MOMENTS TO REMEMBER MOORPARK TEAMS HAVE GOOD SPRING.

Byline: Rich Hammond Staff Writer

Everywhere you looked this spring, things were jumping at Moorpark College.

In softball, players were jumping off the team, leaving the Raiders with 10 players for most of the year. In track, they were just plain jumping, as two athletes put up some of the best field-event marks in the country.

The Raiders didn't win any state titles this spring, and only one Western State Conference championship, but there were still plenty of moments to remember. A sport-by-sport look:

--Softball: It was a script even the cheesiest soap-opera producer would reject. One of the state's top junior college softball teams is decimated when almost a dozen players quit before the start of the season. The players fight, with each other and their coach, who announces that he will retire after the season.

The most improbable part is that they did a good amount of winning. The Raiders, who routinely had two or three players out of position in the field, still had two strong pitchers in Jackie Aranda and Naomi Qualls and finished second in the WSC's Northern Division.

The Raiders were one victory over Ventura away from what would have been a remarkable conference title, but, as expected, they were undone by poor defense. Moorpark made it to the regional playoffs at Cypress College, but lost to College of the Canyons and Pasadena to end its season.

``I said it all season long,'' coach Gil Mendoza said. ``One day we played like the New York Yankees, the next day we played like the Bad News Bears, and you never knew which one it was going to be.''

The team survived internal squabbles that threatened to jeopardize the season. For one two-week span, the Raiders had just nine players, meaning that one more player defection or injury would have forced them to forfeit games.

``I'm very proud of the girls who stuck with it,'' Mendoza said. ``They put up with a lot of my stuff, and I sort of put up with some of their stuff, and I'm proud of them.''

Mendoza, 60, said midway through the season that he planned to retire, and confirmed his intention after the season. He will continue to recruit for the Raiders until a new coach takes over, and because just five players have eligibility remaining, he has plenty of work remaining.

--Track and Field: Amy Thiel blew away the competition at the state championships in Bakersfield to win titles in the discus and shot put as the Moorpark women finished second at the meet.

Running events tend to receive much of the glory in track, but the success of the Moorpark women was based in the field events. Thiel and Angela Foster fought all season for national records in the discus, shot put and hammer throw, and usually their only competition was with each other.

``They are good training partners because they really push each other,'' coach Doni Green said.

The Moorpark men, led by the sprinting and hurdling of Ray Carmel, also went undefeated in conference meets but lacked the team depth of the women necessary to contend for a state title.

--Baseball: Coach Ken Wagner's team started poorly and played well, but inconsistently, in the Western State Conference. The Raiders finished third in the Northern Division and missed the playoffs.

The Raiders had plenty of offense with Brian Fatur and Brandon Voorhees consistently among the conference leaders in batting average and RBI.

Pitching was the concern, although the situation is likely to get better. Tyler Johnson, a freshman from Newbury Park High, became the Raiders' most consistent starter, and freshman Garrett Valencia (Camarillo High) emerged late in the season. Both should provide a strong core for the Raiders next season.

--Football: The Raiders found it difficult to get together this spring because several of the top returning players were involved in track and baseball.

Coach Jim Bittner has several holes to fill, as all of the important parts from last year's record-setting offense have departed. Quarterback Farhaad Azimi, running backs Emmanuel Evans and Bryant Phipps and receiver Shayne Sobel have used their eligibility.

Valencia and Jeff Lewis will contend for the quarterback job, and Bittner also expects a transfer. The Raiders had several talented receivers last year, but one will need to emerge as the go-to man. The tailback position is a concern, and the Raiders will hope for some freshman help this fall.

CAPTION(S):

photo

Photo: (color in Simi edition only) Moorpark College shortstop Jill Clarkson picks up a ground ball and throws to first base in a game with Ventura.

Evan Yee/Staff Photographer