Former Cal Poly Pomona pitcher settles in with Quakes

Taylor Wilding was just what the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes needed.

The former Cal Poly Pomona hurler turned in some solid seasons in the Giants organization, even holding his own in Double-A, but was inexplicably released by that organizaton on the last day of spring training. That is a tough time to find work because minor league rosters are pretty much set by then.

So he waited. Six weeks or so.

The Angels finally came calling after a rash of injuries thinned out their pitching at both the minor and major league levels. Wilding jokes about his veteran status in the California League, reminding teammate Eddie McKiernan that he’s made more appearances in the Cal League than McKiernan has at all levels combined.

This is his third year in the league and he has made over 100 relief appearances. He says he is going for the record, although that is a pretty hard one to track down.

There is an old saying that you’re not just playing for one organization, you’re playing for 30. The logic being that you can get released by one club but if you do well enough someone else will come calling.

To that Wilding chides “In my case I’m down to 29.”

Getting a chance with the Angels saved Wilding from the toils of independent ball, which pays even less and comes with fewer perks and no guarantees.

The Etiwanda High School product has yet another good one-liner when it comes to breaking down the offers that were coming in.

“It was like to trying to pick a college again without being able to take the visits.”

The Angels organization was the perfect place for a second chance and Wilding is taking advantage of it. He is 3-1 with a 3.90 ERA in 20 appearances. In 27 2/3 innings he has 25 strikeouts and 10 walks and given up 40 hits.

He is the club’s primary setup man, pitching the eighth inning of games the Quakes are winning or down in a close game. He pitched a scoreless inning against Inland Empire on Thursday.

Here’s to second chances!

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Cal State signs baseball players

Cal State San Bernardino’s baseball team bolstered its pitching staff for next season by signing three quality community college players to national and CCAA conference letters of intent to play for the Coyotes in 2009-10.

Head Coach Don Parnell said all three figure to be key components of the mound staff for the Coyotes.

The three hurlers are:

Kesler Reifel, a hard-throwing right-hander from Redlands who pitched for Riverside Community College in 2008 and 2009 after transferring from UC Riverside,
Lucas Sanford, a 5-11, 190-pound right-hander from Poway who helped Southwestern College of Chula Vista to a 29-14 record, 15-10 in the Pacific Coast Conference in 2009.

Chris Mieszala, a 6-2, 180-pound right-hander from Las Vegas, Nev., who helped Long Beach City College (30-18 overall, 17-7 conference) win the South Coast Conference championship in 2009.

Mieszala was 4-2 with a 2.95 earned run average in 16 appearances for the Vikings in 2009. He made three starts and had one complete game but it was a big one. He scattered seven hits and struck out 10 as the Vikings defeated Cerritos College, 4-3, to clinch the South Coast Conference title on April 30.

He struck out 25 batters in 39 innings of pitching while walking only four. Opponents hit only .243 against him.

Mieszala played his high school ball at Palo Verde High School in Las Vegas.

Sanford was 5-4 with a 4.28 earned run average for Southwestern College in 2009. He made 18 appearances, 13 of them starts for a total of 88 innings. He recorded 75 strikeouts and was errorless in the field, handling 23 chances flawlessly. The team finished third in the Pacific Coast  Conference. He was a Jaguars teammate of returning CSUSB starter Daniel Stenavich in 2008.

Reifel, a shortstop for most of his prep career at Redlands High School, was a second-team all-Citrus Belt League choice and second-team all-San Bernardino County pick for the Terriers.

He drew attention of pro scouts and college recruiters with his 90 mile-per-hour fastball and was signed as a right-handed pitcher by UC Riverside in 2006 and was on their 2007 roster but did not play..

The 6-1, 185-pounder transferred to RCC and pitched on the 2008 Tigers team. His 2009 season was cut short by arm trouble. He was 0-1 in six appearances, two of them starts with a 6.43 earned run average in just seven innings of work.

Coach Parnell said recent medical tests indicate Reifel’s arm is healthy and he has produced radar gun clockings in the low 90s.

The trio joins returning starters Stenavich, a San Diego resident, and Andrew Schile, a transfer from Chaffey College, both seniors in the fall, along with sophomore Aaron Brooks of San Bernardino (Cajon HS), the CCAA conference freshman of the year in 2009, as Parnell hopes his team will improve on its 23-23 season of 2009.

Erick Carrillo, another starter who had a year of eligibility remaining, passed it up after signing with the Florida Marlins after they drafted him in the 19th round of the June amateur draft.
 
 
 
 

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Cal Baptist signs JC basketball duo

California Baptist University Men’s Basketball Head Coach Tim Collins has announced the signing of two junior college standouts–Tom Schumacher (Cuesta College) and Kelly Johnson (Citrus College).
 
The duo joins prep standouts Luke Evans (El Camino High) and Josh Barrett (Vista Murrieta High) in the Lancers’ 2009-10 recruiting class.
 
Schumacher, a 6-5 wing and once the leading-scorer of the Luxembourg National Team, became the first player in the history of the Cuesta program to be named Western States Conference North Division Player of the Year after leading the Cougars to a 24-11 mark and a conference title. The Cougars, who were ranked as high as No. 7, advanced to the playoffs, but lost in the opening round.
 
In his lone season at Cuesta, he was second in the conference in scoring with 18.5 points and also averaged 2.7 rebounds and 2.8 assists. He also shot 40.6 percent from beyond the arc and was second in the state with 115 3-pointers.
 
He had 13 20-point games, including a season-high 37 points in a win over Santa Barbara. He also added 28 points in a win over Ventura and seven times he led the Cougars in rebounding. Schumacher, whose scoring average increased to 20.1 points per game in conference-play, was also named 2009 All-State.
 
Schumacher was teammates with former Lancer Peter Rajniak (2005-06) on the Luxembourg National Team. He will have three seasons of eligibility.
 
“Tom is an excellent offensive player who can pass and score,” said Collins. “We believe he will make an immediate impact. He is a mature basketball player with a positive attitude, and we are excited about his potential to become one of the best wings in the conference.”
 
Johnson, meanwhile, played two seasons at state power Citrus College. In two seasons, Johnson played in all 69 games, starting 33 of them as the Owls went a combined 63-6, won two conference titles and a state title in his two seasons. As a point guard, he averaged 4.28 points in his career and dished out 225 assists (3.26 avg.), more than any other player on the team.
 
This past season, Johnson averaged 5.7 points and was second on the team with 120 assists. He also averaged 22.2 minutes per game; second most on a team that had 11 players average double-digit minutes. Johnson also averaged 2.8 rebounds and was second on the tea m with 54 steals. The Owls finished 28-5, won their second straight Western State Conference South Division title and a second straight trip to the State Sweet 16 where they lost to eventual champion Riverside Community College.
 
As a 2008 freshman, Johnson appeared in all 36 games, starting 21 of them as the Owls won the state title. He averaged 3.0 points and 1.4 rebounds and dished out a team-high 105 assists (2.9 avg.). Johnson prepped at Pomona High.
 
“Kelly is a true leader and will lead by example,” said Collins. “His work ethic is fantastic, and his explosiveness and ability to see the floor will be obvious the first day of practice. He is a fine Christian young man, coming from one of the top junior college programs in the state and is a quality student and player.”
 
CBU finished 22-9 overall in 2009, advancing to the GSAC Tournament Semifinals for the second straight year. The Lancers were ranked No. 5 in the NAIA Top 25 Preseason Poll and after a 7-0 start were ranked No. 1 for the first time in program history. It was their third straight 20-win season.

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