Northridge Adds Three Junior College Baseball Transfers

Three more junior college baseball players signed letters of intent this week with Cal State Northridge.

The trio includes Brandon Nickens, a right-handed sophomore reliever from Pierce College and Chatsworth High who had seven saves for the Brahmas this spring.

Northridge, which finished 28-29, also signed two players from College of the Sequoias in Visalia, Calif. Nathan Rice is a 6-foot-3 left-handed pitcher and Kurt Airoso is a fleet-footed outfielder. Both will be juniors in the fall.

“We’ve really been after kids that are tough,” said Mike Batesole, a Northridge assistant. “These are tough kids who put it on the line. They’ll be fun to watch next year.”

Airoso, who likely will be selected in the June free-agent draft, runs 60 yards in 6.5 seconds. If he enrolls at Northridge, he could be the team’s best stolen-base threat in years, Batesole said.

Doyle Baseball School will hold a one-week session July 10-14 at Thousand Oaks High for youngsters ages 7-15.

The school will be held from 8 a.m. to noon each day and a parents’ session will be held the first day. Specialty sessions on pitching, hitting and catching will be held during the week.

Information: 805-373-3821.

Applications for coach of the varsity baseball program at Simi Valley High are being accepted.

Information: 805-520-6652.

Football

Eric Turner, an All-Pro defensive back with the Cleveland Browns who starred at Ventura High, will have his uniform number retired at a noon assembly today in the boys’ gym at the high school.

At his request, the school will retire No. 29, Turner’s number with the Browns and at UCLA, even though he wore No. 7 as a Ventura running back and safety in 1984 and ’85.

Turner, who will attend the assembly, also has endowed the school with $15,000 worth of scholarships to be granted over the next five years. The recipients of the first two scholarships also will be announced at today’s assembly.

Golf

Betty Pfahler of the Crystalaire Country Club in the Antelope Valley defeated Sylvia Kim of Wood Ranch Country Club in Simi Valley on the 22nd hole to advance to the final of match play in the first flight of the 73rd Women’s Southern California Golf Assn. State Championships at Bakersfield Country Club.

In the final, Pfahler will face Debbie Arbogast of Auburn Valley, who defeated Patty Mitchell of Sunset Hills in Thousand Oaks, 2 and 1.

Cal State Northridge will host the eighth annual Matador Football Classic, a fund-raiser for the school football team, June 19 at Porter Valley Country Club in Northridge.

Berths and corporate sponsorships are available. A variety of prizes will be awarded.

Information: 818-885-3215.

Track

Gretchen Lohr has been named women’s coach at Valley College and women’s cross-country coach at Mission.

Lohr has competed in international marathons and was a long-distance runner at Valley and Cal State L.A. She ran on the Valley team that won the 1985 cross-country State championships.

Soccer

Buena midfielder Monica Almaraz has signed a letter of intent with Cal State Sacramento.

Almaraz, the Channel League’s player of the year and the Southern Section Division II offensive player of the year, had 27 goals and 25 assists to lead the Bulldogs to the Division II final.

Adolfo Perez has been named coach at Mission College. Perez is a former player at CSUN and a former coach at El Camino Real High.

* Contributing: Mike Bresnahan, Fernando Dominguez, Steve Elling, Steve Henson, John Lynch, Bryan Rodgers, Tris Wykes.