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College Web Chatter
ARC Honors Dusty Baker with Building
Dedication
By Rick Cabral, Dec. 12, 2011
American River College today honored Dusty
Baker (Del Campo 1967) by naming its new Student Athlete Resource Center after the
famous baseball player/manager.
Baker confided he was surprised to have this honor bestowed on him, since he went
to ARC for just one year and was only a “fair student.” What went unsaid is that he never
played sports at the Fair Oaks campus because he had signed with the Atlanta Braves in 1967
after starring in three sports at Del Campo High.
Baker admitted to having reservations about lending his name to a building. “I
had a lot of questions. Lot of times people want to name stuff after you. And I’m not like that.
Most of the times, people want to name their dogs and cats after you." The line got a huge laugh
from the audience, which was comprised of family, ARC management and student athletes, former
high school athletes who competed against Baker and numerous baseball scouts who always flock to
events that include the charismatic major league manager.
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Dusty Baker and ARC President David Viar share a laugh at
the dedication of the Dusty Baker Student Athlete Resource Center
inside the American River College gymnasium complex.
Photo © Rick Cabral
2011
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Baker has helped raise funds for the community college's student center, including donating
proceeds from his annual golf tournament. ARC is pleased to finally have a permanent location for
the resource center, which has been relocated on campus numerous times over the years.
“Any time I
can help, especially when it comes to students, (I do it) because at one point in time I was a
student and I was a dreamer.” Baker credits his eighth grade teacher with encouraging him to
pursue his dream of becoming a professional athlete, especially when classmates laughed at his
aspiration. "If you continue to dream, work and stay out of trouble, you can achieve your
dreams," the teacher advised.
The
Cincinnati Reds manager shared this advice to the 20 student athletes standing behind him: “Keep
working. You never know what’s going to happen. You never know what direction Life’s going to
take you.”
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Baker regales the audience at American River
College with stories about his youth while surrounded by three ARC students (left
to right): Joseph Ferguson, Edwin Kim and Breanna
Carmichael.
Photo
© Rick Cabral
2011
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“A lot of the guys I
played with and against are here today," Baker said. "I wasn't the best ballplayer where I
came from, but I had some of the best backing and I got a break or two along the
way.”
Baker, who was
never chosen first-team All-Metro in baseball, was selected #2 in the
All-Time Top 50 Players
from Sacramento by a committee of local baseball experts (To read a brief summary of his career, go
here).
He credits his parents with providing him “with a lot of love and a lot of
discipline. Especially a lot of discipline.” Growing up in Riverside, Calif. Johnnie B. Baker
Junior was nicknamed “Dusty” by his mother Christine because
“he was always playing in the dirt and coming
home dusty,” she told a newspaper reporter in 1972 when her son was just breaking in to the
big leagues with the Atlanta Braves. He went on to a 19-year career as a player, and just
completed his 18th season as a big league skipper.
Baker said
there were only two things he has missed in life: the love of grandparents, who weren’t alive
when he was growing up, and being the “big man on a college campus.”
He's now
able to cross one of those from his list, as Dusty Baker's name will forevermore be associated
with college athletics on the ARC campus.
Matt Vaughn Named UCD Aggies Baseball Head
Coach
Rex Peters resigns after nine years as head coach to pursue another
coaching opportunity
Aug. 8, 2011
DAVIS, Calif. - Rex
Peters, who spent the past nine seasons as head coach of the UC Davis baseball team, has
announced his resignation to pursue another coaching opportunity and associate head coach
Matt Vaughn, who has been a part of the program for more than 20 years, has
been named head coach, it was announced by interim director of athletics Nona Richardson on
Monday.
To read the rest of the story at the UCD Baseball site, click
through.
CAL GETS NEU PITCHING COACH
By Ed Yevelev | Senior Staff |
The Daily Californian
eyevelev@dailycal.org
Friday, August 5, 2011 at 8:42 pm
Updated Friday, August 5, 2011 at 8:46 pm
In the spring of 2012, the Cal baseball team will look to build on a magical College World
Series run.
Luckily, the newest addition to the Bears’ staff is no stranger to success in Omaha,
Neb.
Former University of Miami (Fla.) closer Mike Neu, who helped the
Hurricanes to a CWS title in 1999, has been named Cal’s new pitching coach by head coach David
Esquer. He takes over for longtime pitching coach Dan Hubbs, who left for USC in July after 12
years in Berkeley.
Neu joined the Hurricanes after starring at Sacramento City College, where
he went 15-0 to earn junior college All-America honors in 1998. During Miami’s championship
season, Neu was named an All-American after leading the nation in strikeouts per nine innings
(14.8) and earning saves in three of the team’s four CWS contests.
Neu’s most extensive Major League stint came with the Oakland Athletics, who called him up
in April of 2003. That year, he posted a 3.64 ERA in 42 innings of relief for the A’s.
For the past four years, Neu has been on the coaching staff at Diablo Valley College in
Pleasant Hill. He served as pitching coach from 2007-2008 before taking over as head coach in
2009. Neu posted a 87-41 record in his three-season stint, which included a pair of Big 8
Conference titles.
“We are extremely excited to have Mike Neu join the Cal baseball program,” Esquer said in a
press release. “Mike is known for having one of the best baseball minds in the Bay Area. He
will be an outstanding addition, both for our players and our coaching staff. Mike is familiar
with all the local talent and that will definitely help us with our recruiting in Northern
California.”
Neu inherits a pitching staff that loses three starters — Erik Johnson, Kevin Miller and
Dixon Anderson — to the MLB Draft but returns a pair of talented lefties. Kyle Porter was named
a Freshman All-American after his 6-0 record in 2011, while incoming junior Justin Jones earned
the same distinction last spring.
CAL--BEHIND PORTER'S PITCHING--WINS ELIMINATION GAME 7-3 AT
CWS
by Rick Cabral 06/21/11
Kyle Porter (Oak Ridge) pitched six strong innings
today at the NCAA College World Series, limiting Texas A&M to three runs on seven hits, as
California advanced from the elimination game in Bracket Two.
The Bears freshman struck out four and walked only one batter with a mixture of upper-eighties
fastballs, changeups and curve balls.
In the bottom of the fourth inning of a scoreless game, Porter gave up a solo home run, as the
Aggies went ahead 1-0. Cal answered by scoring three runs in the top of the fifth and sixth innings
to give Porter a five-run cushion. Both teams added one more score. Cal's closer Matt Flemer
shutout the Aggies over the final three innings.
Before the game, Cal Head coach Dave Esquer told Tom Fitzgerald of the San Francisco Chronicle he'd
chosen Porter to pitch the elimination game becasue he has a "fearlessness, almost bordering on a
positive arrogance."
"Some guys are just numb to the surroundings," Esquer added. "They just
pitch and lock into the hitter. They don't realize where they are, just that that's what
they've been doing their whole lives. (Porter) seems to be one of those
guys."
With the victory, Porter improves to 6-0 on the year, and claims Cal's
first College World Series victory since 1980. The Bears went 0-2 in 1992, the last time they
played at the CWS. They also failed to win a game in 1988, the last time Stanford won the
College World Series.
In post-game comments, Esquer said, "We're just happy to keep goin'."
Cal will play the loser of tonight's game between South Carolina and Virginia on Thursday. Virginia
defeated the Golden Bears in their first game at the CWS, 4-1.
Texas A&M joins Texas in losing the first two games, also known as "Two and
barbeque."
Earlier today, the Bears head coach was named national coach of the year by the National College
Baseball Writers Association. To learn more about the story, click
here.
CAL OPENS COLLEGE WORLD SERIES AGAINST #1 VIRGINIA
by Rick Cabral 06/17/11
Cal's 2011 baseball season has been a combination of nighmare and fantasy, as they qualified for
the College World Series by winning the Regionals and Super Regional tournaments. They open against
the #1-seed Virigina Cavaliers Sunday at 11 PDT.
Contributing to Cal's success this season are two local guys: Andrew
Knapp of Granite Bay High and Kyle
Porter of Oak Ridge. Porter, in fact, tossed one shutout inning in relief in the
win against Dallas Baptist that clinched the Super Regional victory.
Porter's pitching statistics included a 5-0 record, 1.59 ERA in 51 innings pitched. The
left-hander's ERA was the team's lowest for pitchers with 50+ innings. Earlier this month he was
named Collegiate Baseball Freshman All-American.
In limited action, Knapp batted .215 for the Bears.
Another NorCal freshman Louie Lechich of the 2010
Section D-1 Champion St.Mary's of Stockton batted .286 and tossed a few innings in relief for Cal
Berkeley.
The Bears finished sixth in the Pac-10 with 1 13-13 record and an overall 31-20 mark. With their
tournament victories, they enter the CWS with a 37-21 record. Cal's last trip to the CWS was in
1992 and the last time they won the College World Series: 1957.
For more on the Bear's miracle season, check out this piece in the Chronicle. And visit Cal's
web site here.
VANDERBILT ADVANCES TO CWS WITH TWO WINS OVER OSU
Susac, Rodriguez & Hayes Done For The
Year
by Rick Cabral 06/12/11
The dream ended this weekend for Andrew Susac (Jesuit), Jake
Rodriguez (Elk Grove)
and Danny Hayes (Jesuit), asOregon State
was drubbed twice by host Vanderbilt in the Nashville Super
Regionals. With the win, the Commodores advance to the College
World Series.
Oregon State finished its season at
41-19.
They lost the first game on Friday 11-1. The silver lining
was Rodriguez' three-for-three day. He had the sole RBI, driving in Hayes, who was one for two on
the day.
All three local Beavers went hitless yesterday, as OSU fell again
9-3.
For the season, Rodriguez wound up the
club's leading hitter with a .320 average.
Susac, who had twice as many at bats as
Rodriguez, dropped below .300 with his 0-7 showing in the Super Regionals. Susac finished the year
at .298, though he led the club in slugging average (.525) and was tied for home runs (5) despite
losing a month due to a hand injury.
Hayes finished the season at
.279.
Susac, a draft-eligible sophomore, is not
expected to return. He can now concentrate on negotiatiating a hefty signing bonus with the San
Francisco Giants, who drafted him in the second round of the MLB First-Year Player Draft last week.
Brodie Scoffield, a sports agent with Legacy Sports, serves as his
adviser in the negotiating process. Scoffield is the agent for Ray's pitcher, J.P. Howell
(Jesuit) among other major league players.
Hayes, a junior, and Rodriguez, a sophomore,
will return for the Beavers' 2012 season.
SUSAC AND RODRIGUEZ HELP OSU ADVANCE TO SUPER REGIONAL
Sacramento area
players Andrew SusacandJake Rodriguez
helped lead Oregon State to their third straight
win in the Regionals this weekend.
In the
top of the fourth against the Georgia Bulldogs,
Susac led the inning off with a triple to left field
with nobody out. Susac then scored to tie the game. Later, with the bases loaded, Rodriguez hit a sacrifice fly to give Oregon State a 3-2
lead and went on to defeat Georgia 6-4.
The Beavers advance this weekend to the Super
Regional at Nashville, hosted by Vanderbilt.
SUSAC AND RODRIGUEZ RETURN TO OSU LINEUP AFTER HAND SURGERY
by Cabral, 05/11/11
Oregon State's two top Sacramento
recruits—Andrew SusacandJake Rodriguez—have returned to action after both underwent hand surgery one month
ago.
Both players sustained a hamate bone injury within
days of each other in late March. They returned home to the Sacramento area, where UC Davis
Med Center surgeon Doctor Robert M. Szabo performed surgery to repair the hamate bone in the left hand of both
players on the same day.
Greg
Davis, a supervisor at UCD Med Center and the
father of Elk Grove High star J.D. Davis, arranged
for Rodriguez' visit and subsequent surgery with Dr. Szabo, one of the West Coast's most
respected hand surgeons. It is believed that Susac capitalized on the same connection through
the Rodriguez family.
Rodriguez (Elk Grove, 2010), a freshman, returned to
his starting position at second base on May 8 for a game against California. He went hitless
in two at bats after which Coach Pat Casey pinch hit for Rodriguez. California
freshman pitcher Kyle Porter (Oak Ridge, 2010) entered in relief in the first inning and pitched 4.1
innings for the Bears.
Susac (Jesuit, 2009), a sophomore preseason
All-American catcher (who is draft eligible this year), returned yesterday (May 10) in the
designated hitter role for the Beavers against Portland. He went 1 for 4 with a two-RBI
single. Before he went out with the injury, Susac was Oregon State's leading hitter, both in
average (.359) and power numbers (.487 OBP/.598 slugging)/ 4 HR)—despite missing 19
games.
At the time both
players went down with the injuries, Oregon State was ranked #19 by Baseball America. The
team (34-11) went 14-4 during their absence and climbed into the #2 spot in the national
poll.
Oregon State this weekend travels to University of
Washington for a three-game series. They play at home against USC and finish the regular
season at Oregon, their state rival.
SOTO SELECTED HITTER OF THE WEEK IN
WAC
from CSU Sacramento Web site
05/11/11
Sacramento State’s Will Soto has been named the Verizon Western Athletic
Conference Baseball Hitter of the Week for May 2-8.
Soto, a freshman from Elk Grove, Calif. (Elk Grove HS), hit .706 (12-for-17) with seven runs
scored, eight RBI, two doubles and three walks without a strikeout as Sacramento State split a
four-game series at New Mexico State over the weekend.
Soto had 10 singles and two doubles in four games, including a Sacramento State season-high five
hits on Saturday. He became just the 11th player in school history to tally five hits in a single
game, good for No. 2 all-time on the single-game hits list at Sacramento State.
Prior to the New Mexico State State series, Soto was hitting .158 (12-for-76) on the year before
exploding against the Aggies and doubling his season hit total. He improved his batting average to
.258 (24-for-93) after the weekend.
Soto and the Hornets head to Nevada this weekend for a four-game series with WAC Tournament
implications. Sacramento State closes out the year by hosting Louisiana Tech next
weekend.
SACRAMENTO CITY COLLEGE HOPING FOR PLAYOFF
BERTH
By Cabral 04/27/11
SCC Coach Andy McKay took away several positives
yesterday in his team's 6-5 win over American River
College:
- the Panthers edged closer to claiming a spot in the
state playoffs, although a berth isn't certain yet. Currently, SCC is ranked 17th in the North,
but it has the 11th best RPI (rating percentage index), and 18 teams will go to the playoffs.
Teams ranked 15-18 will face a play-in game next Tuesday to determine the playoff
teams;
-the Panther's leading pitcher Kyle DeVore remained
unbeaten (9-0, 2.42 ERA) with the win. ARC coach Doug
Jumelet said before the game that due to rain-delayed scheduling, the Beavers
had the unlikely and unenviable task of facing SCC's ace pitcher three straight times, losing
all three to DeVore;
-Despite their leading hitter (James) going 0-3, the
Panthers enjoyed contributions from a balanced lineup with leadoff hitter
DaVon Poole, first baseman Patrick Armstrong and DH Joe
Setum all collecting three hits against ARC, with Armstrong knocking in two
of the team's six runs.
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BASEBALLSACRAMENTO.COM EXCLUSIVE
by Editor Rick Cabral
OSU's Jake Rodriguez to Have Left Wrist
Surgically Repaired at UC Davis Med Center
Oregon State baseball player Jake
Rodriguez (Elk Grove High) has returned to the Sacramento area for a
second opinion on a fractured hamate bone in his left wrist, BaseballSacramento.com
has learned.
According to Greg Davis, an administrator at UC Davis Medical Center, orthopedic
surgeon Robert M. Szabo, M.D. will perform surgery Monday on Rodriguez. The
freshman infielder injured his hand fouling off a pitch March 27 in a
non-conference baseball game against UC Santa Barbara.
Dr. Szabo is the Chief of Hand and Upper Extremity Service at UC Davis Medical
Center, specializing in hand and microvascular surgery, and one of the West Coast's
most highly-regarded hand surgeons.
Davis, a supervisor at the Med Center's MRI department, arranged for Rodriguez to
meet with Dr. Szabo after the OSU player privately complained that the coaching and
medical staff at the college had advised the 19-year-old to play through the
injury. When the UC Davis medical staff determined the fracture to Rodriguez'
hamate bone was severe and would not heal properly with rest, surgery was
scheduled.
Davis is close to the Rodriguez situation because his son J.D. Davis, a senior
pitcher/third baseman on the Elk Grove High team, played with Rodriguez on the high
school team from 2008-2010.
Oregon State Athletic Department would not comment on the situation, noting their
policy is not to speak publicly about "personnel issues."
The situation in Oregon, however, appears to be fluid. As late as Wednesday, an OSU
beat writer for the Corvallis
Gazette-Times, wrote that Beavers head coach Pat Casey listed Rodriguez
as "day-to-day" and had been able to take some batting practice and field ground
balls. "He's feeling better, and we'll see," Casey told the Gazette-Times
reporter.
Ironically, one week after Rodriguez incurred his injury teammate Andrew Susac
suffered a fractured hamate bone fouling off a pitch in a Pac-10 game against the
University of Arizona. Susac, a highly-regarded catcher and graduate of Jesuit High
School (2009), is considering his medical options. According to the Gazette-Times
story, Rodriguez' injury was "not to the extent as Susac."
The Oregon State baseball team is ranked #19 in the nation going into this
weekend.
A fractured hamate bone is not uncommon in baseball. A number of professional
baseball players have incurred the injury, including the Red Sox' Dustin Pedroia of
Woodland in 2007. Davis said players who position the bat knob in the palm of their
bottom (or non-dominant) hand seem to be most susceptible to the injury.
Davis said the expected recovery time following the microsurgical procedure is 4-6
weeks. Due to the number of innings Rodriguez has already played he cannot take a
medical red-shirt for the 2011 season.
At the time of their injuries, Rodriguez was hitting .319 in 47 plate appearances
with five doubles, no homers and two runs batted in and Susac was leading the team
in batting (.364), doubles (8), home runs (4) and RBI (25).
The loss of Susac and Rodriguez deals a blow not only to OSU's batting lineup, but
also its defense. Rodriguez, who normally plays second and third base, was the
team's third-string catcher.
In 2010, Jake Rodriguez culminated a 4-year varsity career at Elk Grove High by
being selected Player of the Year by the Sacramento Bee. In his senior season,
Rodriguez batted .461 with 14
home runs and 48 RBIs. He was drafted in the 11th Round of the 2010 MLB June Amateur Draft by
the Los Angeles Angels.
Uploaded 04/09/11
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Soto Posts 5-Hit Game in New Mexico
Filed by Cabral 05/08/11
The Sacramento State baseball team scored a combined 24 runs on 35 hits in a Western Athletic
Conference doubleheader split with New Mexico State on Saturday at Presley Askew Field.
In game two, Will Soto,
a freshman from Elk Grove, Calif., tallied five hits in six at-bats and became just the 11th player
in school history to record five hits in a single game. Brandon Marshall had six hits in a game in
1998 and stands alone with the school record.
OREGON STATE FEATURES THREE OF SACTO'S
BEST
Filed by Cabral 04/03/11
Oregon State University has recruited some of Sacramento's
finest high school players over the past two years: Andrew
Susac (Jesuit), Dan Child (Jesuit)
and Jake Rodriguez (Elk Grove).
As of today, Susac, a sophomore catcher, is leading the Beavers
in almost all offensive categories, including games played, hitting (.361), RBI (24) and home
runs (4).
Child, the 6-4 freshman pitcher, has an ERA of 9.00 after only
five innings of work.
Freshman Rodriguez shifted back to the infield (after catching
his senior season at Elk Grove) and is hitting .319. Sources says he is awaiting a second
opinion on an injury that could put him out for the season.
The Beavers, who started Pac-10 play this weekend, are 19-7 and
ranked #23 by Baseball America.
STATE HOLD 'EM LEADS TO LOSS
Filed by Cabral
3/18/11
Sac State yesterday
dropped another close game to Minnesota in extra innings. Editor Rick Cabral's game report says
it due in part to a lack of aggressiveness by the man in the third base coaching box. See 2011
Game Reports below.
NEW UPGRADES TO HORNET FIELD
Filed by Cabral
02/22/11
Yesterday's game at
Sac State revealed several new changes to the ballpark. Namely, the park has been renamed in
honor of former coach John Smith, who coached the baseball team for 32
years.
John Smith Field
features several cosmetic upgrades including:
-- freshly painted green outfield fence (sans advertisements)
-- new paint on the dugout roofs, including the Hornets name
-- extended black windscreen above the right field and center field
fences.
According to Hornets media guy, Joe Waltasti, the dominant
6-story parking garage on the left side creates a wind swirl toward center and right field that
has been known to knock down a few shots. The new windscreen "cuts down on that some," Waltasti
explains.
No word on the permanent beach umbrellas for the uncovered
sixth story level, which is one of the unique facets to the Hornet Field (sorry, John Smith
Field) home advantage.
For a birdseye view of the ballpark from that parking
structure,see the photo essay from
2010.
LACHEMANN PROMOTED TO COLLEGE POST
Filed by
McDermott, 01/31/11
Del Oro High School baseball Bret Lachemann has resigned and accepted the pitching coach position
at Cal Poly Pomona.
Lachemann, the son of former major league manager Marcel Lachemann and nephew of former major
leaguer and manager Rene Lacheman, compiled a 57-55-1 record in four years at the helm of the
Golden Eagles.
Lacheman returns to Cal Poly where he pitched for the Broncos in 1989-90 and was the pitching coach
in 2004. A 6-foot-4, 190-pound right-hander, the 43-year-old signed as an undrafted free agent and
spent two season in the California Angels organization. In 1991, he posted a 9-4 record with a 3.28
ERA with Quad Cities of the Class-A Midwest League. In 1990, he played for the AZL Angels and his
uncle Bill Lachemann. An arm injury ended his career in 1991.
From 1993-2004, Lachemann coached at Don Lugo High School-Chino and Diamond Bar High School,
CSU-Fullerton and Cal Poly Pomona. He became the pitching coach at American River College in 2005
and Sacramento City College in 2006.
In 2009, Lachemann was an assistant coach for the Fairbanks Goldpanners of the Alaskan Baseball
League under manager Tim Gloyd, a former all-state performer at SCC and current Yuba College coach.
Also on the staff was former American River College coach Kevin Higgins.
“This was my first head coaching opportunity and I was fortunate to have some really good players,”
Lachemann told Todd Mordhorst of the Auburn Journal. “We made the finals in 2008 and the semifinals
in 2009, but even when we didn’t make the playoffs, we were in it until the last week of the
season. I just really enjoyed my time here. I’ll miss the students at Del Oro as much as
anything.”
Lachemann was contacted by newly-hired Cal Poly Pomona coach Randy Betten, who replaced the retired
John Scolinos, and was offered the job.
“The opportunity to just coach baseball presented itself and it’s a dream to put all my energy
every day into coaching,” Lachemann said. “And at Cal Poly Pomona I had a chance to play for a
great coach named John Scolinos, so it’s a special place for me.”
LOCAL TEAMS RANKED IN COMMUNITY COLLEGE PRE-SEASON POLLS
Filed by Cabral, 01/12/11
In the California Community College Baseball Coaches Association pre-season poll, Sacramento
City College leads the four JCs in the greater Sacramento area.
Sac City was ranked 5th in the NorCal PreSeason Poll, followed by Sierra 8th, Cosumnes River
10th and American River College 18th. San Mateo, which came in second last year in the state
championship round, leads the NorCal poll, followed by Fresno City College and Chabot at 3rd.
In a national coaches poll ranking of the Pacific Division, Sac City was projected at 14th while
Sierra came in 22nd. The Pacific Division of the ABCA includes 116 schools in California and the
Northwest.
Filed
by Rick Cabral, 07/27/10
SUSAC TABBED ALL-STAR IN CAPE COD
LEAGUE
Andrew Susac
(Oregon State / Jesuit) has been selected to start in the Cape Cod Baseball League All-Star game
on Wednesday (07/28) to be held at Fenway Park in Boston. Susac will start at catcher for the
Western Division.
In 20 games with
the Falmouth Commodores, he is hitting .302. In 128 innings, Susac has made only one error for a
.993 fielding percentage. Susac will be a sophomore next season at Oregon
State.
POWERS SIGNS CONTRACT WITH COLORADO ROCKIES
Filed by Sac State 7/21/2010
 SACRAMENTO,
Calif. - Sacramento State senior Josh
Powers, who earned second team all-Western Athletic Conference
honors as a senior in 2010, has signed a contract with the Colorado Rockies.
The Rockies tabbed Powers as a undrafted free agent, and he made his debut with the Casper Ghosts
on July 20th, going 3-for-4 with a double and a RBI in his first contest. Powers will primarily
serve as a catcher for the Ghosts, who are the Rockies rookie level affiliate in the Pioneer
League.
A native of Elk Grove, Calif., Powers was the only Hornet to start all 54 games the team played in
2010, including all 24 starts inside of WAC competition. Against conference foes, Powers hit .315
with one home run and four RBI, posting a .402 on base percentage and stealing five bases in five
chances. For the season, he hit .309 with a team-high 12 doubles and four triples, while also
collecting five homers and 30 RBI.
In 2010, Powers started at four infield positions, including 41 times at first base, seven at third
base, five at catcher and once at second base. For his career, he played at least one inning at six
of the nine positions on the diamond, with the only exceptions being center field, right field and
pitcher. He finished his two-year career at Sacramento State with a .334 career average, eight home
runs, 74 RBI and 38 doubles, which are tied for the second most in a career in school history.
Powers becomes the fifth active Hornet in the ranks of the minor leagues, joining
Mitch Lively (AA Richmond
Flying Squirrels, Giants), David Flores (High-A
Lancaster Jethawks, Astros), Gabe Jacobo (High-A Rancho
Cucamonga Quakes, Angels) and Tim Wheeler (High-A Modesto
Nuts, Rockies).
Hornets' Christiansen
Names Two Assistant Coaches
Filed by Sac State
7/14/2010
 SACRAMENTO,
Calif. - Sacramento State head baseball coach ReggieChristiansen has announced the addition
of Thad
Johnson and Tommy
Nicholson to the coaching staff for the upcoming 2011
season.
Johnson will serve as the team's pitching
coach, where he replaces Jim Barr, who retired in June following 16 seasons in charge of the Hornet
pitching staff. Nicholson will serve as the team's infield coach, while also assisting in the
development of the Hornets at the plate.
Nicholson joins the Hornets after spending
the last two season on the coaching staff of the University of Texas. As the volunteer assistant
coach for the Longhorns, Nicholson oversaw the squad's infield while also serving as the team's
first base coach. Prior to his coaching career, Nicholson spent six seasons in the Chicago White
Sox and Colorado Rockies organizations, playing as high as Triple-A in his final three campaigns
for the Charlotte Knights and the Colorado Springs Sky Sox.
Filed by Rick Cabral
6/28/10
Congrats to the Gamecocks of South Carolina. The scrappy bunch from Columbia became
only the second team since Oregon State to lose the first game of the College World Series and
storm back to claim the CWS crown. And they did it in style last night to close out the Grand Dame,
Rosenblatt Stadium. The Gamecocks defeated the vaunted UCLA pitching staff by never givin' up.
Definitely "One For the Ages."
Filed by Rick Cabral
6/28/10
When UCLA faces off this week against
South Carolina in the championship round of the College World Series, Stanford's assistant head
coach Dean
Stotz may or may not be watching. He
says this is the time of year he spends with his family. Our guess is he'll sneak a peek,
because he knows UCLA being in the finals is good for PAC-10 recruiting overall. And because
it's hard not to watch the dominant Bruins' pitching staff. "When they're right, they're
ridiculous," Stotz says admiringly.
Stanford lost 2 of 3 to UCLA this
season, but did manage to beat the Bruins #2 starter Bauer, and got the #1 guy Cole out of the
game, only to lose 5-4 in 10 innings.
Stotz believes UCLA's ascension to the finals points to college baseball's
parity. "Look …they lost the first game to Cal State Fullerton (in the regionals). They were one
strike away from being eliminated. Now, they appear to be the favorite to win the national
title. It just shows how equal college baseball
is."
To learn more about the Sacramento native, his trip to the Little League
World Series, and his three decade career at Stanford, check out this feature on Dean Stotz.
For 2010 Archives, see
bottom.
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