Rule Change By NCAA Kept CSUN in Dugout

The first game of the season is Tuesday, but Coach Terry Craven says his Cal State Northridge baseball team is already behind schedule.

And the schedule is the reason.

“We need to play,” said Craven, who begins his second season as the Matadors coach, after 14 years as assistant to Bob Hiegert, now the athletic director.

“We have as little on-the-field game preparation as we’ve ever had . . . What we’ve had to do, as opposed to past years, is more fundamental practice, more drill preparation and more technique preparation as opposed to game execution.” Craven’s dilemma is the result of an oversight by NCAA rule-makers.

In past years, Division II schools were allowed to play an unlimited number of games during the fall and spring. That, however, began to get out of hand.

Many schools began to play more than 80 games a year, a trend that concerned educators.

“It got to the point where you had to ask whether we were producing students or professional players,” Hiegert said. “But I had to ask, how could I justify a kid being out of class that much time?”

A limit on the number of games played in the fall and spring was set at 60 during the NCAA convention in January, 1985. Later that year, Division I presented an amendment that would allow a maximum of 20 games in the fall and 60 in the spring.

Division II schools backed the idea, but since it was presented by Division I, the change was approved only for those schools.

The disparity between divisions was rectified at this year’s NCAA convention, in New Orleans. The maximum number of Division II games was raised from 60 to 80, with not more than 80 in the spring. The change came too late for this year’s scheduling.

That leaves CSUN with a lot of time to make up.

“Usually, we’re able to play about 30 games in the fall and about five or six in January before we get into the season,” Craven said. “This year, we had three games in the fall and three in January, and it had nothing to do with the weather.”

The Matadors’ only postponement due to weather--against an alumni team--was their only scheduled exhibition before opening the season, Tuesday, at home against Cal State Long Beach.

It is far from an ideal situation for Craven. With only three seniors on the team, he will need time to settle on a lineup.

“I think we have a good group of baseball players,” Craven said. “But the obvious thing we don’t have is an evaluation of them at the four-year level.”

Weather permitting, Craven will get the chance to evaluate his team soon.

The Matadors play seven of their first nine games against Division I opponents, ending the month with a two-game trip to Arizona State and a home game against Pepperdine.

“I think the schedule is good in that the kids will be forced to respond right away,” Craven said. “It’s not going to be a hold-back-and-experiment type of thing.”

Until he gets a look at his younger players, Craven’s only known quantities are outfielder Todd Mustin, shortstop Gary Williams and pitcher Dan Williams, all seniors.

“You can’t make decisions, as far as a starting lineup, as quickly with a young team,” Craven said.

Craven expects his team to be sound defensively. Last season, the Matadors finished eighth among Division II schools in fielding percentage with a .960 average, committing only 93 errors in 2,342 chances.

Other than that, Craven offers no predictions.

1986 Schedule

FEB. 4--vs. CSU Long Beach; 5--at Azusa Pacific; 7--at Point Loma Nazarene; 8--at University of San Diego (DH), 12 p.m.; 11--at USC; 12--vs. U. S. International; 15--at Pepperdine, 1 p.m.; 16--vs. Santa Clara, 1 p.m.; 17--vs. Azusa Pacific; 18--at Westmont; 19--vs. The Master’s; 24--at Arizona State; 25--at Arizona State; 27--vs. Cal Lutheran; 28--vs. Pepperdine.

MARCH 3--vs. KEIO Japan (Exhibition); 7--at CS Dominguez Hills; 8--at *Chapman (DH), 12 p.m.; 11--vs. *Cal Poly SLO; 14--at *CS Los Angeles; 15--at *Cal Poly Pomona (DH), 12 p.m.; 18--vs. UCLA; 19--vs. Westmont; 22--at *Cal Poly SLO (DH), 2 p.m.; 23--at *Cal Poly SLO, 1 p.m.; 24--at Fresno State, 7 p.m.; 25--at San Jose State; 28--at *CS Dominguez Hills.

APRIL 1--vs. *UC Riverside; 2--vs. *Chapman; 4--vs. *CS Dominguez Hills; 6--vs. *Cal Poly SLO, 1 p.m.; 8--at *UC Riverside; 9--vs. *CS Los Angeles; 12--vs. *UC Riverside (DH), 12 p.m.; 15--at *Chapman; 17--vs. Point Loma Nazarene; 19--at *CS Los Angeles (DH), 12 p.m.; 22--vs. *Cal Poly Pomona; 24--at Biola; 26--vs. *CS Dominguez Hills (DH), 12 p.m.; 29--at U. S. International.

MAY 1--vs. *CS Los Angeles; 3--vs. *Cal Poly Pomona (DH), 12 p.m.; 6--at *UC Riverside; 7--vs. *Chapman.

* (Denotes CCAA game)

all games 2:30 p.m. unless noted