- 27 January 2000
- The sophomore Vikings of '99 -- 15 in all -- have moved on to four year schools to play and continue their education as the 2000 season begins. Eight of the fifteen are playing at NCAA Division I schools. Each player is linked below to his new school's baseball web site for easy access, along with any other relevant info the site provides. Bookmark this page and you can keep tabs on the '99 Vikings as they succeed at the next level.
• Anthony Aguero (P) - Westmont (Calif.) College - Baseball Site | Roster
• Juan Campos (OF) - Cumberland (Tenn.) University - Baseball Site | Roster
• Josh Cisneros (C) - University of West Virginia - Baseball Site | Roster | Season Preview
• Mario Cordero (SS) - Loyola Marymount University - Baseball Site | Roster
• Jeff Curcio (OF) - Concordia (Calif.) University - Baseball Site | Roster
• Nate Fernley (P) - Brigham Young University - Baseball Site | Roster | Bio | Season Preview
• Kory Goodwin (OF) - University of Southern Colorado - Baseball Site | Roster
• Sean Jensen (INF/OF) - Long Beach State - Baseball Site | Roster | Bio
• Jake Kruger (INF) - York (Neb.) College - Baseball Site | Season Preview
• Ryan Lubner (P) - University of California, Berkeley - Baseball Site | Roster
• Jon Minter (P) - San Diego State University - Baseball Site | Roster | Bio
• Rylie Ogle (P) - University of California, Santa Barbara - Baseball Site | Roster | Bio
• Kory Otsuka (P/INF) - Cumberland (Tenn.) University - Baseball Site | Roster
• Joe Perry (C/1B) - San Francisco State University - Baseball Site
• Josh Zak (P) - University of San Diego - Baseball Site
In other LBCC news, catcher Phil Shaw is not playing with the team in 2000. Instead, he is fulfilling a dream and pursuing a career as a professional umpire at the Harry Wendelstedt School for Umpires in Florida. We wish him the best of luck.
Also, Scott Holzhauer (LBCC '97-'98) is primed for his senior season at Texas Tech after earning national defensive honors there last season. You can read a season preview featuring Holzhauer, along with his bio, at the Texas Tech web site.
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- 23 June 1999
- Today we have updated the LBCC History page with an excerpt from the latest issue of Baseball Digest. The quoted article names former Viking Vern Stephens to the "All-Overlooked Team," as one of the best players in baseball history that never receives any recognition. Stephens, among other acheivements, led the majors with 159 RBI in 1949. That is one more RBI than Sammy Sosa totalled in his record breaking Summer of '98 and it is third-best all time in the National League.
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- 19 June 1999
- On Wednesday, June 16, the Vikings held their year-end banquet at Joe Hicks Memorial Field. Besides good food and good company, the Vikings also recognized their fellow team members and coaches with several team awards and gifts:
• Most Valuable Player - Josh Cisneros (soph / C)
• Most Valuable Pitcher - Nate Fernley (soph / RHP)
• Bob Meyers Award - Jake Kruger (soph / SS)
• Student-Athlete Award - Ryan Lubner (soph / RHP)
The Bob Meyers award is presented annually to the player who most personifies what it means to be a Viking.
Each first-year member of the team received a certificate of recognition, while the second-year sophomores received metal cards good for lifetime admittance to any LBCC sporting event.
The players also presented Coach Crook with a wooden bat, signed by each member of the team, and including a plaque designating the Vikings' status as Coach Crook's winningest team ever. The assistant coaches each received a baseball signed by the players as well.
Furthermore, it was revealed that Fernley was named a junior college All-American, and that he and freshman DH Mike Roddy were named to the All-Southern California team.
Last, and definitely not least, congratulations are due to sophomore SS Moon Cordero, who has committed to play for Loyola-Marymount next season. He brings the number of Vikings moving on to NCAA Division I schools to five, with at least four other players currently considering Division I offers.
In site news, the statistics archive has been updated with complete year-end and conference-only listings
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- 3 June 1999
- Congratulations are definitely due to Viking hurler Rylie Ogle, who was selected in the 21st round of the 1999 baseball draft by the Chicago Cubs on Wednesday. The sophomore lefthander now must decide between pro ball and UC Santa Barbara, where he already has committed to play next season. It is a hard decision to be sure, but a nice one to have to make nonetheless.
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- 25 May 1999
- The time has come, friends, to say good bye to the 1999 season. It has been four months of wins and losses, joy and sadness, fun times and painful ones. Throughout it all, this Viking team played with heart, with class, and with a love of the game that is all too rare in these times.
Though their season ended in the Regional playoffs, one stage short of their stated goals, the Vikings have nothing to be ashamed of. In fact, nothing could be further from the truth.
This is a team that began the season unranked and unknown, only to defeat Cypress and Santa Ana (the two teams now on their way to Fresno) and earn a little bit of respect. Of course, that all vanished with the 1-6 start in conference play, but these Vikings never gave up.
Backs to the wall, the Vikings went 17-1 the rest of the way in the SCC to win back the respect and take a head of steam into the playoffs. Once there, the Vikings showed their grit and determination one more time, as they staved off elimination to advance to the Regional playoffs for the first time in Coach Crook's six-year tenure.
The team's 32-18 record includes more wins than any other team with Coach Crook at the helm, and lays the foundation for LBCC's return to baseball glory. It has been a long time coming, but the 1999 Vikings are proof positive the second "Golden Age" of Viking baseball is just around the corner.
So the sophomores must now move on, savoring the wins, ruing the losses, and cherishing each and every memory. Nothing is left to be done; there is no more practice to attend, no more batting practice to take. The sophomores must turn their mantle of leadership over to the freshmen, entrusting them with all it means to be a Viking: the rich tradition, the never-say-die attitude, the hatred of the Birds.
It has been a long, strange trip, but boy... has it been fun.
Thanks for letting us take you along as we traversed the "Road To Fresno"...
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