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Dylan Nielson, who ran the lead-off on the state-champion 4x100 relay team and also competed in the high hurdles, signed a full scholarship with Utah State. Meanwhile, teammate Lance Gonzales, who competed in the decathlon, javelin and long jump, has decided to continue his education and athletic career at Cal State Northridge on a full scholarship.
Both of these young men were clutch performers this year," said McCarron. "They were big factors in the our state championship run, and I know will have an immediate impact at the conference and national level at their universities."
Gonzales, who finished second in the decathlon and third in the javelin and seventh in the long jump at the state meet, is making a run for the 2012 Olympic Team in London. He concluded his career at Riverside as the record-holder in the decathlon, a student of distinction and a holder of a 3.4 GPA.
"I'm going to Northridge to focus specifically on the decathlon and possibly a shot at making the 2012 Olympic Team," said Gonzales, who is majoring in Physical Education and plans to become a teacher and a coach.
Nielson, a graduate of Palm Desert High School, said "Utah is a place where I can get that business degree, continue to develop as a hurdler and possibly, too, make the 2012 Olympic Team."
Mississippi Braves right-hander Thomas Hanson didn't exactly get off to a good start in his outing Wednesday against the Birmingham Barons.
Hanson, a graduate of Redlands East Valley High School and Riverside Community College, issued two walks, hit a batter and threw a wild pitch in the first inning. But he regrouped quite nicely. In fact Hanson ended up throwing the first no-hitter in the history of the Double-A Southern League franchise, striking out a career-high 14 in a 6-0 victory.
"I felt really good in the bullpen warming up," he said. "I was pumped, maybe a little too pumped. I just tried to calm myself down and just attack the strike zone the way I normally do."
Hanson, 21, said it was his first no-hitter since Little League. He came close last year at Low-A Rome where he had a no-hitter broken up in the seventh.
A more casual approach this time helped.
"I tried not to think about it as much," he said. "It is hard not to think about it. last year I kept sitting there thinking `I hope they don't get a hit.' This time I just tried to focus on what I had to do to get guys out."
Hanson said Birmingham, an affiliate of the Chicago White Sox, had two hard hit balls, one coming on the last out of the game when Ricardo Nanita lined out to centerfielder Jordan Shafer.
"He got good wood on it. Squared up pretty good," he said. "Fortunately it was right at someone."
With the win Hanson improved to 4-3 on the season with a 4.32 earned run average in nine starts. He has 49 strikeouts in 50 innings. Take out one bad outing in which he allowed eight earned runs and his ERA is a nifty 3.02.
Hanson, a 22nd round draft pick, started the season with the Braves affiliate in Myrtle Beach, S.C., of the High-A Carolina League but earned a promotion after going 3-1 with 49 strikeouts in 40 innings and an 0.90 ERA in seven starts there.
Fresno City College topped all other junior college athletic programs and has been named winner of the National Alliance of Two-Year Colleges Athletic Administrator's Cup for the 2007-2008 school year.
Fresno totaled 164 points as the top four schools were within seven points. It was followed by Cerritos (160), Sierra (159) and Mt. SAC (157).
Riverside Community College was sixth (139.5).
Other local schools finished in the middle portion of the 103 school rankings.
Chaffey was 41st with 40 points, getting all its points in the pool. The Panthers got 15.5 points in women's water polo, 14.5 in men's swimming and 10 in women's swimming.
San Bernardino Valley College was 47th (28.5), with 20 coming for its state championship in men's cross country and the other 8.5 coming in women's soccer which finished as the Foothill Conference runner-up.
The Chaffey College baseball team waited a little too long to make its move Friday. By the time it did, it was a little too late.
The Panthers fell to host Riverside Community College 7-6 in the opening game of a best-of-three Southern California Regional at Chaffey. The teams will play again at 11 a.m. today, with the deciding game to follow if Chaffey wins.
"We didn't cash in early when we had some chances and that was the difference," Panthers coach Jeff Harlow said. "We always play well at home and we feel we can come back at any time, but we dug ourselves too big a hole."
The Tigers (28-17), the fifth place team out of the Orange Empire Conference, surged out to a 7-1 lead, scoring six of those runs with two outs.
Cody Madison was the main contributor to RCC's early rallies, stroking a two-run home run in the third off Chaffey starter Andrew Schile to give the visitors a 3-0 lead.
He added a three-run double off reliever Julian Ramirez in the sixth that extended the Tigers' lead to 7-1.
Foothill Conference champion Chaffey (30-10) began its comeback in the bottom of the inning, aided by the control touble of Riverside starter Erick Carrillo.
Jonathan Peters singled and James Koerner and Josh Manzano worked walks to load the bases with none out. Carrillo came close to working out of the jam, enticing strikeouts from Mychal Johnson and Jonathan Costantino, both of whom swung at pitches in the dirt.
Gerry Hernandez showed a little more patience by working the count to 3-2 before walking, forcing home a run to cut the deficit to 7-2.
It became a game again seconds later when Ryan Delgado blasted a first-pitch slider from Carrillo over the right-center fence, a grand slam that cut the deficit to 7-6.
The Panthers were just 1-for-10 with runners in scoring position before the blast and were just 2-for-14 in the game in that department.
"I was just looking for a pitch I could drive," said Delgado, who now has 11 home runs this season. "That felt could because it gave us some momentum."
Willie Holmes just missed tying the game seconds later, blasting an offering from reliever Sean Greer off the top of the center-field fence for a triple.
Anthony Delgado then walked and stole second, but the rally ended there when Madison chased down a deep fly ball off the bat of Peters.
The bullpens of the respective teams then restored order: Neither team had a 1-2-3 innings through the first seven, but both did in the eighth and ninth.
Schile (9-3), the conference pitcher of the year, took the loss. He gave up four runs and eight hits and struck out five while walking two, and exited with the Panthers down 4-1.
Ramirez pitched 4 and a third innings and held the Tigers scoreless over the three, retiring the final nine hitters he faced.
Carrillo (3-1) earned the win. He scattered seven hits, five walks and six strikeouts.
Right-hander Kyle Morgan, a freshman out of Redlands East Valley, retired nine of the 10 hitters he faced over three innings to notch his second save for RCC.
"We're coming in here tomorrow with the thought of winning two," Harlow said. "This team battles and never gives up. We showed that today."
RANCHO CUCAMONGA -- One can forgive the Chaffey College baseball team for heading into the playoffs with a bit of a chip on its shoulder.
The Panthers (30-9) come out of a weaker conference. They haven't had great success in the playoffs lately and they usually face a tough draw. Maybe they don't get enough respect.
They have a chance to gain some as they square off against defending state champion Riverside (27-17) in the best of three Southern California Regional the first game getting under way at 3 p.m. Friday.
Game two is slated for 11 a.m. Saturday, with the deciding game following if necessary.
It will also be a chance to strike a blow against a team that they go head-to-head with in recruiting.
"We have guys that tried out over there and got cut. So yes I would hope there is a little bit of incentive," Chaffey coach Jeff Harlow said. "They're from that dominant conference so it is a chance for us to make a statement."
Sophomore right-hander Andrew Schile (8-2, 2.94), the pitcher of the year in the Foothill Conference, will be on the mound for the Panthers, seeded seventh in the 18-team draw.
He doesn't think there is any extra pressure because of the opponent or the situation.
"It's the playoffs so you always want to win. We don't want to win more because it's RCC," he said. "But it will make it more rewarding if we do beat them."
The No. 10 Tigers were the fifth-place team out of the Orange Empire Conference, regarded as the toughest in the state. Last year's state championship series featured two schools from the conference, with Riverside downing Cypress for the title.
None in the Panther camp are surprised with the first-round matchup.
"We thought all long we would get them," sophomore catcher Mike Surina said. "We have been looking at it all season so we're not surprised. It will be fun because we all have played with and against a lot of their players."
It has been four years since the Panthers advanced past the first round. They cruised through conference play this season which probably isn't a good thing. They won the conference by three games and were so dominant they swept runner-up Rio Hondo - 15-0, 11-6 and 11-1.
This was the third straight conference title for the Panthers. Harlow, whose teams have made the playoffs five straight years, admits that Orange Empire teams are better prepared for the postseason because of the competition they see year-round.
Of Chaffey's 24 conference games, only six were decided by less than three runs.
"There's not a lot we can do about it," Harlow said. "We try and play the toughest preseason schedule we can get but facing that much competition is an advantage for them."
The Panthers had nine players earn all-conference honors. Joining Schile on the first team are freshman Willie Holmes (.408, 42 RBI), sophomore outfielder Mychal Johnson (.336, 42 runs), sophomore catcher Anthony Delgado (.384, 26 runs), sophomore third baseman Ryan Delgado (.329, 43 RBI) and sophomore first baseman Josh Manzano (.349 26 runs).
Second-team selections included sophomore left-hander Andrew Steinmeyer (5-1, 3.86), who will likely start one of the other games, freshman outfielder Jonathan Costantino (.359, 44 runs) and sophomore shortstop James Koerner (.336, 44 RBI).
Steinmeyer and Schile both pitched gems in their last outings. Harlow has also been pleased with the emergence of his relief crew, particularly sophomores Tim Redmon and Bret wolf and freshman Erik Bastio.
Top players for the Tigers are freshman second baseman Daniel Duran, sophomore outfielder Michael Hur and freshman third baseman Billy Hamilton (Carter HS).
Kaiser High grad Erick Carrillo (2-1, 4.03) and sophomore Peter Birdwell (2-1, 4.67) have drawn the majority of the starts. Redlands East Valley product Kyle Morgan (6-2, 2.27) has a team-high 22 appearances, all out of the bullpen.
The Chaffey baseball team has drawn a first-round playoff date with Riverside Community College.
Pairings for the best-of-three Southern California regionals were unveiled Sunday and the Foothill Conference champion Panthers (30-9) drew the No. 7 seed. Defending state champion Riverside (27-17) is No. 10, finishing fifth in the tough Orange Empire Conference.
Chaffey will host the series opener at 3 p.m. Friday with the second game at 11 a.m. on Saturday.
Coach Jeff Harlow wasn't surprised with that but was miffed that Cerritos (29-14) was one spot ahead of his team because his team beat the Falcons twice.
Swapping places with Cerritos would have meant getting Bakersfield (28-16), a more preferrable draw because it is a second-place team out of a considerably weaker conference.
"They didn't follow the criteria they should have," Harlow said. "We played that team and beat them twice. Why play them if it isn't going to matter? It's all political."
Tuesday's game's
Single-elimination games
No. 18 Santa Barbara at No. 15 Palomar
No. 17 Rio Hondo at No. 16 Ventura
Friday games
First game, best-of-three
Lowest remaining seed at No. 1 Santa Ana
No. 13 East Los Angeles at No. 4 Irvine Valley
No. 12 El Camino at No. 5 Southwestern
No. 11 Cypress at No. 8 College of the Canyons
No. 10 Riverside at No. 7 Chaffey
No. 11 Bakersfield at No. 6 Cerritos
No. 14 Long Beach City at No. 3 Orange Coast
Second-lowest seed at No. 2 Cuesta
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.
Ironically, the championship tournament will not be held at any of the District's three campuses. Instead, the state finals will be held at Orange Terrace Park in the community of Orangecrest. The city is in the final stages of building out Orange Terrace Park, which is in the east end of the city. As part of the park buildout, the city is adding two new ball fields, a library and a community center.
So the city and Orangecrest ASA, the largest softball organization in the city of Riverside for youth (5 to 18 years old), will co-host the event.
The state championship tournament will feature the final eight teams-four from the north and four from the south. Mt. San Antonio College is the defending state champions. Riverside head coach Michelle Daddona-Moya, who worked to bring the championship tournament to the city for the fourth time, said Mt. San Antonio and Riverside will play a regular-season game at the park on March 17th at 3:30 pm to help promote the championship tournament to the community.
"Orangecrest ASA is excited about the opportunity to promote, not only the game of softball to our youth, but expose them to the idea of playing college softball," said Tom Reiss, Orangecrest ASA president. "Our board's goal has not only been to provide the girls with recreational opportunities, but also bring entertainment opportunities to the community. And this is that first step."
The state finals is one of three tournaments Orangecrest ASA will be bringing to the community in 2008 at Orange Terrace Park. In June, the City of Riverside and Orangecrest ASA will be hosting the ASA Open Western Regional Tournament and then in July host the ASA Open National Championship Tournament, where as many as 10 former Olympic players will be action.
"The girls in the Orangecrest community are passionate about softball," said Daddona-Moya. "I think this is the first time the coaches' association has decided to take our product to an area with such passion for the game. I think it benefit not only the City of Riverside and Orangecrest ASA, but also the community college game of softball."
Four players finished in double figures as host Riverside Community College edged the Riverside All-Stars 82-80 in first round play at the 38th annual Wells Fargo Holiday Classic Tuesday night. That game was the last of four on the day.
Other winners were Fullerton, Mt. San Jacinto and East Los Angeles. The host Tigers (8-2) advance to play East Los Angeles in the 7 p.m. game Thursday night.
RCC was led by Keiran Nunley who tallied 13 points, eight rebounds and three steals. Anthony Dandy and Anthony Scott contributed 12 each with Dandy, a San Gorgonio High School graduate, also collecting five rebounds, two assists and two steals.
Cajon product James Simmons aided the cause with six assists and three steals.
Treno Butler headed the effort of the all-star team with 20 points. Brian Hooks added 15 with five rebounds and four assists.
The tournament continues today with Long Beach City playing Saddleback at 1 p.m., College of the Desert squaring off with unbeaten Citrus at 3 p.m., Los Angeles Pierce looking for its first win against San Diego City at 5 p.m. and Compton playing Antelope Valley at 7 p.m.
