ON THE MOVE; MOORPARK HOPES TRANSFERS SPARK TURNAROUND.Byline: Heather Gripp Daily News Staff Writer The effects of a coaching change at the University of San Francisco • • [ will be felt hundreds of miles south this spring. Josh Goldfield Goldfield, small town, SW Nev., a former gold-mining center. Gold was discovered there in 1902, and after an early period of disappointment, large yields of high quality gold were extracted. and Jeremy Holiday left San Francisco San Francisco (săn frănsĭs`kō), city (1990 pop. 723,959), coextensive with San Francisco co., W Calif., on the tip of a peninsula between the Pacific Ocean and San Francisco Bay, which are connected by the strait known as the Golden when its baseball team got a new coach. The two are playing for Moorpark College Moorpark College is a California-state funded community college located on a 134 acre (542,000 m²) property reclining on a hill in Moorpark, a town in Ventura County, California. this season and will be a vital part of returning the Raiders baseball program to prominence in the Western State Conference. Goldfield takes over as the starting catcher. Holiday anchors a solid rotation as a left-hander with a wicked breaking ball. ``He's got great mound presence,'' Raiders coach Ken Wagner said of Holiday. ``He's an experienced pitcher who knows how to use his pitches.'' Pitching is Moorpark's backbone. Hard-throwing sophomore Andrew Corona returns for another year in the starting rotation. Sophomore Jake Kor kor n. See homer2. [Hebrew kôr, from Akkadian kurru, from Sumerian gur, a unit of measurement.] Noun 1. and left-hander Michah Weathers are among others contending for starting jobs. The Raiders picked up Weathers, a former Thousand Oaks Thousand Oaks, residential city (1990 pop. 104,352), Ventura co., S Calif., in a farm area; inc. 1964. Avocados, citrus, vegetables, strawberries, and nursery products are grown. High hurler, when he transferred from Pepperdine. Sophomores Brian Scoles and Chris Barbittini and freshman Jared Edrosolan of Newbury Park High are also expected to be key contributors on the mound. ``Our pitching is what we thought it would be,'' Wagner said. ``It looks pretty good. We just have to score some runs.'' When it comes to producing runs, Moorpark has to look no further than Zach Gordon and the rest of the infield. Gordon's eight home runs last year tied the school record. First baseman Joe Tillmon, Ed Castellanos and Steve Nelson
``We've got a little bit of pop,'' Wagner said, ``but there are some good teams, so we're going to have to be able to just put the ball in play. We've got some speed, so we can run once we're on base.'' Moorpark's weakest link is its defense. Gordon moves to shortstop after earning all-conference honors as a third baseman last season. Nelson takes over at third and Rick Collier, out of Moorpark High, starts at second. Castellanos, who sat out last year, and Tillmon are expected to share time at first. A variety of players are competing for spots in the outfield. Leading the way is Mike Bannon, who returns from Occidental, and freshman Brian Forkin of Thousand Oaks. The Raiders are just as deep behind the plate. Backing up Goldfield is sophomore Rob Wagner of Camarillo and freshman Andy Gerber from Simi Valley High. Youth was among Moorpark's biggest problems last season when it went 10-27, finished fifth in the WSC WSC Winter Symposium on Chemometrics WSC Winter Simulation Conference WSC Wayne State College WSC Westfield State College (Westfield, MA) WSC Western State College (Colorado) Northern Division and missed the playoffs for the fourth year in a row. The Raiders have been working out since the fall. They get the first glimpse of where they stand when they participate in the Orange Coast tournament starting Friday. One of their opponents at the tournament is Saddleback Saddleback see Wessex saddleback. , the No. 2 team in the state. Moorpark opens against Antelope Valley at 10 a.m. Friday and plays Gold Coast later in the day. ``If we can play some catch and get some steady defense, I think our pitchers will keep us in it,'' Wagner said. ``I've really been pleased so far.'' Moorpark Baseball Coach: Ken Wagner Last year: The Raiders went 10-27 and 7-18 in the Western State Conference to finish fifth out of the Northern Division's six teams. Top newcomers: Jeremy Holiday, P; Micah Weathers, P; Jarred Edrosolin, P; Jarred Mills, P; Josh Goldfield, C; Mike Bannon, OF; Brian Forkin, OF. Top returners: Zach Gordon, SS; Steve Nelson 3B; Joe Tillmon 1B, Andrew Corona, P; Jake Kor, P. CAPTION(S): Photo, Box PHOTO Jeremy Holiday, formerly of USF USF University of South Florida USF Universal Service Fund (often part of phone bill in US) USF University of San Francisco USF University of Sioux Falls USF University of St. , will anchor Moorpark's staff. Evan Yee/Daily News BOX: Moorpark baseball (See text) |
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