COLLEGE DIVISION NOTEBOOK : SCC’s Black Storms Back, Wins NAIA National Pitching Honor

Amazing things are happening to Southern California College pitcher David Black.

Black had a remarkable performance Saturday against Point Loma Nazarene. After allowing an unearned run in the first inning, Black shut out Point Loma for the next 13 and now has gone 40 2/3 innings without giving up an earned run.

He allowed four hits, struck out four, walked no one and retired the final 16 batters and 26 of the past 27.

Black’s performance made him the third consecutive SCC pitcher to be named the National Assn. of Intercollegiate Athletics District 3 pitcher of the week. And Black one-upped previous winners Brett Johnson and Mike Castle, who have helped make the Vanguards the top pitching team in the district, when he was named the NAIA’s national pitcher of the week.

“Nothing this good has ever happened to me in baseball,” Black said. “This has allowed me to think, ‘Hey, maybe there is something else out there.’ It seems that my dreams are starting to become more of a reality.”

If the magnitude of his success this season has come as a surprise to Black, it’s because he didn’t hope for much more from baseball than having it help pay for his education. And in his fourth year and third college, Black finally has a scholarship.

At 5 feet 9 and 170 pounds, he isn’t the type to send pro scouts scurrying for their speed guns, but SCC Coach Charlie Phillips said Black is adept at utilizing scouting reports to exploit hitters’ weaknesses.

“He’s not overpowering but he gets the job done and he gets you outs,” Phillips said. “The name of the game is winning, and he wins.”

That couldn’t be said with certainty before this season.

After graduating from El Modena High School in 1987, Black walked on at The Master’s College in Newhall. He was one of three starters for The Master’s but as the season progressed, he was given fewer and fewer chances to pitch. Dissatisfied and finding it difficult to pay for private-school tuition, Black transferred to Orange Coast College.

Asked to redshirt his first season at OCC, Black decided to quit the team for the season to work out on his own while he attended school and worked at three jobs to support himself. The next summer he joined an Athletes in Action team that toured Europe. He was the ace on the team, which went 30-3.

Flush from his European experience, he returned to OCC, but more frustration awaited him. As a reliever, he pitched only 7 1/3 innings in six games for the Pirates. Although he had another season of eligibility at OCC, Black decided to move on after receiving his associate of arts degree last spring.

Black (7-3), who during his streak has won four games, saved two and lowered his earned-run average to 1.30, has found a niche at SCC.

“From the time I got here and was out on the field with the ballplayers, it’s been a real positive experience,” Black said. “There’s an attitude on the team and around the school that allowed me to grow and play to the best of my abilities.

“Throughout my baseball career I’ve been on average teams and this team is basically making my baseball career exciting.”

Add Vanguards: It has been more than a month since Black allowed an earned run. The last time it happened, he was knocked out in the second inning of a 14-2 loss to Azusa Pacific.

Black’s next start comes Saturday, when the Vanguards host Azusa Pacific in a doubleheader at noon. The Vanguards (22-13, 8-2 in the Golden State Athletic Conference) have won eight consecutive conference games since being swept by Azusa Pacific, which is ranked 13th in the latest NAIA poll. Azusa Pacific (20-7, 7-3), which has lost its past three conference games, is one game behind the Vanguards, who are unranked.

The great wait: Lacking the recruiting clout of UCLA, Duke or Kansas, local men’s basketball programs must be patient. Wednesday, the first day of spring signing period, came and went without the colleges announcing any additions.

The yearly recruiting ritual might be more challenging for coaches at the small colleges who must go after the players left over after the Division I programs make their choices. Many players hold out for the bright lights.

“Every kid keeps thinking that UCLA is going to be on the phone,” Christ College Irvine Coach Greg Marshall said.

Chapman Coach Bob Boyd said he is confident he will be able to add five or six more players to his team. Boyd and his staff, who made recruiting trips to Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana and Kansas after the season ended, are looking predominantly at players who will be able to help the team immediately. This weekend a group of recruits will be visiting the campus in Orange.

“We’re very pleased with the way it’s going and within seven to 10 days we’ll have our recruiting completed,” Boyd said.

Some will have to wait longer.

Southern California College Coach Bill Reynolds said he hopes to be finished recruiting by mid-May but doubts that will happen. Reynolds said only one recruit is close to signing.

“I like to read the papers to see who is signing so we can see who is left,” Reynolds said.

College Division Notes

After raising more than $24,000 for various organizations last year, Chapman is coming back for more with the second Chapman 500 Jog-A-Thon on May 5. The event, which will be at the campus track and feature Mexican food and live entertainment in celebration of Cinco de Mayo, is billed as a one-mile walk-jog-crawl-a-thon. The chief beneficiary will be the athletic department, but organizations outside of athletics and the college may also participate and keep 50% of their earnings. For more information, call 997-6691.