April 2008 Archives
Monica Trainer as the Tigers' volleyball coach. Trainer has been an
assistant coach at UC Riverside for the past 22 years to UC Riverside Head
Coach Sue Gozansky.
Trainer becomes Riverside's first full-time coach in nearly 10 years.
"This is a great time for me in my career," said Trainer. "I'm excited to
run my own program. Obviously, I've learned a lot while at UCR, but I'm so
excited to try things on my own."
Trainer said she knew from the beginning this was the right move for her.
"It's funny as soon as I stepped on campus I felt welcome," she said. "I
remember thinking after the interview how much I would love to work at the
college.
"Everyone was so supportive and so personable."
Trainer and her family have a lot of tradition with the community college
system. Her husband, Joe, is a graduate of the Riverside District's nursing
program. Trainer herself attended San Bernardino Valley College and her
daughter attended Mt. San Jacinto College.
After attending San Bernardino Valley, Trainer began an outstanding
three-year career at San Jose State. She was drafted by the San Jose Diablos
of the International Volleyball Association, and a year later, she embarked
upon a four-year European semi-pro career, playing in Luzern, Switzerland
from 1981 to 1983 and in Albizzate, Italy, in 1983-84, winning championships
in both stops.
She returned to the United States in 1985 and joined Gozansky's staff at UC
Riverside as an assistant. In her tenure, UCR has won a Division II national
title and made three trips to the Elite Eight.
Since 1978, Trainer has instructed at many summer camps throughout the
United States with UCLA volleyball coach Al Scates, AAF, Converse, and the
USVBA. In 1995 she traveled to Italy as coach of "Sports for
Understanding," She has teamed with Gozansky to work with the Department of
Defense Dependent Students (DoDDS) Camp in Manheim, Germany, where she
taught volleyball to United States students who are living in Germany,
Italy, Turkey, Belgium and Greece.
Trainer has continued her volleyball playing career by participating in US
Volleyball Association (USAV) tournaments across the nation and has earned
11 All-America selections. She was a member of the Seniors national
championship team in 1990, 1992, 1994, 1999, 2000, 2002 and 2003.
Trainer attended Rim of the World High School, graduating in 1976. She
played softball, tennis and basketball, but did not play volleyball until
her senior year.
Trainer attended San Bernardino Valley College as a freshman, then
transferred to SJSU, where she graduated with a degree in human performance
and a minor in psychology. She went on to earn her teaching credential and a
master's degree in guidance counseling from Cal State University, San
Bernardino. She is an American Red Cross Instructor Trainer for various
health, safety and aquatics programs for future teachers.
Trainer and her husband Joe live in Murrieta and are proud grandparents of
Daniel, Abigail and Elena.
By Michelle Gardner
Staff Writer
RANCHO CUCAMONGA -- The Chaffey College baseball team isn't just about offense after all.
Sophomore left-hander Andrew Steinmeyer proved that, pitching the Panthers to a 6-2 win over Foothill Conference foe Antelope Valley Tuesday. It was Chaffey's first complete game of the season and came in the school's last home game of the regular season.
Steinmeyer (5-1) needed just 119 pitches to dispose of the Marauders. The Corona native gave up two runs (both unearned), scattered four hits, walked none and struck out five.
"I was getting some calls on the inside fastball," Steinmeyer said. "My curveball wasn't great but I was able to throw for strikes a couple of times when I really needed it."
Steinmeyer allowed lone runs in the second and sixth innings, an outfield error giving the Marauders (13-22, 7-12) the first and one by the catcher helping them to the other.
But Chaffey (27-8, 18-3) managed enough offense to make up for those miscues. It got one in the first, then took the lead with a pair in the second, with James Koerner singling and scoring on a hit by Robert Escalera who later raced home on a sacrifice fly by Jonathan Costantino.
The Panthers added to that in the fifth, extending its lead to 4-1 on a run-scoring double by Ryan Delgado.
They rounded out the scoring in the sixth with another pair. This time it was Costantino driving home a run and Mychal Johnson plating another with a ground out.
Antelope Valley threatened in the ninth as pinch hitter Jake Wood and Bryan Rasch singled with two outs, putting runners on the corners. The Chaffey pitching coach George Barnes made a trip to the mound just to give his pitcher a breather.
"He told me they were sticking with me, just to bear down," Steinmeyer said.
The respit worked as Steinmeyer got the next hitter, Chase Doremus, on check swing to end the game.
The Panthers tallied nine hits with Ryan Delgado, Willie Holmes and Escalera getting two each. Costantino had two RBI and Johnson, Koerner and Escalera each scored twice.
About the only thing bothering coach Jeff Harlow after the game was the way his team ran the bases. It had three runners picked off the basepaths, the most notable problem coming in the third when it got its first two runners on, only to have them picked off in successive at-bats.
"That is definitely something we're going to have to address before we get in the playoffs," he said. "It didn't hurt us here, but it did prevent us from blowing the game open and when you get in the playoffs you're not going to have a lot of chances."
Steinmeyer has combined with another sophomore, right-hander Andrew Schile, to give the Panthers a formidable 1-2 combination on the mound. Harlow said the duo is looking as strong as they did early in the season.
"They both pitched gems our first two games of the season," Harlow recalled. "So it is nice to see us finishing the way we started. Hopefully we'll carry that momentum into the playoffs."
The Panthers close out the regular season with a double header against the Marauders at noon Friday at Clear Channel Stadium in Lancaster. The playoff should be announced over the weekend.
Two athletes from San Bernardino Valley College will be continuing their careers at Division II Cal State Los Angeles. Both basketball player Shy Walter and soccer standout Megan Dias will attend the school which competes in the CCAA along with locals Cal State San Bernardino and Cal Poly Pomona.
Dias, a midfielder out of Colony High School, is the schools all-time leader in scoring (28 goals) and points leader (72). She was a two-time all-conference selection, managing 11 goals and 14 assists last season in helping the Wolverines to their best season ever.
She will be joining an Eagle team coming off its best season ever at 13-6-4. The team was ranked as high as No. 15 nationally last year.
Walter, a 5-foot-10 shooting guard out of Perris High School, averaged 11.8 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.4 steals in helping the Wolverines (26-6, 15-1) to a Foothill Conference title. She had a season-high of 23 points against Rio Hondo and a high of nine rebounds twice. She was a first-team all-conference selection.
“That’s a good place for her,” Crebbin said. “It’s close to home but not too close to home. What she does well will work into their style of play and she should be able to play right away. I am very happy for her.”
Cal State Los Angeles (9-17) finished ninth in the 11-team CCAA last year.
Both San Bernardino Valley College baseball coach Bill Mierzwik and Rio Hondo counterpart Mike Salazar have crunched the numbers. Their teams are among the three vying for the one last playoff spot behind Foothill Conference-frontrunner Chaffey.
Salazar think his team needs to win four of its last six, while Mierzwik said his needs five of six.
It was the Roadrunners creeping closer to their goal, blasting SBVC 15-3 Thursday at Arrowhead Credit Union Park in the opener of a three-game set.
Rio (21-15, 14-4), which has won eight straight games, was in control from the start, pushing across four in the first frame off Wolverines starter Tommy Bills (6-1). It didn’t get any better, as the Roadrunners added to that lead the next five innings. They were never set down in order.
“This gets us off to a good start,” Salazar said. “We never come in expecting to slug it out with someone but today we had some things fall in and we were able to build on that.”
Rio got an infield hit by Kevin Mort and winning pitcher Leo Madrid (5-2) walked with one out. Matt Smoley then hit a fly ball that was badly misplayed by left fielder Dwight Robinson. Two runners scored and Smoley coasted into third. It was 4-0 before Bills got out of the inning.
While the game turned into a rout, Mierzwik said that inning set the tone.
“We make that catch and we get out of the inning,” he said. “It changes the inning because your pitcher throws 15 pitches instead of 30. He gets out of that inning and it gives him some confidence, the rest of the team feels better. You never know.”
The visitors led 7-2, then added four more in a fourth that featured the ejection of Mierzwik and assistant Rene Leal. Dominick Guerrero, the third pitcher of the day, had come in after Trent Veleker walked the first two.
After a 2-0 count to Willie Sandez, home plate umpire Barry Sosa began exchanging words with coaches in the SBVC dugout, who thought their pitchers were being squeezed.
Sosa first tossed Leal, then Mierzwik, probably the most even-tempered of the seven coaches in the SBVC dugout. Mierzwik said it was just the second time he had been tossed in 18 years. He took in the rest of the game from the press box.
“I know you can’t argue balls and strikes. I didn’t say anything to him. I was talking to my catcher,” he said.
The rest of the game was just a formality. It took two hours to get through the first two innings. SBVC used six pitchers who surrendered a total of 15 hits. Every starter had a hit and eight of nine scored at least a run. Smoley led the Roadrunners, going 2-for-3 with four RBI and three runs scored. He also walked four times. Ian Kammerer had three hits, three runs scored and two RBI.
Madrid went six innings before giving way to Chris Dorado. Sal Ramirez went the last two innings.
SBVC was led by Zach Baker with two hits - a double and a triple. Adrian Carmona stroked a solo home run in the fourth.
The teams will play a doubleheader at Rio Hondo at noon saturday.
“It was a tough way to start but we can still reach our goal,” Mierzwik. “Of course it would be a lot easier if we didn’t lose the first game.”
SBVC finishes the season with a series against Cerro Coso while Rio finishes with College of the Desert, the other team in the playoff hunt.
Several Chaffey College football players have made decisions on their future.
Defensive backs Colin Barrier (Etiwanda HS) and Dennis Gilleylen and linebacker Derek Walker (Hesperia HS) will attend Fort Lewis.
Kicker Justin Veazie (Chino HS) has opted for South Dakota while running back Matt Biggers is going to Delaware State.
Coach Carl Beach added that running back Jahmel Rover (Eisenhower HS) will return for his sophomore season. He was debating Division I options but Beach said the right offer did not come up.
It looks like there will be a race to the finish in the Foothill Conference with three baseball teams battling for the runner-up spot, assuming Chaffey (23-9, 14-3) stays on top.
Three teams have advanced to the playoffs in some years past but that probably won’t happen this year.
Next up for the Wolverines (22-16, 12-6) is a three-game series against Rio Hondo (20-15-1, 13-4-1). The Roadrunners will come to Arrowhead Credit Union Park Thursday for a 2:30 p.m. contest. The teams will play a doubleheader Saturday at noon in Whittier.
SBVC finishes its schedule the following week against Cerro Coso. Meanwhile Rio Hondo closes out the season with Desert (21-16, 13-5) which faces Chaffey (24-9, 15-3) this week.
Rio Hondo also has to finish a seven-inning game with Mt. San Jacinto that was called after five because of darkness.
SBVC coach Bill Mierzwik said he is most concerned about Desert, not because he is overlooking Rio Hondo but because he has no control over what that team does while it has a head-to-head with Rio.
“We’re done with them (Desert) and they have the tiebreaker over us because they took two of three from us,” he said. “We at least control our own destiny when it comes to Rio Hondo.”
Mierzwik, in his 18th year, also said his current team has been one of the most enjoyable ones he has coached.
He says being in contention is an admirable feat because the teams does not have a home field and has had to play its “home” games at five different venues.
“These guys just deal with it,” he said. “There hasn’t been one complaint. They just go out and play. If it was our team from a few years ago they would do nothing but complain.”
Mierzwik adds the character of the team was evident early when a handful of players saved a women in the neighborhood from a pitbull attack before a practice in February.
“We have had a lot of close games and we haven’t had a break,” he said. “You would think we’re due some positive kharma our way. We’re still waiting.”
Local rivals Chaffey and San Bernardino Valley College squared off in a Foothill Conference twinbill Saturday at Cal Baptist University, both games ending up 9-8 with Chaffey taking the opener and SBVC the nightcap.
The conference-leading Panthers (24-9, 15-3) took a 9-6 lead into the final inning of the opener, only to see the Wolverines (22-16, 12-6) storm back in the ninth.
Dwight Robinson singled and Alex Aunchman walked. A pair of passed balls advanced the runners. Robinson scored on a single by Dustin Williams and Sam Konnoff stroked a run-scoring double.
Chaffey used three pitchers in the inning but Dane Delfs got the last two outs to secure the win for Tim Redmon (3-0).
Anthony Delgado had three hits, two of them home runs, for Chaffey while Adrian Carmona had three for the Wolverines.
It was the reverse in the second game with SBVC having to withstand a Chaffey rally. The Wolverines were up 9-3 through four innings and 9-5 going into the seventh.
A sacrifice fly by James Koerner plated Willie Holmes who had doubled. Ryan Delgado walked and eventually scored on a balk. The Panthers drew within one when Mychal Johnson singled home Delgado.
But with two outs and two runners on pinch hitter Gerry Hernandez grounded out to first.
Starter Tommy Bills (7-1) got the win and Adrian Carmona the save.
By Michelle Gardner
Staff Writer
RANCHO CUCAMONGA - Earlier in the season the Chaffey college softball team threw a scare into perennial playoff contender Antelope Valley, losing by only one run.
The teams squared off again in a Foothill Conference finale on Friday and this time it wasn’t close as the Marauders, ranked No. 6 in the state, trounced the host Panthers 11-3 for their 62nd straight conference win. It also capped off a fourth straight conference title.
“I think the last time we played them they took us lightly and we put a scare into them,” Chaffey coach Jimmy Rodriguez said. “They told us they would be ready the next time and they were.”
Antelope Valley (38-6, 14-0) was never threatened thanks to the efforts of sophomore pitcher Gracie Perez. Perez, the conference pitcher of the year in 2006, sat out last year. She has returned to form in dominant fashion, striking out 14 batters, 13 of them in the first five innings.
Jessica De Luna was the only Chaffey hitter to reach base in the first four innings, doing so on a walk in the second.
The Marauders led 4-0, highlighted by a two-run home run from Felecia Shepler in the fifth.
Chaffey finally got on the scoreboard in the bottom of that frame with Marissa Lavendera reaching on an error and scoring on a double by Krystal Gonzalez.
Antelope blew the game open in the last two innings, scoring three in the sixth and four in the seventh with four errors paving the way.
Chaffey (26-17, 11-3) made it closer, getting two in the seventh with Gonzalez again providing the big blow. The freshman out of Kaiser High School smacked a Perez offering over the left center field fence for her second home run of the season. It followed a double by Katelyn Outzen.
“She has a very good rise ball and it was really working today,” said Gonzalez, who struck out in the third. “You have to move up in the box and go for it before it rises.”
Antelope leadoff hitter Traci Wolf stole the show offensively, going 4-for-4 with a walk, triple and scoring five times.
Early in the week the Panthers thought the game would be for a share of the conference title but it ended up not meaning much because they suffered a 5-1 loss Wednesday to Mt. San Jacinto in which the team was lethargic from the start.
Rodriguez admitted it took some edge off the game on Friday but players say they were ready.
“We still had a chance to stop them from being undefeated in the conference,” Gonzelz said. “We still came in here with the attitude of winning the game.”
Rodriguez said he will give his team a few days off and await the playoff draw which will be announced next week. The Panthers should advance as the conference runner-up but will face a tough draw with a matchup against a strong Orange Empire conference team likely.
“We will give them a couple days off, then go back to basics and do the best we can to be ready,” he said.
The Panthers (23-8, 14-2) pounded out 16 hits and cruised to a 16-2 win over the Wolverines (21-15, 11-5) in a battle between the top two teams in the Foothill Conference.
The series continues with a noon doubleheader Saturday at Cal Baptist University since SBVC does not have a home field.
“He (Schile) wasn’t his best but he is a sophomore, one of our team captains. He is always going to battle and give a great effort,” coach Jeff Harlow said.
Schile’s effort was more than good enough. He went five innings, allowing just four hits and two runs (one earned) while striking out two, walking three and hitting one. He exited after the top of the fifth with his team in control 9-2.
The right-hander out of Miller High School said he was slowed by a back injury that flared up when he arrived at practice Wednesday.
“When I got to practice I couldn’t even bend over. I don’t even know when it exactly happened,” he said. “With the way our guys hit I knew I didn’t have to have my best stuff because we have been scoring a lot of runs. I was just trying to get some ground balls.”
Chaffey, which started the day with a two-game lead over SBVC, jumped on Wolverines starter Sam Konnoff for two runs in the first, one on a run-scoring single by Ryan Delgado and the other driven home by his brother Anthony.
The Panthers tacked on five more when they batted around in the third. All the RBI came from different players, with the only extra-base hit in the frame a double by James Koerner.
That 7-0 lead was never threatened. Chaffey got hits from 10 different players and RBI from nine. Anthony Delgado and Jonathan Costantino had three each while Willie Holmes stroked a home run.
Even the reserves factored in as freshman Robert Escalera came off the bench and ripped a two-run double in a five-run eighth.
SBVC totaled just six hits on the day, three of those by No. 9 hitter Alec Ortez who had a double and a triple and scored one of the team’s two runs.
Veteran SBVC coach Bill Mierzwik will try and win the series with his two most consistent pitchers on the mound Saturday in right-handers Tommy Bills and Teddy Martinez.
“We could have come out and lost 3-2 and it’s still a loss,” he said. “They play well here so we’re taking a gamble. It might backfire but we thought it was our best shot.”
Mierzwik, in his 18th year directing the team, is hoping his team can at least hold its position because the conference traditionally gets two teams in the playoffs. It would be a fitting reward for a team he has enjoyed.
“I have had very few teams I enjoyed as much as this one,” he said. “They just come out and play. It isn’t easy playing every game on the road and not one of them has complained. I would love to get in the playoffs because these guys deserve it.”
Sophomore basketball standout Lewis Leonard of San Bernardino College has made a verbal commitment to continue his playing career and education at Division I St. Bonaventure in New York, which competes out of the Atlantic-10 Conference.
Leonard visited the school earlier this spring and was also considering Robert Morris University in Pittsburgh.
Leonard, a native of Philadelphia, was Most Valuable Player in the Foothill Conference, averaging 25.2 points and 5.9 rebounds with a high of 41 points. He was second in the state in scoring behind Pasadena’s Harold Cleveland (25.6 ppg).
Leonard is the seventh player from the school to continue to a Division I program in the last four years.
A Foothill Conference title is fine. But the Chaffey College baseball team has loftier goals. It is looking to make some noise in the playoffs instead of being sent home after the first round.
The Panthers (22-8, 13-2) finished off a three-game sweep of Victor Valley with convincing 14-6 and 16-6 wins Saturday at Lowder Field. They outscored the Rams 59-13 in the three games.
Even though the host team was comfortably in front most of the way, Chaffey focused on the little things it needs to do to get better - whether it’s putting down a bunt or moving a runner over. Coach Jeff Harlow used the big lead to his advantage, also working in some of his younger players.
The Panthers slipped up last weekend against Cerro Coso but still have a two-game lead with nine games left.
“Every inning we play we’re out there, working on something, no matter what the score is,” he said. “You can’t take anyone lightly because the minute you do bad things happen.”
In the past three years, the Panthers have been eliminated in the first round of the playoffs with Orange Empire Conference contender Cypress sending them home last year. The Panthers lost two straight games in the best-of-three set to the Chargers, blowing late leads in each game.
The playoff draw hasn’t been much help as the Foothill teams traditionally first draw a foe from the Orange Empire Conference which has the most depth of any in the state.
All say they are looking to change that trend last year. The Panthers have 15 sophomores on their roster so 2007 has not been forgotten.
“It was like that in high school too,” said shortstop James Koerner, who went 7-for-7 with three doubles and six RBI in the twinbill. “It was very disappointing because we know we’re better than what we showed and we want to make up for it this year.”
This Chaffey team has different strengths. Last year it relied on a solid pitching staff but this season it features a more powerful offense.
The Panthers pounded out 53 hits in the series against the Rams. Saturday third baseman Ryan Delgado had five - three doubles and two home runs. Koerner, designated hitter Willie Holmes, center fielder Jonathan Costantino and twins Chris and David Gwin have led the charge.
Harlow is looking to solidify some roles among his pitchers. Right-hander Andrew Schile and left-hander Andrew Steinmeyer, both sophomores, have been solid starters but the Panthers have not settled on a No. 3 hurler.
The Panthers are also looking for someone to pick up the slack for closer Steven Raburn, who is out with an arm injury. Freshman right-hander Erik Bastio is one candidate.
“I like the way we have been hitting the ball and it has been everyone contributing,” Harlow said. “That’s really what we’re going to need.”
The opposing team walked away impressed.
“I like what they have put together,” Victor Valley coach Bob Smith said. “They can play the short game, they can hit the long ball. It looks like they’ll win the conference and will be a strong representative.”
A pair of Kaiser High School products delivered big as the Panthers (26-14, 10-1) surged past visiting San Bernardino Valley College 12-3 in Foothill Conference action Friday.
Freshman catcher Jessica DeLuna had three home runs, including a grand slam in the second inning and collected nine RBI. She now has six home runs on the season.
Britni Baca, also a freshman, turned in a strong effort in the pitching circle, giving up just five hits and three runs and striking out six.
Freshman Chelsea Navarro had two hits for SBVC.
Chaffey will play nonconference games today against Citrus and Cerritos, both of whom are state-ranked.
Will Kimble, who served as an assistant coach for the Citrus College Men's Basketball team this season, has accepted a position on the Pepperdine University Men's Basketball Coaching staff for the 2008-2009 season. Kimble also becomes the third Citrus assistant coach in three years to except a position at the four-year level.
Kimble played at Pepperdine for two years before finishing his eligibility at UTEP.
“First of all I want to thank God, Dr. Andrew Benton, Dr. John Watson and Coach Asbury, as well as everybody in the athletic department at Pepperdine,” Kimble said in a press release issued by the Pepperdine Athletic Department. “It feels great to get back to the place where I began my college career, and I felt like this has always been my home. To have the opportunity to come back and contribute to this university, I’m just really, really honored. I take great pride in representing Pepperdine.”
Kimble, a graduate of Pacific High School in San Bernardino, played a pivotal role for Citrus during the 2007-2008 season, as he helped lead the Fighting Owls to their first ever California State Championship. Kimble, who played for and received his BA from Pepperdine, will be rounding out the Waves staff for Head Coach Tom Asbury who resumes the helm at Pepperdine this year after a previous 15 season stint (1980-1994) as both an assistant and head coach for the Waves.
“Hands down, I feel like the staff at Citrus could compete with anybody at any level,” Kimble said. “I couldn’t have asked for a better situation than last year with Citrus. These guys were the best, and I just tried to soak in all the knowledge and apply it to my own strengths. Coach Croy and his staff have left me with a wealth of knowledge, and I will keep the things they taught me and continue to remember the journey we shared forever.”
“Will is unbelievable,” Citrus College Head Men’s Basketball Coach Rick Croy said in the Pepperdine press release. “He’s destined for greatness in the coaching profession because he’s all about helping people get better. We were so fortunate to have him on staff this year. He’s an amazing role model and he just has a great feel for who he is and how to help other people find success and how to handle adversity.”
While the Fighting Owls have had great success in matriculating its players, since the arrival of Croy three short years ago. The Citrus College men’s basketball coaching staff has also been a great stepping stone for great coaching minds. Kimble follows in the footsteps of former assistants Jim Saia, who took the head coaching position at Fresno Pacific after last season, and Chris Victor, who took the top assistant coaching position at Concordia two years ago.
