CSUN GETS READY FOR BIG WEST DEBUT.

Byline: CHRIS COCOLES College Baseball 

Independence might mean freedom, but Cal State Northridge spent too many lonely days in college baseball's orphanage.

The Matadors are part of a family again, joining teams from Fullerton, Long Beach, Stockton, Santa Barbara, Sacramento and San Luis Obispo.

CSUN makes its Big West Conference debut Friday afternoon at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, closing a dark chapter in the school's baseball history after the 1996 season. The Matadors were a victory away from the '96 College World Series but lost their Western Athletic Conference membership.

A financial crisis forced the sport to be dropped, although later it was reinstated. CSUN struggled to field a quality team in the independent ranks during losing seasons in 1999 and 2000.

Coach Mike Batesole stuck around, landed solid recruiting classes and stabilized the program in time to compete in one of the nation's premier conferences.

``Being in the Big West probably affected us more than any other individual sport (at CSUN),'' Batesole said.

The Big West has won three national championships since 1979 and has sent at least one team to the College World Series 11 of the past 14 years.

In that span, the conference never has failed to earn less than two postseason bids. As an independent, Northridge was snubbed by the NCAA regionals despite 42 wins in 1997 and 37 in 1998.

Now, without winning a conference championship, the Matadors can reach the playoffs because of their new affiliation.

``You certainly don't want to rely on that,'' Batesole said. ``One of your goals as a club has got to be to win the conference. You don't want to rely on coming in the back door to the tournament.''

But a strong showing in an 18-game Big West schedule could sneak the Matadors in. At 21-11, they're two victories shy of matching last year's 23-33 effort.

Cal State Fullerton and Long Beach State, the conference's most consistent winners, are the preseason favorites. UC Santa Barbara and Cal Poly are playing some of their best baseball in years. The Matadors went 5-1 in two nonconference series with Big West teams Pacific and Sacramento State.

CSUN is a dark horse because it can hit homers and score runs in bunches. The Matadors have three left-handers - Andy Davidson, Bill Murphy and Craig Mosher - in their weekend rotation.

CSUN's fate should be determined this month with three consecutive weekend series against UCSB, Fullerton and Long Beach. But for the Matadors, they're just happy to play meaningful games in April and May.

``You've got something to work for. You can set goals for yourself as far as wins and losses,'' junior reliever Mike Frick said. ``It makes it easier on your team because you have something to gauge it with. If you're not in a conference, then you're just floating around Division I.

``This program was a powerhouse in the West. I think we're trying to reestablish some of that because we're sick of getting pushed around out here.''

--Racing for a legend: Pepperdine catcher Matt Harvick is an auto-racing buff because of first cousin Kevin Harvick, who has the task of replacing an icon.

Kevin Harvick is a 25-year-old aspiring NASCAR driver who began 2001 driving in the Busch Series for Richard Childress Racing, which owns the car that was driven by seven-time Winston Cup champion Dale Earnhardt.

After Earnhardt's death at February's Daytona 500, Harvick took over driving duties in the famous GM Goodwrench Service Plus Chevrolet.

``It was a huge step for him,'' said Matt Harvick, a junior who transferred to Pepperdine from Bakersfield College. He primarily serves as Rock Mills' backup for the Waves.

``As a family, we're really supportive of him because we knew he was going to take a lot of heat to actually get in that car. But he's just doing what his job requires.''

Three weeks after Earnhardt's fatal wreck, Kevin Harvick won the Cracker Barrel 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway in his third Winston Cup start.

--Check swings: Tulane junior Andrew Corona (Moorpark College) is one of the No. 20 Green Wave's most effective pitchers. He's 4-1 with a 3.13 ERA in eight appearances. ... Besides CSUN's Big West debut, there are big series involving local teams this weekend. No. 12 USC plays host to 10th-ranked Arizona State. The West Coast Conference's divisional leaders, Pepperdine and Santa Clara, clash in the Bay Area.

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Craig Mosher is one of three left-handers in CSUN's starting rotation.

John Kennedy/Special to the Daily News