Iglesias Uses Dogged Determination to Succeed in Softball

Baldwin Park Sierra Vista High isn’t known for producing outstanding Division I college athletes.

Keith Closs, who played college basketball for Central Connecticut and is with the Clippers, probably is the most successful. But there haven’t been many others.

Marcia Petrillo, the girls’ athletic director at the school, says Brenda Iglesias is probably its first female athlete to get a Division I scholarship. “I’ve been here 21 years, and I don’t recall another,” Petrillo said.

Iglesias is a freshman softball player at Cal State Fullerton, and she’s quickly made her presence felt. Iglesias wasn’t in the starting lineup when the season began, but it didn’t take Coach Judi Garman long to decide she belonged there.

“I really liked her intensity at the plate,” Garman said. “Her nickname is ‘B-dog,’ which the players say stands for Brenda, but I think ‘Bulldog’ would be more appropriate. She has that look when she’s at the plate. She hits the ball hard every time up. For a freshman, she’s been a real strong point for us.”

Iglesias is batting .429 with five home runs, and is the team’s leading hitter going into this week’s Kia softball tournament. The event, formerly known as the PONY tournament, each year attracts some of the nation’s top teams to Fullerton.

Iglesias didn’t work her way into the lineup as the designated player until about three weeks ago.

“I knew I was good enough to be in there, even though it was a big difference between my high school league and Division I,” Iglesias said. “I put too much pressure on myself at first, but after I got my first hit, I sort of relaxed after that.”

Garman says she tried to boost Iglesias’ confidence.

“I told her not to worry if she was 0 for 3 or 0 for 4 in a game, and that the job was hers,” Garman said.

But Iglesias says she had no concerns. “My high school isn’t in a real strong league, and there wasn’t a lot of competition for me there, but when I did well on my travel team [the Southgate Poison], I knew I could hit on this level,” she said. “The adjustment was totally mental.”

Iglesias batted above .500 for three consecutive seasons in high school, including .582 her senior year.

Garman likes the way Iglesias has been able to adjust to the different styles of pitching.

“Hitting has always been my strength, but I think I can help the team on the infield too, if they need me there,” Iglesias said.

Iglesias also was recruited by Cal State Bakersfield, and Nebraska and Arizona showed interest, but she’s pleased that Fullerton offered her a scholarship. “They have such a good tradition, and it’s close enough that my parents can come to a lot of the games,” she said.

Iglesias says she’s happy her opportunity to play has come so quickly. “To be able to play my first year is a dream come true,” she said.

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Titan sophomore outfielder Reed Johnson had a big time at the plate against Pepperdine and in the three-game weekend series against Cal Poly San Luis Obispo last week.

Johnson batted .550 (11 of 20) in the four games and drove in 15 runs. He also scored 11 runs. Johnson, the leadoff hitter, leads the team in RBIs with 32 going into today’s game at Cal State Northridge.

Only three other Titan players have more RBIs this season than the 15 Johnson racked up last week. Kevin Duck has 25, Aaron Rowand 21 and Ryan Owens 18.

Johnson, who had only one home run in 147 at-bats before this week, hit three in the San Luis Obispo series, including a grand slam Friday.

Greg Jacobs, the Titans’ designated hitter, part-time outfielder and relief pitcher, also had a good week. He had nine hits in his last 14 at-bats and walked six times, putting him on base 15 times in his last 20 at-bats.

The Titans (18-6) have won eight in a row and 12 of their last 13 games. That effort has moved Fullerton up to 10th in the Collegiate Baseball poll and 14th in Baseball America.

Fullerton plays Long Beach State in an important three-game series beginning Friday at Titan Field. Both teams are 6-0 in Big West Conference games.

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The Titan women’s gymnastics team will compete in the Big West championships Saturday at Boise State, but it won’t be the same team it might have been had Katy Maty and Alexis Lott not retired from competition this season because of injuries.

Coach Lynn Rogers still is hopeful the Titans will be one of the seven teams to qualify for the NCAA West Regionals April 4 in Seattle.

“We’re ranked seventh now, based on our scores for the season,” Rogers said. “The first three teams in our conference should make it in most years. But we need a good effort to stay in seventh ahead of UC Davis and Seattle Pacific.”

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Four Titan wrestlers--Sean Kim, Joey Coughran, Jason Webster and Jonathan DyReyes--will compete in the NCAA championships this weekend in Cleveland.

“If all four wrestle well, we’ll have a chance to finish in the top 20,” Coach Ardeshir Asgari said. “Jonathan isn’t as experienced as the others, and the other three have a better chance.”

The top eight finishers in each weight division earn All-American status.

Titan Notes

Volleyball Coach Mary Ellen Murchison has announced the signing of four more recruits: setter Krista Charles from Utah Valley College, outside hitter Oge Fitz of Oakgrove High, outside hitter Alisa Geddes of San Pasqual High and defensive specialist Yvette Ornelaz of Palmdale Highland High. Two Orange County players, Megan Sabo of Mater Dei and Linda McCullagh of Santa Margarita, earlier announced signing with the Titans. . . . Deanna Mendibles set a school record in the women’s high jump in last weekend’s Ben Brown Invitational meet at Fullerton, clearing 5 feet 6. Alison Livermore ran her first 5,000 of the season, finishing second in 17 minutes 55 seconds.

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Coming Attractions

Key events for Cal State Fullerton this week:

* Baseball at Cal State Northridge 2 p.m. today, and against Long Beach State at 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 1 p.m. Sunday, Titan Field. Fullerton has won eight of last nine against Northridge, including a 6-4 victory this season. The Titans split eight games with Long Beach last year but lead the series, 71-29, since 1979.

* Men’s and women’s track and field at Cal State Northridge Invitational 8 a.m. Saturday.

* Women’s tennis against Southwest Missouri State 11 a.m. Friday and against Idaho State 9 a.m. Sunday, Titan tennis courts.

* Women’s gymnastics at Big West Conference meet at Boise State, 7 p.m. Saturday.

Softball Tournament

* What: Kia Klassic Softball Tournament

* When: Today-Sunday. Championship game 2 p.m. Sunday

* Where: Cal State Fullerton

* Structure: Pool play today through Friday determines seeding for championship-round play, which begins at 5 p.m. Friday.

* Participants: Pool A--Cal State Northridge, Georgia State, Texas, Nevada Las Vegas; Pool B--San Diego State, Southwest Texas, Southwestern Louisiana, Washington (ranked No. 3 in the country); Pool C--Cal State Fullerton, Arizona (No. 1), Canisius, Oklahoma State (ranked No. 4); Pool D--Florida, Fresno State (No. 5), Oklahoma (No. 6), Oregon State

* Tickets: $10-$20 for all-session pass; $4-$6 for day pass

* Information: (714) 278-2783