Corey Dotzler Athlete of the Week

Dotzler Starring at Hancock

With RYAN CHURCH still inactive due to a concussion he suffered Saturday in an outfield collision, the highest ranking Lompocan in baseball right now, at least the one who is playing games where they keep score, is Allan Hancock standout COREY DOTZLER (the baserunner in this photo by his grandfather.)

Dotzler went 2-for-3 with an RBI triple in the Bulldogs’ conference opener last week and followed up in a non-conference game with a 2-for-4 day with four RBIs.

To show he can run the bases, even if he was a catcher at Lompoc High two years ago, he scored four times.

For those performances he was named Male Athlete of the Week by the North County Athletic Round Table at its weekly meeting Monday. Then yesterday he doubled in the go-ahead run in a 4-3 victory over Moorpark.

We caught up with Dotzler today and asked how he liked playing third base instead of catching.

“I like it a lot. I only caught for two years, starting my junior year of high school, but infield I’ve been playing pretty much my whole life.” But he had always played shortstop, not third base, and yet at the beginning of the season it was his glove that won him a spot in the Bulldog starting lineup.

“My hitting wasn’t coming around but I was picking it pretty good at third. When my coach saw I could play there pretty well he just left me there.

Pitchers are tougher at the JC level, Dotzler said.

“You’ve got guys throwing a lot harder and spotting up a lot better. It’s a quicker pace. It’s not so laid back like in high school. It’s a lot better quality of baseball.”

Dotzler was blazing hot when the season began but then slumped.

“The last two weeks were pretty low. I was 0-for-4 one game, 0-for-3. I kind of struggled but my coach had some extra hitting for me. I stayed after practice a couple days and it got so I started hitting the ball again. Things have just been happening.”

They’ve been happening so well that Dotzler is batting in the clean up slot. Bulldog batting averages and RBI statistics are apparently a secret, so closely-guarded by the Dawg coaching staff that even Dotzler himself does not know his numbers. “I hope it’s over .300,” he shrugged.

Dotzler injured his knee in a freak accident in June 2006 so he did not play last season. Instead he spent time in the weight room and gained 15 pounds of muscle.

“After fracturing my kneecap thought maybe I wouldn’t play, but my dad kept pushing me and pushing me.”

Dotzler and the Bulldogs are glad he did.

The Bulldogs play tomorrow at 2 p.m. in a rematch with Moorpark, then visit Ventura Saturday before hosting Ventura on Tuesday.

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Minor league baseball

Chris White heads out

CHRIS WHITE will be heading out Sunday morning for Lakeland, Florida, the minor league camp of the Detroit Tigers. Spring Training starts on Monday. For the past two months Chris has been training at Sacramento City College where he played last spring.

The centerfielder was named Player of the Year by the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League Tigers. He hit safely in his final seven GCL games from Aug. 20-27, going 14-for-28 with a double, triple, two home runs, four RBIs and six runs scored.

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Duffy in Arizona

Lefthanded pitcher DANNY DUFFY already departed for Arizona and the Kansas City Royals minor league camp.

Weekender--Fenske Stars in SD's Roaring Start

Heather Fenske, Lompoc's "Rudy"

In the feel-good story of the winter San Diego State is 5-0 and won the weekend UC San Diego women’s water polo tournament. Better yet, a Lompocan was the star of the event…a most unexpected Lompocan at that

Senior goalie HEATHER FENSKE was a dominant force as she recorded a career-high 14 saves in the San Diego State Aztecs' season-opening 11-8 victory against Hartwick last week.

Then, just to show that performance was no fluke, Fenske turned in nine more in a 13-6 whipping of Maryland and eight later in the day in an 11-6 triumph over Cal State Northridge in the first two games of the UCSD Triton Invitational.

In the semifinal Sunday the Aztecs won 8-6 over UCSB, Fenske registering 10 saves, and in the title game the ‘Tecs won yet again, 10-9 over Loyola-Marymount. Fenske totaled five blocks. In 13 seasons SD State had never before won the UC San Diego early season tournament.

Fenske had scarcely played in it before. She played in just nine matches out of 30 each of the last two years and has won just one letter over three seasons, but she is a six-time scholar athlete at SDSU.

Aztec co-captain BECCA UR netted three goals in the five contests and against UCSB led the defense with four steals.

Earlier in the tournament KATHRYN NELSON of UCSB scored her first collegiate goal in a 16-15 victory over Hartwick.

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College Hoops

Joel
Thursday JOEL SMITH got 17 minutes and scored two points as the Washington Huskies lost their fourth straight Pac-10 basketball game, this to USC. On Saturday when the Huskies snapped the loss skein upsetting #5-ranked UCLA Joel got only four minutes.

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Geoff
Friday in St. Paul, Minnesota GEOFF WEST scored six but the University of Mary fell to the outside shooting of Concordia 86-59. On Saturday West scored eight but the Marauders lost 58-56 to Minnesota-Moorhead in the final three seconds. The Marauders slip to 6-18 with the loss and 3-12 in the Northern Sun.

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College baseball

JAKE KOUGL
JAKE KOUGL is on the South Dakota State baseball roster for his senior year after serving as the Jackrabbits’ closer in 2007. Kougs totaled nine saves to lead the team. He posted an ERA of 3.38

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JC baseball

Hancock
At Hancock COREY DOTZLER must like openers. He rapped two hits for two RBIs in a 6-4 victory over Taft in the Bulldogs’ season opener. Then in the home opener on February 5 he did the exact same thing—two rips, two RBIs. But he wasn’t done. On February 8 against West Hills he rapped two more, including a three-run homer. On Saturday against Rio Hondo he was good for two more including a double. En Fuego!

On February first at Reedley KIRK FRIDRICH notched his first win of the season in a 2 1/3 –inning outing against College of the Sequoias.

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SB City College
At SBCC JOHNATHON TERRONES is batting .222 after 2-for-9 in six of the Vaqueros’ first seven games. One of those raps was a triple. Catcher BRIAN GREGORY has gotten into two games and in one at-bat has an on-base percentage of 1.000. He drew a walk. Pitcher JAMES ROOT has taken the mound for one inning. He struck out one, walked one, and gave up one earned run.

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Boxing
ROY'S BOXING GYM MOVING AGAIN

Effectively immediately, Roy's Boxing Gym will be moving to 960 East Chestnut or next door to the Lompoc Food Pantry. Contact Coach Baca at 588-2901 for more information.