Jeffrey Farrar
Moorpark College Raider Kevin Brown during the game against the Hancock Bulldogs on Sat., April 28, 2012. The Raiders won the final game of the season 6-5, and tied for first place in the Western State Conference.
Despite the budget cuts on Moorpark baseball, the Raiders earned a share of the Western State Conference title with Cuesta College and Santa Barbara City College.
Playing under a cloud of inevitable ending, Head Coach, Mario Porto’s Moorpark baseball team finished with a (12-8) record in conference play. Winning 10 out of their last 14 games, Moorpark grabbed their third conference championship in Moorpark baseball history (04′,90′).
The Ventura County Community College District Board of Trustees ruled to cut the Moorpark baseball program in early January due to budget restrictions. When the news broke about the cut to baseball, people were shocked. It caused an uproar amongst the Moorpark community. Players, parents, and coaches made a conscious effort to be at every public hearing; making sure their voices were being heard. Unfortunately, their efforts weren’t persuasive enough to change the VCCCD Board of Trustees’ mind.
Moorpark Athletic Director, Howard Davis, was doing all he could to try to save baseball during its unsure fate; but, his efforts to save the program haven’t stopped even though the ruling was official.
“Every year the state has tax measures that produce a budget,” said Davis.