Chaffey College baseball coach Andrew Smith knows that there are pitfalls to too much winning.
The Panthers, who recently wrapped up a third consecutive Inland Empire Athletic Conference title, are currently riding a 11-game winning streak into the final week of the regular season.
Looking to avoid another postseason disappointment – Chaffey has been swept in the regionals each of the last two attempts – Smith has taken a harder line in his fourth year.
“I’ve been pushing these guys hard lately because it’s easy to become complacent when you’re consistently winning,” Smith said. “We want to be having our best practices and playing our best baseball late (in the season).”
Chaffey (29-8-1 overall, 19-4 in IEAC) is unbeaten in April and has scored 10 or more runs in nine consecutive games since March 29.
The Panthers claimed the IEAC regular title with a 14-13 victory over Desert on Thursday, April 18, their 10th consecutive win overall. Ryan Melton (Los Osos High) had four RBIs, Derek Almeda (Rancho Cucamonga High) had two doubles and two RBIs and Jayden Sanchez (Arlington High) had two hits and scored three runs.
The win gave the Panthers a 3 ½-game lead with three games remaining in the regular season.
“This title feels especially outstanding because of the dedication of these players,” said Smith, who notched his 100th career coaching victory this year. “They’ve worked incredibly hard all season.”
The Panthers pitching staff has three fastball-dominant hurlers at the top of their rotation, led by sophomore right-hander Jackson Price (4-1, 3.81 ERA), who has 74 strikeouts in 56 2/3 innings.
Sophomore infielder/outfielder Ryder Young (San Dimas High) leads the team with a .460 batting average, 14 home runs and 54 RBIs, and sophomore corner infielder Eric Valdivia (Rialto High) has eight homers and 45 RBIs as Chaffey has totaled 21 or more hits four times in April.
The real business of the junior college baseball season is in May, when the playoffs begin.
Chaffey lost to Fullerton in Chaffey’s first playoff appearance under Smith in 2023, and the Panthers were swept by Riverside in the 3C2A SoCal Regional playoff series last year.
“The details are the equalizer in playoff baseball, so we have been harping on the fundamentals a ton lately,” Smith said.
The Panthers earned a 12-9 win over Cerro Coso on Tuesday to open the final week, and will find out their postseason opponent next week.
BURNS EARNS AWARD
California Baptist graduate student Kalena Burns was selected as the Western Athletic Conference player of the week after hitting a home run in all four games, the longest streak in CBU’s NCAA era.
Burns (Centennial High) was locked in, hitting .467 last week as the Lancers beat UNLV in a non-conference game and swept Utah Tech in a three-game WAC series.
Currently fourth in the WAC with nine home runs this season, Burns had three multi-hit games last week and also had a triple in the series opener against Utah Tech.
CSUSB RELAY SETS PACE
The Cal State San Bernardino women’s 400-meter relay team of Alexandra Ackerman, Amari Weatherford, Coryssa Hope and Hailey Hunt did more than break the school record last week.
The Coyotes’ time of 44.69 seconds at Azusa Pacific University’s Bryan Clay Invitational on Friday, April 18 is the fastest in NCAA Division II this season.
The same group also posted a time of 44.73 on Saturday as the only Division II entry in the elite section against 15 Division I opponents at the Mt. SAC Relays.
SAGEHENS CLAIM SIXTH SCIAC CHAMPIONSHIP
The Pomona-Pitzer women’s water polo team has clinched a record sixth consecutive Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Association regular season championship.
The Sagehens (21-10 overall, 12-0 SCIAC) defeated Cal Lutheran 19-3 in Thousand Oaks on Saturday to finish the regular season perfect in conference play.
Pomona-Pitzer will host the SCIAC semifinals at Haldeman Pool on Thursday, April 24. The Sagehens will play the winner of the No. 4 vs. No. 5 game at 7 p.m.
ODDS & ENDS
Cal State San Bernardino senior Tereise Tosi has been named to the National Fastpitch Coaches Association 2025 Division II Player of the Year watch list. … The University of Redlands is hosting the 35th annual Edwin B. Hales Bulldog Bench Golf Classic at Redlands Country Club on Monday, April 28. Registration is still open at GoRedlands.com. … The Riverside City College men’s tennis team lost to Irvine Valley in the California Community College Athletic Association Southern California championship on Saturday, April 19. … Mt. San Jacinto College women’s beach volleyball pair of Josephine Springer (Hemet High) and Korie Milan (Murrieta Valley High) qualified for the 3C2A regional tournament May 2-3 at Mt. San Antonio College in Walnut.
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