The Oxnard College baseball team hopes to follow up its Western State Conference title with a strong push into the postseason.
Oxnard (26-10) locked up the third seed in the Southern California Community College baseball regionals and will open the postseason with a best-of-3 series at home against 14th seeded Palomar College (22-13) on Friday at 2 p.m. The second game will be played on Saturday at 11 a.m. A third game, if necessary, would follow.
According to Condors head coach John Larson, the team has had their sights on the playoffs since the beginning of the season.
“We’ve been looking forward for this,” said Larson. “We’ve had this goal from the beginning and we never lost our focus.”
Under Larson’s direction, the Condors have won 10 of its last 12 games and 20 of its last 25 games entering the playoffs.
“I don’t think we could have asked for a better coach,” said outfielder Eric Weiss. “He’s been around baseball so long that there really isn’t anything he doesn’t know about the game.”
According to assistant coach Roger Frash, the team ended the regular season first in hitting, second in pitching, and third in defense throughout the conference.
“We were fortunate to have so many talented players this season all of which have been willing to learn and it showed throughout the season as they all noticeably progressed,” said Frash.
The Condors had not won a WSC title since 2005 and according to Larson, this season’s achievement is a good sign for the club.
“I attended Oxnard College when I was younger, I played for Oxnard, and I coach Oxnard,” said Larson. “I know this school and I know that it deserves to be known for its prestigious athletics department as well as its institutional success.”
If the Condors win the series against Palomar College, they will play in one of two four-team Southern California Super Regionals on May 14 to 16. The CCCAA State Final Four is May 21 to 23 at Fresno City College.
