Bucs will rename baseball tournament for O’Brien

Tony Altobelli

Orange Coast College’s baseball team will honor former Pirate Matt

O’Brien, who died Dec. 28 from injuries sustained in an all-terrain

vehicle accident, by renaming the opening baseball tournament the “Matt

O’Brien Memorial Tournament.”

O’Brien’s father, Jim, will throw out the first pitch Saturday at 10 a.m.

before the Pirates take on San Diego City College.

“Matt’s Mom and Dad didn’t even know we were going to do that,” Coach

John Altobelli said. “They were very touched with the gesture.”

In addition to the renaming of the tournament, formerly known as the

Coast Baseball Classic (does every sport at OCC have a Coast Classic

tournament?), the Pirates will have a cross embroidered on the back of

their hats with the letters “O.B.” stitched on either side of the cross.

“O.B.,” as he was known to his teammates, played two years at OCC before

transferring to Chapman College this past year.

The Pirates actually kick off their 2000 season on Friday against San

Jacinto at 10 a.m. in game one of the tournament.

Congratulations to OCC’s 1999 women’s swim team for being honored as a

“scholar team” by the California Community College Commission on

Athletics (COA).

Coach Chris Oeding’s squad maintained a combined 3.28 grade point average

last year. Also strong in the pool, the Pirates finished third in the

state swim meet.

OCC has received 17 Scholar Team Awards since the award was instituted by

the COA. The women’s swim team leads the way with seven awards, while the

men’s team has earned four.

The Pirates will be recognized for its performance during a special

awards luncheon at the annual COA Convention in Palm Springs.

Is it too early to jump on OCC’s softball team’s bandwagon? After winning

only five games all of last year, the Pirates are 3-0 and looking for

more.

On the Vanguard front...

The women’s basketball team finally lost a home game, 91-76, to Biola on

Jan. 23.

The loss snapped a 46-game home winning streak that spanned nearly two

full seasons for the Lions, currently ranked No. 13 in the NAIA polls.

But just think of all the freedoms now given to Coach Russ Davis and his

team because of the loss.

No more blue socks, no more sweaters, no more having to park in the same

spot, no more eating at the same table, no more any of that superstitious

nonsense that seems to attack whatever streak comes around.

Enjoy the new ensemble, coach. Start another streak, soon.

Congrats to Lions guard Becki Huddle, who was named the Golden State

Athletic Conference Women’s Basketball Player of the Week.

Huddle averaged 17.5 points, seven assists, six rebounds and two steals

per game last week in wins against Christian Heritage and Hope

International.

Huddle, a junior from Spokane, Wash., was 11 for 21 from the field and 11

for 15 at the free-throw line in the two wins.