CSUN baseball is in the midst of what most people might consider “a rebuilding year” for a program. The Matadors are fielding a higher ratio of newcomers on the roster than most colleges, with nearly half of the team being comprised of new faces in CSUN uniforms.
Newcomers, made up of freshmen and transfer students, usually don’t play too much of a factor at the Division-I level, but transfer students such as juniors Cal Vogelsang and Brett Balkan have already contributed to some Matador wins this year.
“I just want to do my best as an individual to help the team win,” Balkan said. “I want to put Northridge on the map and be able to compete rather than just be last place.”
Vogelsang has seen more innings than most other newcomers so far this year, spending most of his time playing outfield. The transfer is hitting .269 this year with 21 hits and eight RBI. He struggled early in the season to get his first hit as a Matador, but has since strung together a pair of hitting streaks.
“I try and have a quality at-bat every single time, and it’s been working out lately,” Vogelsang said. ”We’ve been doing it all year. We’re sticking to the quality at-bats and just letting those translate to statistics.”
Balkan has also seen his fair share of innings, starting most games at third base for Northridge. The transfer, coming from San Diego Mesa College, has so far used his experience in college to earn playing time and hit .205 with 15 hits and 11 RBI.
The freshmen have also begun to produce for the offense and performed well in the field behind the Northridge pitching staff.
Freshman Ryan Raslowsky, an infielder from Mission Viejo, has earned his way into the starting lineup and is hitting .275 with 11 hits and seven RBI. Raslowsky has played in 19 games and has a .961 fielding percentage on the defensive end, only committing two errors. The youngster has high hopes for himself and the Matadors for the rest of the season.
“I just plan on doing my part in helping the team win,” Raslowsky said. “I also want to get good grades in school before helping us do good in conference.”
The hitters aren’t the only ones getting a chance to help the Matadors in 2012. CSUN also has freshman Jerry Keel, who will see many more innings on the mound as Big West Conference play nears. The left-handed pitcher has thrown 33 1/3 innings and has a 1.62 ERA, the best of any pitcher on the staff. Keel constantly impresses the coaching staff and has earned a weekly spot in the starting rotation.
“I just want to finish this season strong,” Keel said. “If I can finish as one of the better freshman, I’ve met my goal.”
Although the freshmen haven’t seen nearly as much time on the diamond as transfers, they have impressed coaches and veteran Matadors alike.
“Not a lot of (freshmen) are playing right now, but as far as intersquad, they help the team get prepared,” said sophomore starting outfielder Miles Williams. “They’re all working hard, and that’s how you build a good program.”
With conference play beginning Friday at Cal State Fullerton, the newcomers will finally have their chance to give a glimpse of what Big West foes will have to look forward to in the years to come.
