PALOMAR COLLEGE: Obituary

Dr. Fred Huber, who died on June 22 at the age of 94, is remembered as a strong advocate of athletics during a 13-year stint as Palomar's President.

Dr. Huber is remembered as

athletics advocate at Palomar

SAN MARCOS (7-3-09) -- When Dr. Fred Huber arrived at Palomar College as the institution's new President in August 1964, future NFL kicking great Tom Dempsey was a defensive lineman / kicker on the college's football team, conference heavyweight champion in wrestling and a discus thrower on the track & field team.

When Dr. Huber retired from Palomar, on June 30, 1977, Comet golfer Mark Wiebe, who would go on to play for 22 years on the PGA Tour, had just won the California Community College individual title and the 64th California Amateur Championship.

In between, Dr. Huber was a staunch and vocal advocate of Palomar's growing intercollegiate athletic program.

"His dedication and commitment to educational excellence is a legacy to the campus and the community," current Palomar President Bob Deegan said of Dr. Huber, who died at the age of 94 on June 22 in Santa Ana.

Dr. Huber held a strong belief that intercollegiate athletics were an integral part of the educational process that President Deegan was referring to.

Dr. Huber was a member of the crew team at UCLA, from where he received his Bachelor's degree in 1937. He received his Master's and Doctoral degrees from USC. He taught at Santa Ana High School, was the first-ever Dean of Men at Orange Coast College and served as Superintendent/President at both Palo Verde College and Monterey Peninsula College prior to his arrival at Palomar as its fifth Superintendent/President

He served in the U.S. Army during World War II and was a retired Colonel in the Army Reserves.

He was retired and living in Temecula at the time of his death.

During his tenure at Palomar, when the college more than doubled in size, the Comets also more than doubled the size of their intercollegiate athletic program, hired Hall of Fame softball coach Mark Eldridge and Hall of Fame wrestling coach John Woods -- and began their women's athletics program.

The final two athletic events in Dr. Huber's tenure at Palomar resulted in California community college championships  -- Wiebe's state individual golf title and the Palomar men's track squad's 1977 state team championship.

Dr. Huber's family has suggested donations to UCLA Community College Transfer Scholarship Fund in care of UCLA Giving, Attention Sarah Ward; Wilshire Center, Box 951590, Suite 1400; Los Angeles, CA 90095.

Palomar Mourns Death of Former President Dr. Frederick R. Huber -- Palomar College Public Affairs Office

Frederick Huber; Palomar College president fostered open-door policy -- San Diego Union Tribune

Obituary: Dr. Frederick R. Huber -- North County Times / The Californian (Temecula)

BASEBALL: Minor League Alumni

Esquibel throws perfect inning

in his Triple-A pitching debut

YUMA, Arizona (6-30-09) -- Palomar alumnus Andres Esquibel was perfect in his Triple-A debut on Tuesday.

Esquibel, called up from Class A on temporary assignment to replace the injured Gaby Hernandez, pitched a 1-2-3 inning for the Seattle Mariners' Tacoma Rainers farm club in the Class AAA Pacific Coast League.

Esquibel, a 6-foot-1, 215-pound right-hander drafted by the Mariners in 2008 out of the University of Kansas, retired the Reno Aces 1-2-3 in the ninth inning. The Mariners promoted Esquibel when they placed Hernandez on the seven-day disabled list.

 BASEBALL: Summer Report

Webb in Northwoods League,

mulls choice for 2010 season

MANKATO, Minnesota / Other Locations (6-30-09) -- Palomar's Brenden Webb, a 2009 first-team All-American center fielder as a freshman, is batting .333 in the Northwoods League this summer -- and mulling his future.

The 6-foot-4, 180-pounder, who both bats and throws from the left side, is playing for the Mankato MoonDogs.

Webb has scholarship offers on the table from USC and Oklahoma State, and a healthy bonus offer on the table from the Baltimore Orioles, who selected him in the 2009 draft. He has turned down a scholarship offer from the University of Oregon -- and also could return to Palomar for his sophomore season.

Webb drove in a run with a sacrifice fly to help the Moondogs clinch the first-half title in the college wood-bat summer league on Monday with a 6-3 win on the road over the Eau Claire, Wisconsin, Express. He went 2-for-3 with a triple on Sunday in an 8-7 win over the Alexandria (Minnesota) Beetles.

Also among the contingent of Comets playing summer wood-bat ball, first-team All-American Tyler Saladino (who has signed with Oral Roberts University and was drafted by the Astros) is hitting .313 while helping lead the Palm Springs Power of the Southern California Baseball Association to 19 wins in its first 24 games. He has seven hits in his last four games -- 2-for 5 with an RBI vs. the MLB Academy Barons of Compton; a triple in a 6-5 win over the MLB Academy; 2-for-3 with a triple, three walks and four runs scored in a 19-0 victory over the Orange County Pioneers; and 2-for-4 with an RBI in a 5-0 win over the Pioneers.

Returning right-handed pitcher Patrick Smith is 4-0 with a 2.45 ERA for the Wenatchee (Washington) Applesox of the West Coast League.

Returning right-handed pitcher Travis Strong is 1-0 with three saves and a 3.00 ERA for the San Diego Mavericks.

Right-handed pitcher Brock Bracamontes has struck out 11 batters in 16 innings for the Folsom Pioneers of the West Coast Collegiate Baseball League.

First baseman Alfonso Casillas, middle infielder Terrence Buchanan, first-team All-American right-handed pitcher Casey Edlebrock and right-handed pitcher Aaron Edwards all are playing for the San Diego Waves. Casillas, a first-team All-American, and Buchanan both will return next season. Edelbrock, who has signed with Chico State, and Edwards both were sophomores for the Comets.

BASEBALL: Minor League Alumni

ABOVE: The Tucson Toros, with ex-Comets Skip Adams, Dylan Parzyk and Lyndon Poole, packed in crowds of 5,418 and 6,718 at Hi Corbett Field last week. BELOW LEFT: Nick Vincent delivers for the Lake Elsinore Storm. BELOW RIGHT: Ex-Dodgers farmhand Poole is batting .426 for Tucson.

Vincent (2.89 ERA), Ibarra (2.08)

succeeding in Padres system

LAKE ELSINORE / Other Locations (6-27-09) -- Palomar alums Nick Vincent and Jeff Ibarra have impressive numbers in the San Diego Padres farm system as 14 former Comets are currently in minor league baseball.

Vincent, who signed with the Padres out of Long Beach State a year ago as an 18th-round draft choice, is 2-2 with two saves and a 2.89 ERA for the Pads' Lake Elsinore club in the Class A Advanced California League. He has 38 strikeouts and 10 walks in 37 1/3 innings.

In his last three appearances, Vincent gave up one hit in two innings pitched out of the Storm's bullpen, striking out four and walking none.

Ibarra, selected in the 23rd round of the 2009 draft out of Lee University, has pitched 4 1/3 innings out of the pen for Eugene (Oregon) in the Class A Short Season Northwest League. He's allowed one hit, has struck out three and has a 2.08 ERA.

Right-hander Marcus Hatley is 5-4 with a 4.75 ERA pitching in 14 games and starting 13 for the Chicago Cubs' Peoria (Illinois) farm club in the Class A Midwest League. Hatley threw six shutout innings on Sunday to give the Chiefs a 3-1 win over Quad Cities.

RHP Andres Esquibel, who signed out of the University of Kansas, is 1-1 for the Seattle Mariners' Clinton (Iowa) team in the same league.

Second baseman Jeff Tezak, who was selected in the 24th round by the Chicago White Sox after batting .315 his senior season for the University of Nebraska, signed this week and was 1-for-3 his first game for Great Falls (Montana) in the Rookie Classification  Pioneer League.

In Independent ball, Jeff Nettles started at third base in the Atlantic League All-Star game on Tuesday evening in Newark, New Jersey. Nettles is hitting .284 with with eight doubles, four home runs and 27 RBIs  for the Somerset (Massachusetts) Patriots. He's a six-time All-Star and the career average, home run and RBI leader for Somerset, also playing for the team between stints in Double-A in both the New York Yankees and Kansas City Royals farm systems. Nettles father is Yankees and Padres All-Star third baseman Graig Nettles. Jeff Nettles and his brother Tim, who also played in the Yankees farm system, were teammates at Palomar.

Three ex-Comets are playing for the Tucson Toros in the Golden League. Ex-Padres Double-A second baseman Skip Adams, who after Palomar played for Florida International University, is hitting .398 for 88 at-bats with nine doubles, two triples, four homers, 23 RBIs and a .682 slugging percentage. Former Dodgers farmhand Lyndon Poole is batting .426 for 45 at-bats with nine steals. Dylan Parzyk, who went on from Palomar to play for the University of Kansas, is splitting time at catcher and, last Thursday, slugged a two-run home run to help pace a 14-5 win over the Chico Outlaws.

Second baseman Joe Ramos, who went on from Palomar to set an all-time fielding percentage record at Chico State, is batting .301 with six doubles, three homers, 26 RBIs and a .423 slugging percentage for the Kalamazoo (Michigan) Kings in the Frontier League.

First baseman Scott Robinson, who made it to Double-A in the Seattle Mariners system, is hitting .277 with eight doubles, six home runs and 25 RBIs for River City (O'Fallon, Missouri) in the Frontier League.

Right-handed pitcher Keith Noe, who went on to pitch Division I baseball for Coastal Carolina University and was a Division II All-American at UC San Diego, owns a 4.50 ERA for Brocton (Massachusettss) in the Can-Am League, striking out seven batters in eight innings.. In 2008,  Noe allowed three earned runs in his final 20 1/3 innings for Brockton.

Zane Chavez, who signed out of Lindenwood University, is hitting .269 for 26 at-bats for as the back-up catcher for the American Defenders of New Hampshire in the Can-Am League.

Gera Alvarez, who went on from Palomar to break the Big 12 consecutive-game hitting record for Texas Tech, has retired after making it to Double-A in the Baltimore Orioles farm system and is a coach for the Midwest Sliders (Ypsilanti, Michigan) in the Frontier League.

FOOTBALL: Commits, Signings, Transfers

ABOVE: Defensive end Caleb Evans will play for Arkansas. BELOW LEFT: Defensive end Braxton Brennan, who will play for Central Washington. -- Photos by Rick Rowell.

Evans to University of Arkansas;

Brennan to D-II power C. Wash.

FAYETTEVILLE, Arkansas (6-16-09) / ELLENSBURG, Washington (6-21-09) -- Palomar's 6-foot-3, 240-pound defensive end Caleb Evans has committed to the University of Arkansas.

Meanwhile, defensive end Braxton Brennan signed with Division II powerhouse Central Washington, which is coming off a 10-2 season.

Evans had 26 tackles (14 solo) for Palomar as a true freshman in 2007, receiving All-Mission Conference American Division honorable mention and drawing attention as a big-play D-lineman. He led the Comets in tackles for losses (11 for 42 yards in 10 games), sacks (six for 44 yards) and quarterback hurries (eight).

Prior to what would have been his sophomore season for the Comets last Fall, Evans was a pre-season J.C. Grid-Wire second-team All-American and received early offers from Kansas, Tennessee and Kansas State for 2010. But he wound up missing the entire 2008 season with a now-healed back injury.

Depending on results of summer classes, Evans will either transfer to Arkansas in August and play for the Razorbacks this Fall -- or will return to play his sophomore season for the Comets before transferring to Arkansas.

Brennan (6-foot-3, 240) is headed to a Central Washington program that was ranked No. 10 in NCAA Division II in 2008. The Wildcats lost in the Division II national playoffs at West Texas A&M 49-42.

In two seasons for the Comets, Brennan had 40 tackles (33 solo), nine tackles for losses, 1.5 sacks and three blocked kicks, playing in 17 games. As a sophomore last fall, he had 33 tackles (21 solo), four tackles for losses, .5 sacks, three QB hurries and one blocked kick in 10 games.

SOFTBALL: Alumni report / honors

Ex-Comet Helton joins Davis

on NAIA All-American squad

KANSAS CITY, Missouri (6-19-09) -- William Penn University junior first baseman Tyranna Helton (left) has joined Lubbock Christian University senior shortstop Ginalee Davis on the NAIA All-American softball team.

Helton was selected to the second team for the second consecutive year. Davis previously was named to the first team.

Helton, the Midwest College Conference Player of the Year, hit .412  with 12 home runs and 61 RBIs for the Lady Statesmen. She struck out only seven times in 182 at bats as William Penn, located in Oskaloosa, Iowa, went 40-18.

Davis batted .452 with 24 doubles, two triples, 16 home runs and 79 RBIs as the Lubbock Christian Lady Chaps went 54-7 and advanced to the NAIA World Series.

There, the Lady Chaps were eliminated when they dropped decisions to Oklahoma City and eventual national champion St. Gregory's of Oklahoma in the final round of eight in the 32-team World Series.

Last season, Davis helped lead Lubbock Christian, of Lubbock, Texas,  to the NAIA World Series championship.

BASEBALL: Commits, Signings

Casey Edelbrock's 10 saves was a Palomar single-season record. -- Photos by Hugh Gerhardt.

Edelbrock becomes 10th Comet

to commit, chooses Chico State

CHICO (6-13-09) -- Palomar right-handed pitcher Casey Edelbrock has become the 10th Comet baseball sophomore to commit to a four-year college, selecting Chico State University.

Edelbrock was 3-3 with a 2.29 ERA and 10 saves for the Pacific Coast Conference champion Comets.

His save total broke the Palomar single-season record.

PALOMAR BASEBALL COMMITS, SIGNINGS
Player	Pos.	4-Year College
Bobby Shore	RHP	University of Oklahoma
Tyler Saladino	SS	Oral Roberts University
Matt Carvutto	OF	University of the Pacific
Sam Jew	RHP	Arkansas State University
Shawn Sanford	LHP	San Diego State University
Casey Edelbrock	RHP	Chico State University
Matt Hubbard	INF	UC San Diego
Anthony Renteria	OF	UC San Diego
Matt Strom	LHP	Cal State Los Angeles
Mitch Ferguson	INF/RHP	Cal State San Marcos

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BASEBALL: 2009 Draft

Palomar freshman center fielder Brenden Webb, selected in the 30th round by the Orioles. -- Photo by Rob Bacon.
Jeff Ibarra	Jeff Tezak	Tyler Saladino	Bobby Shore
...  Padres	... White Sox	... Astros	... Orioles

Webb, Saladino, Shore and

ex-Comets Ibarra, Tezak taken

SAN MARCOS (6-10-09) -- Five Palomar College baseball products were selected in the three-day 2009 Draft that was conducted Tuesday through Thursday.

2009 Comets Brenden Webb (center fielder, 30th round, Orioles), Tyler Saladino (shortstop, 36th round, Astros) and Bobby Shore (right-handed pitcher, 40th round, Orioles) were joined by a pair of  former Comets -- Jeff Ibarra (left-handed pitcher, 23rd round, Padres) of Lee University and Jeff Tezak (infielder, 24th round, White Sox) of the University of Nebraska.

Saladino (Oral Roberts University) and Shore (University of Oklahoma), a pair of community college All-Americans, previously signed NCAA Division I letters of intent.

COMETS, EX-COMETS IN 2009 DRAFT
Rd.	Player	Team
23	LHP Jeff Ibarra (Lee University, Sr.)	Padres
24	INF Jeff Tezak (University of Nebraska, Sr.)	White Sox
30	CF Brenden Webb (Palomar, Fr.)	Orioles
36	SS Tyler Saladino (Palomar, So.)	Astros
40	RHP Bobby Shore (Palomar, So.)	Orioles

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ACADEMICS: PCAC Spring Honor Roll

ABOVE: Matt Carvutto, a University of the Pacific-bound Business major and all-conference selection who carried a 3.17 GPA in the Spring Semester, successfully completing an unheard-of 28.5 units.  -- Photo by Rick Rowell. BELOW LEFT: Softball player Melissa Elliott, who had a 3.85 GPA. for 20 units and will play at Minot State BELOW RIGHT: Women's track & field athlete Airica Morgan, who had a perfect 4.0 GPA.

43 spring sports athletes named

to PCAC academic honor roll

SAN MARCOS (6-10-09) -- A total of 43 Palomar College student athletes from the college's nine spring sports programs have qualified for All-Pacific Coast Athletic Conference academic honors, based on their in-season grade accomplishments.

The PCAC honor roll student athletes include 11 members of the baseball team, eight from  men's swimming, seven from women's swimming, five from women's track & field, five from men's volleyball, two from men's tennis and one from women's tennis.

The men's swim team had the best aggregate grade-point average, 3.14.

Eligibility is based on successfully completion of a minimum opf 12 semester units with at least a 3.0 grade-point average on a 4.0 scale. For ;the full 2008-09 academic year (including 75 fall-sport honorees), 118 Palomar student athletes earned academic all-conference recognition.

Three Comet athletes achieved perfect 4.0 grade-point averages for the spring semester, Ryan Kasperbauer (men's swimming), Airica Morgan (women's track & field) and Josh Porter (baseball).

Other notable academic performances were achieved by Melissa Elliott (softball), 3.85 GPA and 20 units passed; Tyler Grihalva (baseball), 3.85 GPA and 20 units passed; Alex Aram (men's tennis); Matthew Bruner (men's swimming), 3.79 GPA and 19 units passed), 3.75 GPA and 15 units passed;  Alison Patterson (women's track & field), 3.63 GPA and 16 units passed; PCAC men's singles tennis champion, D.J. Jaehnig, 3.60 GPA and 15 units passed, Daniel Knollin (men's swimming), 3.59 GPA and 19.5 units passed; Leland Sisco (baseball), 3.59 GPA; James Owens (men's volleyball), 3.50 GPA; and Dylan Vessell (men's volleyball), 3.50 GPA.

Matt Carvutto (baseball) successfully completed 28.5 units during the semester with a 3.17 grade-point average.

Palomar's spring sports academic honorees:

BASEBALL (11) -- Reece Alnas, Matt Carvutto, Matt Garner, Tyler Grihalva, Matt Hubbard, Shane Philipps, Josh Porter, David Ring, Tyler Saladino, Leland Sisco, Zach Tonks

MEN'S SWIMMING & DIVING (8) -- James Botica, Matthew Bruner, Aurthur Cook, Corey Cowger, Ryan Kasperbauer, Daniel Knollin, Ryan Krause, Bosant Sidhu.

WOMEN'S SWIMMING & DIVING (7) -- Brie Edwards, Shauna Gibbs, Kristin Lettice, Rachel Lutz, Jaclyn Puccino, Heather Rice, Amanda Vandewarker

WOMEN'S TRACK & FIELD (5) -- Kristina Farmer, Ta'ase Fesuiai, Alicia Gard-Kaminkow, Aricia Morgan, Alison Patterson

MEN'S VOLLEYBALL (5) -- Marc Berry, Ryan McCarthy, James Owens, Sam Richmond, Dylan Vessell

SOFTBALL (4) -- Shawna Barrow, Bonnie Brazee, Melissa Elliott, Rebecca Mussatti

MEN'S TENNIS (2) -- Alex Aram, D.J. Jaehnig

WOMEN'S TENNIS (1) -- Holley Lorber

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MEN'S GOLF: Coaching Change

Halda elevated to head coach

of state runner-up golf team

SAN MARCOS (6-9-09) -- Mark Halda (left) has been named the new head coach for Palomar's highly successful men's golf program, Director of Athletics Scott Cathcart announced on Tuesday afternoon.

Halda had been the assistant coach under Jonas Crawford, who has been hired as the new athletic director at Oxnard College. Crawford and Halda guided the Comets to the 2009 Orange Empire Conference and Southern California Community College championships -- and to second in the CCCAA State Championships.

Halda is a product of San Diego State, where he started at quarterback for the Aztecs in football. He played for SDSU from 1976-80 and is the only Aztecs quarterback to beat both Florida State and Miami.

He will remain as running backs coach on head coach Joe Early's Palomar football staff.

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FOOTBALL: Alumni Report

2006 California Community College Offensive Player of ;the Year and national total offense leader Tyler Lorenzen, with offensive coordinator Dan Early -- Photo by Hugh Gerhardt

Lorenzen impresses early on

at tight end for Jacksonville

JACKSONVILLE, Florida (6-7-09) -- Palomar's 2006 J.C. Grid-Wire All-American quarterback Tyler Lorenzen is already turning some heads as he tries to make the Jacksonville Jaguars roster as a free agent tight end.

"I'm very pleased with Tyler's progress so far," Jaguars assistant head coach / tight ends coach Mike Tice told the Hartford Courant on Thursday during a Jaguars' mini-camp.

"He definitely has athletic ability and tools to work with. I just told the guys this morning in the (coaches') meeting that Tyler has made the most strikes of anybody (among tight ends)." The 6-foot-5, 229-pound Lorenzen started at QB the last two seasons for the University of Connecticut.

"All I wanted to do was get my foot in the door, get a chance and try to extend my football career as long as I could," Lorenzen told the Courant. It's been fun lining up at tight end. I'd line up wherever they wanted, to tell the truth. I'm just thankful for the opportunity."

HARTFORD COURANT JUNE 4 FEATURE ON TYLER LORENZEN

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BASEBALL: National rankings

After No. 6 regular-season rank,

Palomar ends No. 11 in nation

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (6-3-09) -- After a No. 6 finish in the regular season in the PG Crosschecker.com national community baseball rankings, Palomar wound up being ranked No. 11.

NJCAA (non-California, Oregon and Washington) Division I champion Howard County of Texas (63-1) and CCCAA California state champion Orange Coast (37-14), a team Palomar shut out 2-0 late in the regular season, wound up being ranked 1-2 in the nation. Rounding out the Top 11: No. 3 San Jacinto (Texas), No. 4 Western Nevada, No. 5 Spartanburg Methodist (South Carolina), No. 6 Santa Fe (Florida), No. 7 Cowley County (Kansas), No. 8 Central Arizona, No. 9 Shelton State (Alabama), No. 10 Santa Ana and the No. 11 Comets, who finished 36-13.

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BASEBALL: Alumni Report

Chico State junior first baseman and former Comet Kevin Seaver made one error in 335 chances during the 2009 season and was a Rawlings/American Baseball Coaches Association Gold Glove winner. He also broke the Wildcats' all-time single-season hitting record with a .442 average.

Blackburn shines for Aztecs;

Seaver breaks Chico State mark

IRVINE / CHICO (5-31-09) -- Palomar baseball alum Mitch Blackburn (left) went 2-for-4 with a double Saturday as San Diego State remained alive at the Irvine Regional, eliminating defending College World Series champion Fresno State 4-1.

On Friday, Blackburn also came up big but the Aztecs lost 5-1 to the University of Virginia to begin NCAA Division I regional play. Blackburn, SDSU's starting second baseman all season long as a junior,  went 2-for-4 as he accounted for one-third of the Aztecs' six-hit offensive output against the Cavaliers.

The Aztecs saw their season end Sunday when they lost to No. 1-ranked UC Irvine 14-3 in an elimination game. Blackburn had a single.

Blackburn hit .312 during his junior season for the Aztecs with 12 doubles, three triples, two home runs and 24 RBIs. SDSU finished 41-23.

Meanwhile, former Comet Kevin Seaver broke Chico State's all-time hitting (.442) and slugging percentage (.600) records and was a Rawlings/American Baseball Coaches Association National Gold Glove winner as the Wildcats' first baseman. The junior made one error in 335 chances and, in two seasons, has made one error in 550 chances.

Among other Palomar baseball alumni:

Nick Vincent, Lake Elsinore Storm -- The right-handed reliever, who signed with the Padres after being selected in the 18th round of the 2008 draft out of Long Beach State, is 1-0 with two saves and a 2.05 ERA in a team-high 25 appearances for the Storm.

He threw a shutout eighth inning in relief on Sunday, striking out a batter, as the Storm defeated the Rancho cucamonga Quakes 7-2.

Vincent has struck out 24 batters and walked six in 26 1/3 innings. The Storm will play the Quakes, the Angels' High-A team, at Petco Park on Wednesday, Feb. 3, prior to the Padres' 7:05 p.m. game with the Phillies.

Marcus Hatley, Peoria Chiefs -- The 6-foot-5, 190-pound right-handed pitcher is 3-3 with a 5.27 ERA for the Chicago Cubs' Class A team.

Hatley has struck out 29 batters in 54 innings.

Hatley has  made appeared in 10 games for the Chiefs with nine starts.

Andres Esquibel, Clinton Lumberkings -- The right-handed reliever, who went on to  the University of Kansas, is pitching in the Midwest League, the same as Hatley. Esquibel has appeared in four games for the Lumberkings, a Seattle Mariners Class A farm club.

Kurt Wideman, UOP -- Wideman, the Tigers' starting catcher, made the All Big West Conference second team. He hit .358 with 24 doubles, two triples, five home runs and 41RBIs.

Ricky Imperiali, Centenary  -- Imperiali, the Gents' starting shortstop, made the All-Summit League second team, hitting .325 with 19 doubles, a triple, two home runs and 35 RBIs. Centenary went 33-19 and advanced to the finals of the Summit League tournament at Tulsa, Okla., where the Gents lost to South Dakota State 7-3 in 10 innings.

Tim Deering, Centenary -- Deering, the Gents' starter at second base, hit .290 with 11 doubles, two triples, two home runs and 30 RBIs. He had three hits, including a double, vs. South Daklota State in the Summit League championship game.

Jeff Tezak, Nebraska -- Tezak, the Huskers' starting second baseman, was Nebraska's third-leading hitter. He batted .315 with nine doubles, a triple, two home runs and 25 RBIs. He made only four errors all season.

Jason Laws, Murray State -- Laws was Murray State's second-leading hitter (.373, 10 doubles, three triples, three home runs, 29 RBIs). He made the All-Ohio Valley Conference first team as the starting catcher for a team that went 34-21-1.

Kellen Lee, UC San Diego -- Lee started all season long at catcher for the Tritons, who went 41-15, were ranked No. 2 in NCAA Division II at the end of the regular season and advanced to the semifinals of the Division II World Series at Cary, NC, where they lost to eventual national champion Emporia State 5-3. Lee went 1-for-4 with a double in that game.

Jeff Ibarra, Lee University -- The senior left-handed reliever was 4-1 with a 3.34 ERA for the Flames, who placed third in the NAIA World Series in Lewiston, IDS, going 53-14. Ibarra struck out 30 and walked 15 in 34 innings.

Kegan Sharp, San Diego State -- The junior right-handed pitcher  is  3-1 with a 5.16 ERA over 22 2/3 innings coming out of the bullpen for the Aztecs.

Guy Willeford, San Diego State -- The junior back-up first-baseman is batting .320 with a home run for 25 at-bats.

James McLaughlin, San Diego State -- The senior right-handed pitcher is 2-1 for the Aztecs with a 3.42 ERA and 25 strikeouts in 26 1/3 innings.

Cameron Aspaas, Abilene Christian -- The junior right-handed pitcher is 7-2 with a 4.71 ERA as the Wildcats went 44-19.

Joe Cates, Culver-Stockton -- The junior right-handed pitcher was 2-0 with a 4.09 ERA for Culver-Stockton, an NAIA school which was 33-22.

Brian Joyce, Sonoma State -- Was a back-up position player, starting two games for a 35-16 team.

Eric Rodriguez, Cal State Los Angeles -- Played in 12 games and started one for the Eagles, who finished the season 32-17

Zane Chavez, Lindenwood University -- The senior catcher, who originally received a scholarship to Indiana State out of Palomar, batted .431.with 12 doubles, a triple, nine home runs and 46 RBIs for a team that went 45-12 in the NAIA.

Scott Clement and Jose Hernandez, Cal State San Marcos -- Played for the Cougars, an NAIA Indenpendent team.

Andrew Jenkins and James Borges, University of Sioux Falls -- Played for the Cougars, who finished 16-28.

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STATE CC ATHLETICS: NATYCAA Cup

 

 

 

 

ABOVE: Palomar's men's golf team won the Southern California community college championship and placed second in the CCCAA State championships. LOWER LEFT: Shoko Hachiya, who teamed with Arina Polovnikova to win the state tennis women's doubles championship. LOWER RIGHT: All-American shortstop Tyler Saladino, who helped lead the PC baseball team to a No. 1 Southern Cal state ranking, No. 6 national ranking and Southern Cal Super Regional championship game appearance.

Palomar athletic program 8th

in NATYCAA Cup standings

SACRAMENTO (5-28-09) -- Palomar College placed eighth of the 105 California community colleges that compete in intercollegiate sports in final standings of the 2008-09 NATYCAA Cup.

Mt. SAC was first, followed by No. 2 Cerritos, No. 3 Sierra, No. 4 Santa Rosa, No. 5 Fresno City College, No. 6 Orange Coast, No. 7 Riverside Community College, No. 8 Palomar, No. 9 Ventura and No. 10 Sacramento City College.

A college is awarded points based on its teams' final positions in post-conference competition. Each college's top five men's and top-five women's team results count toward the school's overall  point total.

The National Alliance of Two-Year College Athletic Administrators (NATYCAA) and the California Community college Athletic Association (CCCAA) present the awards and final standings.

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BASEBALL: All-American, All-State

ABOVE: First-team Community College All-American Bobby Shore.  -- Photo by Hugh Gerhardt. SECOND ROW, FROM LEFT: First-team All-Americans Tyler Saladino, Alfonso Casillas and Casey Edelbrock.

Four Palomar players named to

All-American and all-state teams

FRESNO (5-23-09) -- Four Palomar College baseball players were named to the Community College All-American and all-state first teams on Saturday:

• Sophomore right-handed pitcher Bobby Shore (11-1, 91 strikeouts 97 39 2/3 innings, 2.40 ERA), who has signed with the University of Oklahoma.

• Sophomore shortstop Tyler Saladino (.441, 1 doubles, 2 triples, 2 home runs, 33 RBIs), the Pacific Coast Conference Player of the Year,  who has signed with Oral Roberts University.

• Freshman first baseman Alfonso Casillas (.442, 10 doubles, 10 home runs, 35 RBIs).

• Sophomore right-handed pitcher Casey Edelbrock (10 saves, 42 strikeouts in 39 2/3 innings, 2.29 ERA).

The All-State team is selected by the California Community College Baseball Coaches Association and All-Americans are named by the CCCBCA and the National Junior College Athletic Association Baseball Coaches Association.

The announcements were made at the California Community College Athletic Association's State Final Four at Fresno City College.

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FOOTBALL: Scholarships

Martavious Lee commits to LSU

as early list for 2010 reaches two

SAN MARCOS (5-13-09) -- Palomar wide receiver Martavious Lee became the second Comet to commit early to a marquee Division I program on Thursday when he gave a verbal commitment to LSU following the final day of spring football for the Comets.

A 6-foot-2, 180-pounder from Coral Gables (FL) High School, Lee caught 39 passes for 725 yards and 13 touchdowns in 10 games for Palomar last Fall. He runs 4.4 in the 40.

Previously, 6-foot-8, 220-pound offensive tackle Brice Schwab gave a verbal commitment to USC on April 20. Both Schwab and Lee will transfer following their sophomore seasons for the Comets this Fall.

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MEN'S GOLF: State Finals

Comets second to Fresno City

College in state championships

ROSEVILLE (5-11-09) -- Palomar's men's golfers placed second in the CCCAA State Championships on Monday at Sierra View Country Club.

Fresno City College won the 36-hole event with a 712, followed by the Comets at 728, Ventura 729, Chabot 733, Sierra 733, College of the Canyons 734, Santa Rosa 738 and Santa Barbara City College 739.

Blake Humphrey (above left) led the Comets with a 74-70 -- 144 on the Par 72, 6,581-yard course.

Tyler Lyons had a 77-73 -- 150, Chris Freeman 77-71 -- 148, Vince Stong 76-69 -- 145, Ryan Card 72-73 -- 145 and Chris Steilen 73-73 -- 146. Riverside Community College's Kendall Jenkins won at 73-67 -- 140.

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WOMEN'S TENNIS: CCCAA State Finals

PC's Polovnikova / Hachiya

capture state doubles crown

SACRAMENTO (5-9-09) -- Palomar's Arina Polovnikova (left) and Shoko Hachiya (right) won the California community college state doubles title on Saturday in the CCCAA State Championships at Natomas Racquet Club.

Polovnikova / Hachiya defeated Reedley's Vickee Gonzalez / Yumika Justin 6-3, 7-5 in the finals.

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PCC: 2008-09 PCC Coach of Year Awards

Taylor, Eldridge selected as

Coaches of Year for all sports

PALM DESERT (5-4-09) -- Palomar baseball coach Buck Taylor (left) and women's golf / softball coach Mark Eldridge were voted as Pacific Coast Conference Men's Sports Coach of the Year and Women's Coach of the Year, respectively, for all sports for 2008-09 on Monday. Balloting was conducted among PCC Athletic Directors on the first day of the joint Southern California community college conferences' spring meetings at Shadow Mountain Resort.

Taylor's baseball team won the Pacific Coast Conference championship, finished the regular season ranked No. 1 in the Southern Cal and West Coast polls and enters the Southern Cal Regionals on Friday as the No. 1 seed. Eldridge coached the Comets' women's golf team to the Foothill Conference championship and No. 3 in the state finals -- and the softball team to the PCC title.

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MEN'S GOLF: Southern Cal Championships

Palomar wins Southern Cal title

by 12 strokes behind Humphrey

LOMPOC (5-4-09) -- Sophomore Blake Humphrey shot a 1-under par 70-73 -- 143 at Mashallia Rancho Golf Club at Vandenberg Air Force Base as Palomar won the Southern California community college championship.

Humphrey (below right) placed second in the tournament, two strokes behind medalist Andrew Perez of team runner-up Santa Barbara City College.

The Comets won the tournament with a 741, followed by Santa Barbara at 753, College of the Canyons 755, Ventura 757, Santiago Canyon 770, Orange Coast 778, Citrus 787, Long Beach City College 788, Mt. SAC 792, College of the Desert 797 and Cypress 809.

The Comets' Chris Steffen (71-76 -- 147) and Tyler Lyons (76-71 -- 147) finished in a tie for fourth place with two other golfers. Chris Freeman tied for eighth with a 73-75 -- 148. Vince Stong carded an 80-76 --  156 to tie for 33rd.

It's the Comets' second Southern California team title under coach Jonas Crawford.

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FOOTBALL: USC Commitment

Brice Schwab (77) will become the latest Palomar player to play for USC. (Photo by Rick Rowell) ORDER  PHOTOS (password: cometball)

Carroll and USC Trojans land

Comet offensive tackle Schwab

LOS ANGELES (4-20-09) -- Palomar College offensive  tackle Brice Schwab has committed to USC, the USCFootball.Com web site reported Monday morning.

Schwab confirmed the report at 11:45 a.m.

Schwab, a  6-foot-8, 320-pounder who was an  All-Southern Conference selection as a freshman, will play his sophomore season for the Comets this upcoming Fall. He'll transfer to USC in January 2010.

A 2008 graduate of Moniteau High School in West Sunbury, PA where he started for three seasons, Schwab originally wanted to play for Penn State.

Schwab, one of coach Pete Carroll's key recruits, will become the latest Comet to move on to USC.

The list also includes safety Bill Jaroncyk, a starter on the Trojans' 1968 National Championship team who signed with the New Orleans Saints; cornerback Chris Cash, an All-Pac-10 selection at USC in 2001, who played for the Detroit Lions and the Atlanta Falcons; and safety Greg Farr, who played for the Trojans' 2003 and 2004 National Championship teams.

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Tyler Lavea, Palomar's leading rusher last season as a freshman and also a 4.0 student, and the Comets will play eight of 10 games at night this Fall. --  (Photo by Rick Rowell) ORDER  PHOTOS (password: cometball)

Palomar to open Sept. 5 & play

eight '09 games under the lights

SAN MARCOS (4-11-09) -- In a break from recent tradition, Palomar will play eight of 10 regular-season football games at night in 2009.

Director of Athletics Scott Cathcart released the schedule on Friday.

Coach Joe Early's Comets, who went 8-3 with a primarily freshman team last Fall and defeated Cerritos 38-33 in the Golden Empire Bowl in Bakersfield, will kick off the season at Southwestern on Saturday night, Sept.5 at 6 p.m.

Palomar's home opener will be Sept. 12 against Victor Valley at Wilson Stadium in Escondido at 6 p.m.

The Comets will kick off their SCFA National Division Southern Conference schedule on Oct. 10 at Saddleback, also at 6 p.m.

The Comets will play three home games at 6 p.m., all at Wilson Stadium on the Escondido High School campus. They'll play two home games at 1 p.m. and also will play all five away games at 6 p.m.

PALOMAR 2009 FOOTBALL SCHEDULE
Sept 5	at Southwestern	6:00
Sept 12	Victor Valley (at Wilson Stadium)	6:00
Sept 19	San Diego Mesa (at Wilson Stadium)	6:00
Sept 26	at College of the Desert	6:00
Oct 3	Grossmont (at Wilson Stadium)	1:00
Oct 10	at Saddleback	6:00
Oct 17	Santa Ana (at Wilson Stadium)	1:00
Oct 24	at Long Beach City College	6:00
Oct 31	Fullerton (Wilson Stadium)	6:00
Nov 7	at Orange Coast	6:00
Nov 21	Southern California Playoffs Round 1	TBA
Nov 28	Southern California Playoffs Round 2	TBA
Dec 5	Southern California Championship Game	TBA
Dec 12	CCCAA State Championship Game	TBA

7/3/09

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