Master’s Baseball Has Real Backlog

The Master’s College baseball team is No. 18 in preseason NAIA rankings.

No wonder.

The Mustangs have several pitchers and nearly their entire infield and outfield back after finishing 37-14 last season.

Only a loss to Albertson (Idaho) College in the first round of the playoffs marred the campaign.

Most of the hitters who helped Master’s to a .360 team batting average are back. Shortstop Ty Sager batted .408, center fielder Kurt Fillmore was at .399 and first baseman Chris Kollman hit .381 last season.

Josh Higgins, who was 5-5 but led the team by pitching 89 2/3 innings, returns along with hard-throwing Mike Ploharz (5-3, two saves) and left-hander Ryan Pollard (1-0).

Coach Monte Brooks expects transfers Joshua Wood and Chad Spencer to help fill the void left by Josh Carrington, who was 9-1.

Master’s defeated Cal Baptist, 9-8, on Wednesday and hosts Concordia in a doubleheader Saturday.

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Another Master’s team maintained its lofty status in the rankings. The men’s basketball team held on at No. 6 in the NAIA Division I poll.

Voting took place before Master’s lost, 87-86, to Life University in Marrieta, Ga., on Monday.

Life, defending national champion, entered the game having been elevated from No. 2 to No. 1.

The Mustangs held the nation’s highest-scoring team to 10 points below its average. Master’s almost hit its scoring average of 87.6, which ranks No. 12

Its scoring margin of 18.5 is fifth in the nation.

Senior forward Joclin Julmist is No. 3 in rebounding at 13.5 per game. Senior guard Joey Penberthy is No. 6 in free-throw accuracy at 89.8% and No. 12 in scoring at 22.3 points per game.

The Master’s hosts Southwestern College of Phoenix tonight at 7:30. The Mustangs host Life in a rematch at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 20.

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The Master’s women (13-10) play at 7 tonight at at Concordia University in Irvine.

Freshman center Lesley DuBois of the Mustangs is No. 12 in the nation in scoring at 18.5 per game and No. 16 in rebounding at 9.6.

Junior guard Karen Gormley is No. 5 in assists at 5.7.

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Cal State Northridge’s remaining regular-season road games involving its men’s and women’s basketball teams will be broadcast live by campus radio station KCSN (FM-88.5).

Dan Hubbard will provide play-by-play for the men’s games, beginning Thursday night at Cal State Sacramento.

Scott Himelstein will handle play-by-play for women’s games, beginning Feb. 3 at Idaho State.

Both teams have five remaining road games.

Post-season games involving Northridge likely will be broadcast by KCSN, a campus spokesman said.

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Christina Mosesso, from Simi Valley High, is leading the Cal Lutheran women’s basketball team with a scoring average of 12.1 points a game.

Mosesso has started every game for the Regals (10-5) and leads the team in playing time, averaging 34.4 minutes a game.

Haley Jones, who plays 30 minutes a game, averages 12.0 points and is shooting 58%.

The Regals were 4-0 in Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play heading into Wednesday night’s game against Claremont-Mudd-Scripps.