in Chico his best effort. He has shot 223 for 54 holes twice this season. He is a transfer from Palomar College.

            NCAA TOURNAMENT NOTES: The Coyotes golf team of 1991 played in the NCAA Div. III national championship at a different course in Lincoln, Neb., finishing in fifth place. The keynote speaker at the pre-tournament banquet was none other than Dave Stockton of Redlands, the captain of the 1991 Ryder Cup team. Charles DeLorey finished seventh among individuals and earned all-America honors......CSUSB has competed in six NCAA Division II regionals as a team and finished in the top five all six times....Scott Householder of CSUSB won medalist honors at the 1997 NCAA Div. II national championship in Scottsdale, Ariz., shooting a 72-hole total of 273, 15-under-par, a record that still stands today......Lee Kinney of CSUSB was the runnerup at the 1998 NCAA Div. II tournament......The Coyotes have seven top-10 finishes in the NCAA championship tournament in their 12 appearances.....CSUSB's Eric Lippert was the D-2 West Region medalist in 1998 with a 209 for 54 holes on rounds of 73-70-66....when Gene Webster won medalist honors at the 2007 West Regional, he fired rounds of 69-66-67 for 202.....even when their team didn't qualify, five former CSUSB players earned individual berths in the NCAA regionals in 2002, 2003, 2004 and 2005 - J.R. Reyes (twice), David Backus, Ryan Plummer, Robert Mink and Bryan Newman. Mink had the highest finish of any - 16^th in 2005.

            However, none of the Coyotes players made it past the Round of 32.

            In singles, CSUSB won all three of its matches in the Round of 64. Senior Leslie Horn defeated Kyla Rowe of UC Santa Cruz, 6-3, 7-6 while freshman Janay Palicte downed Mean Dean of Occidental, 6-1, 6-0. Senior Dottie Elwell got past Nicole Harden of LaVerne, 6-1, 3-6, 10-5 (tiebreaker).

            In doubles, Elwell and Horn defeated the Occidental duo of Dean and Samantha Melero, 6-3, 6-0, to advance.

            In the round of 32 singles, Horn lost to the top player in the California Collegiate Athletic Association, Verena Priekscha of Cal State Stanislaus, 6-0, 6-0. Maria Klokotzky of Fresno Pacific downed Elwell, 6-0, 6-0. Bettina Radke of Hope International beat Palicte 6-1, 6-0.

            The doubles team of Elwell-Horn lost in the Round of 32 to Rachel Owens and Kristin Strimple of Point Loma Nazarene, 6-3, 6-0. The Owens-Strimple combo advanced to the championship match before losing.

            CSUSB's freshman doubles team of Palicte and Allison Brooks didn't make it out of the Round of 64, losing to the Chapman University team of Manon Pochet and Cassady Sirois, 6-3, 6-1.

            Palicte and Brooks finished the season with a 7-6 record in doubles while Palicte posted a 7-11 record in singles. Elwell finished the season with a 6-11 record in singles while Horn was 2-14 in singles.

            The Ojai pairing of Horn and Elwell in doubles was the first time they had played together all season.

Freshman Courtney Wilhelms pitched a complete game and helped her own cause with two hits, driving in a run and scoring one Friday as Cal State San Bernardino knocked off Humboldt State, 4-2, in the opener of a CCAA conference softball doubleheader.

        The Lumberjacks, ranked No. 8 in the nation, No. 1 in the West Region and sitting in first place in the CCAA, came back to win the nightcap 3-2 on a two-run homer by Nikki Ketteringham and a run-scoring sacrifice fly by Marissa Slattery.

        The Coyotes are 22-32 on the season and 13-17 in the CCAA while HSU is 34-15 overall and 21-9 in the CCAA. The same two teams play the final conference doubleheader of the conference season at 11 a.m. Saturday at Coyote Softball Park on campus.

        In game one, HSU took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first on an RBI single by Geneva Perrine, but the Coyotes responded with two runs off Lumberjacks pitcher Gracie Perez (16-5) on  RBI singles by Priscilla Curiel and Wilhelms.

        HSU tied the game in the fifth as pinch runner Sammi Gilbert scored on an error, but CSUSB regained the lead 3-2, in the bottom of the fifth as the Coyotes loaded the bases and Tori Beaudette scored on a wild pitch by Perez. CSUSB added an insurance run in the sixth on a double by Wilhelms who then scored on a single to left by Maggie Karros.

        The Lumberjacks loaded the bases in the top of the seventh with one out but Wilhelms got out of the jam on two fly ball outs to left. The ‘Jacks stranded 12 runners and out-hit the Coyotes 8-6.

        In game two, CSUSB jumped on top 1-0 in the bottom of the first on Ashley Collinwood's sixth home run of the season off HSU starter Nichole Parada and made it 2-0 in the second on Jacquelyn Holtzclaw's RBI single. Perez came in to relieve Parada in the inning with the bases loaded and got Collinwood to hit into a force play at home to end the inning.

        Perez then pitched solidly, allowing just one hit while striking out six in 5.1 innings to earn her 16^th win of the season against five losses. Debbie Shisler went 4.2 innings, giving up Ketteringham's two run blast that tied the game.

        Humboldt pushed across the winning run in the sixth on singles by Caitlin Klug and Ashley Oltjenbruns, a wild pitch that advanced both runners and a sacrifice fly to left center by Slattery that brought home Klug. Perez retired the side in order in the sixth and struck out Curiel with two out and a runner on in the bottom of the seventh to end it.

        Natalie Galletly and Francesca West each had two hits in an 11-hit ‘Jacks attack and HSU stranded 11 runners, running the two for the two games to 23. The Coyotes stranded nine runners. Collinwood was two-for-three for CSUSB.

        Brianne Godfredson (1-4) took the loss after coming on in the top of the sixth.

The Golden Eagles stormed back from an early 4-0 deficit and beat Cal Poly Pomona, 10-5, Friday in a CCAA contest at Reeder Field. Cal State L.A. (29-14, 20-10 CCAA) stretched its winning streak to five games with its second victory in two days over the Broncos (24-19, 14-16 CCAA). The Golden Eagles were 13-3 in their 16 conference games at Reeder Field in 2009.

Cal State L.A. will conclude CCAA play with two games at Cal Poly Pomona and four games at Sonoma State next week.

Nathan Pickett overcame a rocky second inning and went seven strong innings to pick up the win. He allowed all four of his runs in the second inning and also hit five batters in the first three innings before settling down. Pickett (3-2) hit three batters and walked another in the second inning alone, but he was able to leave the bases loaded and then blanked the Broncos on just four hits over the next five innings.

The Golden Eagles were held scoreless by Cal Poly Pomona freshman Geoff Broussard through the first five innings, although Broussard had to work hard and left eight Cal State L.A. runners on base during his five-inning stint. The Golden Eagles then struck for three runs in the sixth inning to make it 4-3 and erupted for seven runs in the seventh inning to take the lead for good.

Brian Dearth worked the final two innings for Cal State L.A. and allowed just one run on three hits.

Cal State L.A. had 15 hits in the game, while Cal Poly Pomona had 10. The two pitching staffs also combined for eight walks and seven hit batters.

Matt Miraldi and Brendan McQuaid had three hits each for the Golden Eagles, while Richard McDowell, Jeff Ringholm and Marcus Makia had two hits each for the Broncos.

The Broncos struck first in the second inning when they threatened to break open the game. Cal Poly Pomona did all its damage with two outs. Ringholm singled and Frank Klopp was hit by a pitch. Makia then hit a sharp grounder up the middle that eluded shortstop Jesus Campos and resulted in a two-run double. Villa and Erik Riedel were both hit by pitches to load the bases and Chris Brehm drew a walk to force in another run. Nick Tanos then picked up an infield single to drive in the fourth run.

The Golden Eagles trailed 4-0 into the sixth inning, but got a big break when Danne Quiroz reached on an infield error to lead off the frame. He took second on a wild pitch and Campos drew a walk. Chris Lloyd doubled in one run and Miraldi followed with a two-run single to make it 4-3.

Quiroz led off the seventh inning with a single and Campos reached when his sacrifice bunt was thrown errantly to first by pitcher Keith Powers, allowing pinch runner Michael Vinyard to score all the way from first to tie the game. Matzner followed with a double to score Campos and give the Golden Eagles their first lead at 5-4. Matzner went to third on an error and scored on a sacrifice fly by Lloyd to make it 6-4. Miraldi then tripled and scored on a double by McQuaid to make it 7-4. After Mario Ramirez was intentionally walked, Max Moya walked to load the bases. Travis Tartamella singled in one run and a second run scored when the ball was misplayed in left field, resulting in Cal Poly Pomona's third error of the inning. Vinyard drove in another run with a groundout to make it 10-4.

Cal Poly Pomona scored its final run in the eighth on a run-scoring single by Makia.

Cal State L.A. will conclude the four-game series with a doubleheader at Cal Poly Pomona on Saturday.

UC San Diego exploded for 12 runs in the seventh and eighth innings Friday en route to a 13-9 pasting of host Cal State San Bernardino in a CCAA conference baseball game at Arrowhead Credit Union Park

The victory kept the Tritons - 28-11 overall and 22-8 in the CCAA - in sole possession of first place in the conference and evened the series with the Coyotes at 1-1 after CSUSB had won  Thursday's series opener 4-1. The Coyotes are now 19-21 overall and 13-16 in the conference.

The two teams will wind up their four-game series with a doubleheader at 11 a.m. Saturday at the Tritons ballpark.

Friday's game was 1-0 pitcher's duel for six innings as CSUSB starter Erick Carrillo allowed only one run on four hits entering the seventh but the Coyotes were being shutout by the combined offerings of Matt Rossman, the CCAA pitcher of the week, and Ryland MacFadyen.

Rossman had allowed four hits and struck out four in 3.1 innings before leaving the game after being hit by a batted ball in the face. The extent of his injury was not immediately known. MacFadyen then pitched 5.2 innings of relief, allowing only one run and one hit for his first victory of the season. Carrillo (3-6) took the loss.

The Tritons, ranked No. 6 in the nation and No. 1 in the West Region, went ahead 1-0 in the fourth on an RBI triple by Brandon Gregorich then scored three times in the seventh on two hits and an error to take a 4-0 lead.

UCSD then scored nine times in the eighth off three CSUSB pitchers. Tim Mort had a two-run double while Kellen Lee, Robert Sedin and Josh Tanner had RBI hits and Gregorich  continued the scoring with a bases-clearing double that produced three runs. Kyle Saul drove in Gregorich to conclude the scoring.

The Coyotes got their loan run in the ninth as Andrew Tapia walked advanced to third on a single by Jesus Beltran and scored as UCSD turned a double play. McFadyen retired the Coyotes on a ground ball to shortstop to end the game.

Gregorich and Tanner each had three hits in the game and Gregorich drove in four runs. Johnnie Haas had two of CSUSB's five hits.

Cal State San Bernardino was unable to gain any ground Tuesday despite sub-par rounds by senior Micah Burke and junior Gene Webster and finished in a tie for fourth place at the California Collegiate Athletic Association championship tournament.

Burke shot a four-under-par 68 on the 6,741-yard, par-72 Hunter Ranch Golf Course Tuesday to finish second in the chase for medalist honors with a 54-hole total of 209, seven under par. Cal State Monterey Bay's Ricky Stockton took medalist honors with a score of 208.

Webster shot a one-under-par 71 to tie for fourth place at 213, three under par. It was his fifth top-five finish this season.

Sonoma State, ranked No. 2 in the West Region, successfully defended the team title it won in 2008 with a team score of 861 for 54 holes, three-under par for the tournament, finishing five shots ahead of Cal State Monterey Bay and Cal State Stanislaus, who tied for second place at 866.

The Coyotes, ranked No. 1 in the region,  tied with region No. 3 Chico State for fourth at 868 followed by UC San Diego (889), Cal State East Bay, a guest at the tournament, at 897 and Cal State Dominguez at 903.

At least five of the teams in the event are assured of advancing to the NCAA West/Northwest Super Regional, May 2-5 at Wilderness Ridge Golf Club outside of Lincoln, Neb.,

CSUSB freshman BK Kim, subbing for the team's regular No. 2 player, Kenny Pigman, shot the third-best round for the team Tuesday, an even-par 72 to finish in 27^th spot with a 54-hole total of 225, one stroke back of No. 3 player Joe Alldis at 224. Kim recorded two eagles in the tournament, the most of any player.

Junior Thomas Chu closed with a 76 to finish in 29^th spot at 226.

Burke was successful across the board in his quest for the tournament title. He and Patrick Bauer of Sonoma State led all scorers on the par-3s, shooting two-under-par on those holes over the three rounds.

The Los Angeles resident registered 40 pars, second most among the 40 players in the tournament and he played the par-4s in one-under-par and the par-5s in 4-under-par. He had 11 birdies in the tournament.

It was the best finish of 2008-09 for Burke, whose previous best outing was a fifth place at the Cal State Northridge-Cullum Invitational last fall.

Webster had 38 pars, 10 birdies and was two-under on the par-4s and 1-under on the par-3s in the tournament.

CCAA GOLF CHAMPIONSHIP

@ Hunter Ranch GC in Paso Robles

TEAM SCORES: 1. Sonoma State - 861; 2. (tie) Cal State Monterey Bay and Cal State Stanislaus - 866;

4. (tie) CAL STATE SAN BERNARDINO and Chico State - 868; 6. UC San Diego - 889; 7. Cal State East Bay( (897); 8. Cal State Dominguez Hills - 903.

            INDIVIDUALS : 1. Ricky Stockton (CS Monterey Bay) 71-70-67 - 208; 2. Micah Burke (Cal State San Bernardino) 71-70-68 - 209; 3. Patrick Bauer (Sonoma State) 66-71-73 - 210; 4. (tie) Gene Webster (Cal State San Bernardino) 72-70-71 - 213 and Bryan Kiss (Cal State Stanislaus) 68-71-74 - 213.

            COYOTE CARDS: 2. Micah Burke - 71-70-68 - 209; 4. Gene Webster 72-70-71 - 213; 23. Joe Alldis - 74-74-76 - 224' 28/ BK Kim - 75-78-72--225; 29. Thomas Chu - 73-77-76 - 226.

Junior right-hander Daniel Stenavich scattered seven hits and allowed one unearned run and Jesus Beltran drove in two runs Thursday as Cal State San Bernardino defeated No. 6-ranked UC San Diego, 4-1, in the opening game of their four-game CCAA baseball series.

        The victory improved the Coyotes to 19-20 on the season and 13-15 in the CCAA while UCSD, ranked No.1 in the West Region, is now 27-11 overall and 21-8 in the CCAA. The two teams meet at 3 p.m. Friday at Arrowhead Credit Union Park.

        Stenavich (4-1), a transfer from Southwestern College in Chula Vista, went the distance for his second complete game of the season, striking out five, walking none in a tidy 2 hours and 10 minutes. UCSD's ace      Tim Shibuya (6-3), who came into the game with a 1.53 ERA in 10 starts, yielded four runs, three earned, in eight innings and fanned five batters.

        Beltran and Cody Madison each had two hits for the Coyotes while Tim Mort, Matt Cantele and Evan Kehoe each had two hits for the Tritons, all singles. CSUSB's Chris Olsen had the game's only extra base hit, a double to drive in a run in the second.

        The win snapped a four-game Coyotes losing streak. CSUSB was 1-8 over its last nine games entering the contest.

        The Coyotes nicked Shibuya for a pair of runs in the second as Beltran led off with a single, was sacrificed to second and scored on a single to left center by Madison, who took second on the throw home.     Olsen then doubled to the wall in right to knock in Madison.

        CSUSB made it 3-0 in the third when Kyle Davis was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning then moved to second when Shibuya’s pickoff attempt sailed into foul territory. Brent Planck's single moved Davis to third and he scored on Beltran's sacrifice fly to right.

        The Tritons had their best shot at Stenavich in the fifth as Mort singled to center, Robert Sedin reached base on an error. With one out, Josh Tanner singled to right to load the bases then Vance Albitz brought Mort home with a sacrifice fly to center. Stenavich escaped further damage by getting Garrett Imeson to foul out to third.

        In the bottom of the fifth, Planck was hit by a pitch, took second on a groundout and scored on Beltran’s single through the left side, barely beating the throw home to make it 4-1.
        Stenavich allowed only three hits over the final four innings to collect the victory as the Tritons stranded seven runners.
 
 

Just three days before the start of the California Collegiate Athletic Association championship tournament, Cal State San Bernardino finds itself as the team to beat after being moved up to the No. 1 spot in the NCAA Division II West Region poll voted on by the NCAA championship committee.

    The Coyotes, winners of four tournaments in 2008-09 and winners in three of their last four events, will tee it up on Monday on the first day of the CCAA tournament at Hunter Ranch Golf Club in Paso Robles, facing seven other teams. The 54-hole tournament concludes on Tuesday.

     After spending most of the spring as the No. 2 team in the West, the Coyotes moved ahead of Sonoma State by finishing second in the Cal State Stanislaus-Hanny Invitational, eight shots ahead of the Seawolves.

      SSU would like to return the favor at the CCAA tournament and are ranked No. 2 in the West  Region followed by CCAA member Chico State, Western Washington, Hawaii-Hilo, Cal State Monterey Bay, Cal State Stanislaus, Grand Canyon, Dixie State and Saint Martin's.

      Five of the top 10 teams in the West are CCAA members.

      CSUSB has been in contention for the CCAA title in recent years but has not come up a winner yet but the team has finished as high a second.

      Senior Micah Burke leads the Coyotes and is coming off a solid outing at the Stanislaus tournament where he shot the low round of the day Tuesday -- a 71 in blustery weather that included six birdies and an eagle. Burke finished eighth overall while teammate Joe Alldis was fifth after rounds of 69, 73 and 76,

      The Coyotes were without one of their best players, Kenny Pigman, who won the Grand Canyon Thunderbird Invitational in late March with a 54-hole score of 205. The team is hoping Pigman will be back by Monday. If not, it appears freshman Nick Kelley will take his place.

      Gene Webster Jr., a junior, leads the team with the lowest stroke average, 72.5.

      After finishing 11th in the 2008-09 season opener in Blaine, Wash., the Coyotes have not finished worse than fourth in any tournament.

The 2009 California Collegiate Athletic
Association (CCAA) men's golf championships open on Monday at the par-72, 6,741-yard Hunter Ranch Golf Course in Paso Robles, Calif.

The tournament format calls for 36 holes on Monday and the final 18 scheduled for Tuesday. Monday's opening round begins at 7:30 a.m.

The eight-team field includes Cal State Dominguez Hills, Cal State East Bay, Cal State Monterey Bay, Cal State San Bernardino, Cal State Stanislaus, Chico State, Sonoma State and UC San Diego.

Cal State  East Bay, which will join the conference beginning in 2009-10, is not eligible for the championship or individual honors.

Sonoma State enters this year's event as the defending CCAA Champion after posting a four-shot victory over Cal State Stanislaus. The Seawolves carded a 54-hole total of 6-under par 858.

Cal State Stanislaus senior Erick Justesen captured individual
medalist honors in 2008 after posting a 14-under par score of 202 to register an eight-shot victory over Sonoma State's Jarin Todd. It marked the second straight individual title for Justesen.

Cal State San Bernardino begins play as the CCAA's top-seeded team. The Coyotes are ranked No. 7 nationally in the latest Golfstat rankings and first in the West Region. Cal State San Bernardino enters the CCAA Championships playing well as it has won three of the last four tournaments it has played in.

Junior Gene Webster, Jr. is the Coyotes top player with a 72.54
stroke average and ranked fifth in the West Region.

Led by Todd, a two-time All-American, Sonoma State is ranked No. 8 nationally and second in the West Region. Todd is second in the West Region with a 71.35 stroke average.

The CCAA boasts five of the West Region's top 10 teams. In addition to Cal State San Bernardino and Sonoma State, Chico State (4th), Cal State Monterey Bay (6th), and Cal State Stanislaus (7th) are ranked among the region's top teams.

Chico State, led by junior Lucas Delgado, has two tournament
victories this season and is seeking its first CCAA team title.

Cal State Monterey Bay is in its second year as a CCAA member and is coming off a fourth-place showing in 2008. Senior Ricky Stockton is the Otters top player with a 72.71 stroke average and five Top 10  finishes.

Cal State Stanislaus, a three-time CCAA Champion, is seeking its first title since 2007. The Warriors, who are coming off a win at the Hanny/Stanislaus Invitational earlier this week, is led by junior Danny Hoff, who has a 75.00 stroke average and two Top 10 showings.

Team Champions
1999 Cal State Stanislaus
2000 Grand Canyon
2001 Cal State Stanislaus
2002 Cal State Bakersfield
2003 Cal State Bakersfield
2004 Cal State Bakersfield
2005 Cal State Bakersfield
2006 Cal State Bakersfield
2007 Cal State Stanislaus
2008 Sonoma State

Individual Champions
1999 Yascha Feld (Cal State Stanislaus)
2000 John Davis (Grand Canyon)
2001 Marc Lawless (Cal State Stanislaus)
2002 Jason Boyd (UC San Diego)
2003 Bill Noon (Cal State Bakersfield)
2004 D.J. Fernando (Cal State Bakersfield)
2005 Mark Baker (Cal State Bakersfield)
2006 Brady Baguio (Cal State Bakersfield)
2007 Erick Justesen (Cal State Stanislaus)
2008 Erick Justesen (Cal State Stanislaus)

Cal State San Bernardino's softball program picked up two outstanding local talents this week when Erica Prentice of Rim of the World High School and Jamie Leffingwell of Cajon High School signed national letters of intent to play for the Coyotes in 2009-10.

            Prentice, a pitcher with eye-popping stats who can play shortstop and hit for average, brings versatility and a strong right arm to the Coyotes while Leffingwell can play the outfield and drive in runs.

            Rim of the World has been a strong factor in the Desert Sky League with Prentice leading the way the past two seasons. She earned second-team all-CIF Southern Section honors in 2008, winning 18 games with a 0.45 earned run average and striking out 171 batters. She batted .476 with seven homers and 30 RBI.

            In 2007, Prentice recorded 16 wins with a 0.89 ERA and 273 strikeouts while batting .494.

            Thus far in 2009, she has five shutouts as the Scots have gotten off to a 7-2 start. She has 66 strikeouts in 37 innings with a 0.95 ERA. Teams are batting just .142 against her offerings. She is hitting .429. Her last outing was a one-hit, 2-0 shutout of Serrano High School.

            Leffingwell, a right-fielder, will be joining a team that has two of her former teammates at Cajon HS on the squad - sophomore centerfielder Priscilla Curiel and freshman third baseman Alex Mitchell. The Cowgirls are 12-4 this season with Leffingwell leading the team in runs batted in with 20. She has two home runs and is batting .302. The team is 4-0 in the San Andreas League thus far.

            In 2008, Leffingwell hit .381 on a team that went 23-7 and won the SAL with a 14-1 record. She had one home run, six doubles and 17 RBI and a .587 slugging percentage to go with a .453 on-base percentage.

By Michelle gardner

Staff Writer

Cal Poly Pomona men's basketball coach Greg Kamansky is just now catching his breath.
A whirlwind two weeks included playoff games in three different time zones and ended with a 56-53 overtime loss to Findlay (Ohio) in the Division II national championship game in Springfield, Mass., last Saturday.

The Broncos (25-8) returned on Sunday and celebrated with the student body on Thursday. Now, Kamansky is focused on recruiting. But you won't find him complaining.

"It has been an unbelievable experience," he said. "You think of the number of teams that play college basketball and very few get a chance to play for a national championship. And to think how far we went and the obstacles we overcame to get there. It is even more rewarding."

The Broncos are graduating four seniors, the key ones being All-American Larry Gordon and third-leading scorer Walter Thompson.

Before the team left for the Elite Eight, Kamansky stopped short of calling Gordon the best player to come out of the program. He didn't hesitate when asked again.

Gordon finished as the school's all-time leading rebounder and second-leading scorer behind only Jeff Bonds. He also finishes ranked second in field goals (527), second in free throws (385), third in games played (116), fifth in steals (133), seventh in blocks (52) and 10th in 3-point field goals (94).

What sets him apart from the other four All-Americans the school has produced is his showing in the postseason. He averaged 22 points and 11.3 rebounds and shot 67.6 percent from the field in the run.

"His legacy is complete," Kamansky said. "Big-time players step up in big-time games. He did it on the national stage."

Kamansky admits it will be hard to replace his most recent All-American. But the one thing the Broncos will have is a solid nucleus of veterans returning.

Last year Gordon was the only starter back. The Broncos will be set in the front court, returning Dwayne Fells, who started 18 games this season as a true freshman, as well as sophomore forward Tobias Jahn (9.4 ppg, 5.5 rpg), who came into his own over the second half of the season.

They will also have Kevin Ryan, the team's top recruit last year who had to redshirt because of a knee injury. They also landed an early signee in Justin Herold, a 6-foot-7 power forward out of Carrillo High School in Santa Rosa.

The core of other returning players will include second-leading scorer Austin Swift (10.2 ppg, 5.1 rpg), heady point guard Dahir Nasser (5.7 ppg, 2.7 apg) and much-improved reserve Robert Summers (7.1 ppg).

Cajon graduate Donnelle Booker will also be back in the fold. He sustained a season-ending knee injury in October and will be the most seasoned player in the program. The coach is hoping he can provide the same veteran leadership Gordon did.

Kamansky said the biggest need right now is in the backcourt. The Broncos typically carry fewer players than most teams but are looking for three or four more players.

"I like what we'll have coming back," he said. "Yes, we're losing Larry, but we have guys that have actually played together, which is unlike last year. A couple more guards and we'll be set.

"This is a great experience to build on."

Cal Poly Pomona coach Mike Ashman was looking for a way to strengthen both his starting rotation and his bullpen. He found it.

Freshman right-hander Casey McCarthy looked impressive in his starting debut, leading the Broncos to an 11-1 CCAA win over visiting Cal State San Bernardino on Friday at Scolinos Field.

It was the first start after 10 relief appearances for McCarthy (2-0), who survived a shaky first inning and allowed just one run and three hits in six innings.

"We have a couple of older guys I thought were better suited for the bullpen," Ashman said, "and we had a couple of younger pitchers we wanted to start getting more innings. It all worked out, at least today."

The Coyotes scored their only run in the first inning as Kyle Davis led off the game with a double and scored on a single by Jesus Beltran, but an unconventional double play helped McCarthy out of trouble.

Cal Poly turned four ground-ball double plays, two of those behind their starter. The first of those came in the second after the Coyotes loaded the bases with one out.

"He (McCarthy) was about one hitter away from coming out," Ashman said. "He really settled down and did a great job after that."

The Broncos then took control of the game with a seven-run third inning, all of those off Coyotes starter Bryan Hart (2-2). The inning featured a two-run double by Joe Villa and run-scoring singles by Jeff Ringholm and Richard McDowell.

Cal Poly Pomona was also aided by two wild pitches, a passed ball, a hit batter and an errant pick-off throw. The Coyotes were never in striking distance again.

"It wasn't so much a bad game as much as a bad inning," Cal State coach Don Parnell said. "That pretty much changed everything because now you have to play for the big inning, you're going with different pitchers."

Cal Poly racked up 13 hits, with Ringholm, the team's leading hitter, collecting three of them and scoring three runs. McDowell also had three hits.

Davis had two hits for the Coyotes, who won the series opener on Thursday, 6-5.

The game was crucial for both teams as they jockey for position to try and earn a berth in the four-team CCAA tournament with a month to go in the regular season.

The Coyotes (17-15, 12-9) started the day tied for fourth with Cal State Los Angeles, and the Broncos (17-15, 10-12) were eighth but still in striking distance.

"It's a pretty tight race," Parnell said. "No one is significantly better than anyone else."
"It's going to be all about who gets hot at the right time," Ashman said. "There are a handful of teams that have a shot."

The teams will play a doubleheader at noon today at Arrowhead Credit Union Park.

Senior forward Larry Gordon (Pomona) earned his second All-American honor this postseason when he was named a first-team Division II Bulletin's All-American.

            The Division II Bulletin is the monthly newsletter of Division II men's basketball.

            Gordon wrapped up his four-year career in style by leading Cal Poly Pomona to a runner-up finish at the NCAA Division II Elite Eight Championship. It marked the best finish in school history and Gordon was at the forefront.

            Gordon, the CCAA's Most Valuable Player, finished the season averaging 15.7 points and 10.4 rebounds a contest for the Broncos (25-8), who defeated three straight top-12 teams en route to last Saturday's title game against top-ranked and unbeaten Findlay. In postseason play, Gordon fired 67.6 percent from the floor - a whopping 14-percent higher than his season average of 53.8 percent.

            Gordon is the only player in Cal Poly Pomona history to have secured 1,500 points, 900 rebounds, 500 field goals, 375 free throws, 125 steals and 50 blocks. He is the school's all-time leading rebounder with 958, surpassing the 43-year old record held by Paul Scranton (935).

Gordon's honors this season include: NCAA Elite Eight All-Tournament team, NCAA West Region Most Valuable Player, Daktronics West Region First team, NABC West Region First Team, CCAA First-Team Selection, CCAA All-Tournament, CCAA Basketball Player of the Week (Dec. 15-21) and The Bulletin Preseason All-American

Last month, Gordon became just the fifth Bronco to be named an All-American -- joining Bill Leedom, Scranton, Terry Ross and Jeff Bonds - when he was named to the NABC All-American team.