Cougar Field a Blasting Site for Dynamite CSUN, BYU Offenses

By the third day, pitchers were crouched in the corners of the dugouts in fetal positions. Even in the hit-happy Western Athletic Conference, the offensive display put on by Cal State Northridge and Brigham Young last weekend was unprecedented.

A great deal of the fireworks can be attributed to playing at BYU’s Cougar Field with its high altitude and short dimensions, but 12 WAC tournaments have been played there since the conference started the playoff in 1963.

In all, 18 WAC tournament records were set. The first game, which took 4 hours 46 minutes, is believed to be the longest NCAA nine-inning game, although careful records are not kept. The game was 25 minutes longer than the longest nine-inning major league game, played April 30 by the New York Yankees and Baltimore Orioles.

BYU, which leads the nation with a .364 batting average, pounded out 59 hits and in succession scored 15, 10 and 15 runs--and lost the series. Northridge matched its season-high with 29 runs in the first game, slipped to nine in the second and geared up with 23 in the finale. The Matadors also drew 31 walks.

Sizzling: Pepperdine has been playing some hot tennis lately.

In fact, the Waves were scorching (and sweating) last weekend.

Pepperdine withstood three consecutive days of 100-plus-degree temperatures in Las Vegas and a tough field to win the championship of the NCAA West regional, securing a berth in the 16-team NCAA championships starting Saturday at the University of Georgia.

Coach Glenn Bassett said temperatures reached 107 degrees at the regional, where the Waves won in afternoon matches against UC Irvine, 4-1, Friday; Nevada Las Vegas, 4-3, Saturday; and Arizona State, 4-0, in Sunday’s final.

“We were always playing at the hottest part of the day,” Bassett said. “It was tough, but we held up pretty well. . . . We’re in good shape and we’ve had a heat wave [in Southern California]. Between the two, it helped us come through.”

Pepperdine (22-6) has won 12 of 13 dual matches since mid-March, its only loss during that time coming against top-ranked UCLA, 4-3. Three of the Waves’ losses are to the Bruins.

The Waves will try to avenge one of their losses when they meet Fresno State on Saturday morning in the first round of the NCAA championships. Fresno edged Pepperdine, 4-3, March 6 in Malibu.

Discussing his team’s chances at the tournament, Bassett said, “Gosh, I think we’re a good team. We can give anyone a good battle. It just depends on us, what our attitude is.”

After the team championship is decided, Pepperdine junior Simon Aspelin and sophomore Michael Jessup will compete in the 64-player NCAA singles tournament, and junior Troy Budgen and sophomore Brad Sceney will play in the 32-team doubles tournament.

Suit up: First it was just a JetHawk cap. Then a jacket.

Next thing you know, there was Carl Hernandez, the JetHawks’ bus driver, prancing around the Hangar in full uniform. If you didn’t know better, you’d swear he was a coach.

Hernandez, 48, has certainly been embraced by the players as more than just a bus driver. So far this year he’s been spotted catching for the fungo hitters, shagging flies in the outfield, helping with infield drills and even taking a few swings in the batting cage before the players hit.

“The guys are great,” Hernandez said. “They said I was a team member and that’s how they treat me. . . . Being with these guys I feel like a kid again.”

Said JetHawk catcher Scot Sealy: “Carl just jumped in and fit in right off the bat. He’s just part of the team and everyone respects him for that.”

Stats

The Pepperdine baseball team, which is practicing this week in hopes of gaining an at-large NCAA regional berth, finished the regular season second in the nation in fielding percentage (.973), trailing only Jacksonville (.974). The Waves also ranked fourth in earned-run average (3.17). Clemson, LSU and Wichita State were the top three.

Quotebook

“I’ve been coaching so long, the first couple years we pitched underhand.”

--Ron Hilton, Saugus High softball coach.

“It’s like going from the 100-meter dash to the decathlon.”

-- Hart High swimming Coach Steve Neale, on junior Becky Skyler, who switched from the 50-yard freestyle to the 200 individual medley at the Southern Section Division II championships Saturday.

Honors

The stock of Cal State Northridge catcher Robert Fick keeps climbing. He was selected national player of the week by Collegiate Baseball magazine after going 12 for 19 with 15 runs batted in and five home runs in three games against BYU. Fick is one of three players to win the award twice this season. Fick, who will try out for the U.S. Olympic Team in two weeks, also is one of 18 semifinalists for The Smith Award, given annually to the nation’s top collegiate player. Stanford’s A.J. Hinch is the other catcher among the semifinalists.

Pierce College singles player Vazghen Zaghiyan, and doubles partners Ryan Trefrey and Sorin Gowa have been selected junior college All-Americans.

Pepperdine outside-hitter Kevin Barnett and Cal State Northridge outside-hitter Chad Strickland were named third-team All-American by Volleyball Magazine. BYU middle blocker Ryan Millar, from Highland High, was named freshman of the year.

Arizona senior second baseman Jenny Dalton was selected Pacific 10 Conference softball player of the year. Dalton, a 1992 Glendale High graduate who holds the Southern Section all-time home run record with 28, is batting .466 with 21 home runs and 93 RBIs. She also is the NCAA all-time leader in runs with 280.

Things to Do

The Canine Frisbee Championships will be 10 a.m. Saturday at Lancaster Park. Information: 805-723-6074.

Contributing: Fernando Dominguez, Rob Fernas, Jeff Fletcher, Dana Haddad, Steve Henson, Michael Lazarus, Paige A. Leech.