Cal Lutheran Baseball Season Preview

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. - The Cal Lutheran baseball team will return 18 players from last year's squad and if this season is anything close to the end of the 2008 campaign, it could be a promising year.

The Kingsmen finished last year on a nine game win streak and earned a .500-plus winning percentage (19-18-2) for the 20th consecutive season. A pair of returners playing a big part of that run are 2008 All-SCIAC selections junior Paul Hartmann and senior David Iden.

 "Hartmann brings experience and a big power threat," said 16^th year Head Coach Marty Slimak. Hartmann looks to hold down things at first base after starting in all of CLU's 39 games last year and posting team-bests with a .371 batting average, 11 home runs and 38 RBI.

"Iden brings that same experience and stability," Slimak said. Not to mention speed and consistency hitting .340 at the plate and swiping 30 stolen bases in 32 attempts.

Senior Chad Heschong appeared in 30 games last season and junior Landon Smith and sophomore Travis Dadigan each played in 21 games.

The CLU infield will feature newcomers with senior transfer Nick Dingman, who played in 32 games at Chico State last season and hit .344 in 61 at bats. Junior transfer Matt Martin also joins the Kingsmen after two seasons at College of the Canyons and four freshmen infielders enter their first year of CLU baseball with Louis Coppo (Atascadero HS), Brandyn Delgado (La Costa Canyon HS), Tom Hocutt (Thousand Oaks HS) and Garrett Smith (La Costa Canyon HS).

The outfield will be led by senior centerfielder Nick Pinneri who returns after hitting .279 last season in his first year at CLU after transferring from Moorpark CC.

"Pinneri brings athletic ability in our outfield with big-time game experience," Slimak said.

Juniors Chris Hertz and Jordan Ott both suffered season-ending injuries last season and are back for the 2009 season. Hertz appeared in nine game and made four starts while Ott started in all eight games he played and posted a .355 batting average.

Senior transfer Nick Reitz (Ventura CC) will be joined by freshmen K.C. Judge (Chaparral HS) and Wilson Reuter (Tucson HS) as part of the outfield.

Freshmen Wes Garwood (Amador Valley HS) who appeared in three games as CLU's backup quarterback during football season will make his Kingsmen baseball debut this season in a utility role.

Four catchers enter the season for CLU with sophomores Richard Michelin and Colin Gray the familiar faces. Michelin hit .287 in 27 games last year while Gray hit .364 in eight games. The two newcomers at catcher are freshmen Danny Kim (Harvard Westlake HS) and junior transfer Jarod Marini (Laney College).

Slimak has added depth to his pitching staff with 16 arms on the club this season after having 10 in 2008. Five seniors will return to the CLU pitching staff with Alex Casillas, Rob LeBaron, Steven Omlor, Mike Roe, and Peter Schmitt all coming back. Casillas led the team with five wins last season including a no-hitter at Menlo while Schmitt led the team with 26 appearances.

"Roe and LeBaron are both coming back from year-ending Tommy John surgeries and will fit into the mix of pitchers getting a lot of innings," Slimak said. 

Junior Robbie Selden and sophomore Byron Minnich will be back after making up two-thirds of the starting rotation in 2008. Sophomore Ian Durham, who appeared in three games last season rounds out the returning group of pitchers.

Junior transfers Dane Delfs (Chaffey CC), Greg Gelber (CSU Fullerton), Josh Larson (Golden West CC) and Chase Tigert (Univ. of San Francisco) join the Kingsmen pitching staff this season.

Ethan Aukee (Bishop Union HS), Jordan Cox (Juan Diego Catholic HS), Spencer Trygg (Saint Francis HS) and C.J. Woldanski (West Ranch HS) will make up the freshmen class of pitchers in 2009.

"Casillas and Gelber are going to be starters for us... at this point the rest of our rotation is up in the air," Slimak said.

CLU will open its season on Friday, January 30 when they host Westmont College at 2 p.m.

"Our non-conference schedule will give us a chance to play a lot of individuals and move people around," Slimak said.

On Feb. 20 the Kingsmen will get conference play underway when they open a three-game series with the University of La Verne, the defending SCIAC champions. The regular-season will run through the beginning of May as CLU will close its season with a three-game series against Whittier College.

"The SCIAC conference will once again be strong and we expect teams to evenly battle each other throughout the season," Slimak said.