TOUGH SCHEDULE WILL TEST THE MASTER'S; MUSTANGS HOPE TO BUILD ON PROGRESS MADE IN '97.Byline: Kirby Lee Special to the Daily News For a refreshing change, the only news about The Master's College History The Master's College was founded as Los Angeles Baptist Theological Seminary on May 25, 1927 to meet the need for a fundamental Baptist school on the West Coast. baseball program last season was for its activities on the field instead of off it. A year after the school canceled the last nine games of the 1996 season because of players' indiscretions, the Mustangs rebounded to set 10 school records and defeat four teams ranked among the NAIA's top 25. The Master's also surpassed the 20-victory mark for the first time since 1993, finishing 22-27 under first-year coach Monte Brooks. ``We were very grateful to be granted the opportunity to play baseball and glorify God,'' Brooks said. When Brooks took over, he found only four players willing to come back for the 1997 season. Brooks eventually persuaded nine to return and was also greeted by a phalanx phalanx, ancient Greek formation of infantry. The soldiers were arrayed in rows (8 or 16), with arms at the ready, making a solid block that could sweep bristling through the more dispersed ranks of the enemy. of newcomers. The players took care of the rest. ``The Lord just blessed us and answered our prayers,'' shortstop Danny Cato said. ``We were very fortunate to have guys who are extremely talented who could go elsewhere decide to play for The Master's for little or no money.'' Pitcher Ruben Escobar was one of them, transferring from Victor Valley College Victor Valley College (VVC for short) is a community college located on Bear Valley Road in Victorville, California. The college was created by a vote of the public in 1960 and the first classes were held in 1961 at the near-by campus of Victor Valley High School. to play at The Master's. ``I wasn't discouraged at all because of those problems,'' Escobar said. ``I knew it was a good Christian school A Christian School is a school run on Christian principles or by a Christian organization. The nature of Christian schools varies enormously from country to country according to the religious, educational, and political culture. and I was excited to be playing to be with good guys who want to play for Jesus Christ Jesus Christ: see Jesus. Jesus Christ 40 days after Resurrection, ascended into heaven. [N.T.: Acts 1:1–11] See : Ascension Jesus Christ kind to the poor, forgiving to the sinful. [N.T. . Last year, we weren't expected to win 10 games. God totally blessed us.'' Cato and Escobar also exceeded their expectations. Cato, the team's leadoff hitter In baseball, a leadoff hitter is a batter who bats first in the lineup. Strategy Leadoff hitters must possess certain traits to be successful: they must reach base at a proficient rate and be able to steal bases. , batted a team-high .362, drove in 32 runs and came within a double of the school record of 18. He also stole 21 bases and broke the school assist record with 158. Escobar (8-6), a right-hander, threw a school-record 130-2/3 innings and struck out 105 to become only the second Master's pitcher to surpass the 100- strikeout plateau. Cato and Escobar figure to be the leaders for The Master's in 1998 as well. Cato and Escobar, along with designated hitter designated hitter n. Baseball Abbr. DH A player designated at the start of a game to bat instead of the pitcher in the lineup. Noun 1. Jason Freeman, are the team's only seniors. ``This team is going to be very competitive and a team to be noticed,'' Cato said. ``Our outlook is it's going to be a season after rebuilding and one of those years where we're going to put ourselves on the map.'' The Master's, which opens the season at home against Westmont on Tuesday, will have plenty of opportunity to prove itself. The Mustangs' schedule also includes games against Albertson, Bellevue (Neb.), and Cal Baptist, all ranked nationally in the NAIA NAIA abbr. National Association of Intercollegiate Athletes preseason polls. The tough schedule should provide a test for the Mustangs' pitching staff, bolstered by freshmen Josh Higgins, a breaking-ball pitcher from San Diego San Diego (săn dēā`gō), city (1990 pop. 1,110,549), seat of San Diego co., S Calif., on San Diego Bay; inc. 1850. San Diego includes the unincorporated communities of La Jolla and Spring Valley. Coronado is across the bay. , and Matt Berry. Higgins and Berry were drafted in the 35th and 47th rounds of the major-league draft by the Marlins and the Yankees, respectively, as high school seniors. Escobar, Berry and Eric Fuller, a converted infielder who struck out 50 in 67-2/3 innings last season, will comprise the starting rotation. Josh Carrington, a left-handed changeup pitcher, is a junior transfer from Colorado. He will be used primarily in relief along with Higgins and freshman Ryan Pollard (Idaho). Other returners are center fielder Kurt Fillmore, who stole a team-high 21 bases as a freshman in 1996; Chris Coleman, who will move from second base to first this season; and catcher Aaron Penberthy. Penberthy, a junior, led the team with 43 RBI RBI abbr. Baseball runs batted in Noun 1. rbi - a run that is the result of the batter's performance; "he had more than 100 rbi last season" run batted in . Aaron's brother Mike broke the Master's all-time scoring record in basketball in 1997, and brother Joe is a sophomore guard on this year's basketball team. Freshman Ty Sager and sophomore Rob Avila will be at second and third base. Preston Sprinkle, a junior college transfer from Fresno City College Fresno City College (or FCC) is a city college in Fresno, California. Established in 1910, it was the first community college in California and the second in the nation. and freshman Josh Felice from San Diego, round out the lineup in left and right field. ``We look to be a step up in every category and we have a little more depth on defense,'' Brooks said. ``We want to build on what we accomplished last season.'' CAPTION(S): Photo PHOTO Shortstop Danny Cato, left, who hit .362 last season, and pitcher Ruben Escobar are expected to be key players for The Master's. Hans Gutknecht / Daily News |
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