The Week Ahead: Basketball Hosts Carney's Coaches vs. Cancer Wednesday; Baseball Returns Home; Softball, Track and Swimming Hit the Road
Allan Hancock College Athletics will host the 3rd annual Carney's Coaches vs. Cancer on Wednesday February, 8 when the basketball teams host Moorpark. The men will play at 5 p.m. and the women at 7 p.m. During halftime of the men's game, the college will present a check to the Mission Hope Cancer Center, which provides services and treatment to local residents fighting cancer. All sales from tickets, commemorative t-shirts, and snack bar sales will go to Mission Hope. Donations can also be made directly to the cause through crowdfunding.hancockcollege.edu .
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL (3-3, 14-8)
This Week:
Wednesday, Feb. 8, vs. Moorpark*, 7 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 11, @ Santa Barbara*, 5 p.m.
The Allan Hancock College women's basketball team will return home to start a key week of Western State Conference action. The Bulldogs will host Moorpark on Wednesday, February 8, at 7 p.m. before traveling to Santa Barbara on Saturday for a 7 p.m. contest.
The Bulldogs are coming off a 76-50 loss at first place Ventura, the No. 10 team in the state. Hancock trailed by three after the first quarter, but could not get any closer the rest of the way. Sophomore guard Syenna Ramirez (St. Joseph HS) scored 14 points and freshman Karly Beyers (Pioneer Valley HS) added 11 points. Freshmen Taylor Lee-Hammer (Pagosa Springs HS) and Grace Rosa (Paso Robles HS) added 10 points apiece for Hancock.
Hancock lost 59-49 at Moorpark last month. Sophomore Destinee Garcia (Golden West HS) and Lee-Hammer scored 12 points apiece. Garcia pulled down 11 rebounds to record her second double-double of the campaign. The Raiders feature three players averaging 11 or more points per game led by guard Vanessa Desimone (12.3 ppg), and center Emma Johnson (11.6 ppg, 6.1 rpg).
The Bulldogs roughed up Santa Barbara 71-50 last month in Santa Maria. Lee-Hammer led the way with 22 points, Ramirez added 19, and Rosa finished with 17 points and seven rebounds. Destinee King led the Vaqueros with 23 points.
Hancock starts the week tied with the Vaqueros for third place in the conference standings. Moorpark is in second place, two games ahead, of the Bulldogs. Ventura is 6-0 in league.
MEN'S BASKETBALL (2-4, 12-14)
This Week:
Wednesday, February 8, vs. Moorpark*, 5 p.m.
Saturday, February 11, @ Santa Barbara*, 5 p.m.
The men's basketball team will look to get back on track Wednesday, February 8, when Moorpark comes to Joe White Memorial Gymnasium at 5 p.m. The Bulldogs will travel to Santa Barbara City College Saturday, February 11, for a 5 p.m. game. Hancock lost to both the Raiders and Vaqueros last month.
Hancock is coming off an 85-75 loss at first place Ventura. The Bulldogs trailed by one at halftime, but could not get any closer in the second half. Freshman guard Nolan Willett (J Serra Catholic HS) scored a career-best 19 points against the Pirates. Sophomore Marcellus Garrick (Westwood HS) added 18 points and five rebounds. Kevawn Lord (West Side HS) added 14 points and five rebounds. Freshman forward Erik Kinnebrew (Middlebrooks Academy) added eight points, 10 rebounds, and seven assists.
Last month, Hancock fell on the road 101-88 at Moorpark. The Raiders hit 14 3-pointers and Hancock buried just one from long range. Garrick and Lord had 17 points apiece against Moorpark. Kinnebrew finished with 15 points and 12 rebounds. Deon Whiteside (Bishop Gorman) added 14 points and eight boards.
Hancock will be gunning for its first win in three tries against Santa Barbara. The Bulldogs lost 99-92 to the Vaqueros during the Home Motors Invitational in November, and 60-59 in a conference battle last month. Garrick scored 15 points, while Lord and Willett had 14 points apiece in the one-point loss.
To start the week, Hancock is tied for fourth in the conference standings with Santa Barbara at 2-4. Moorpark is sixth at 1-5 in conference action. Oxnard is 3-3, while Ventura and Cuesta are tied for first at 5-1.
SOFTBALL (4-0)
This Week: @ Mt. San Jacinto Tournament
Friday, February 10, vs. San Bernardino, 12:30 p.m.
vs. Imperial Valley, 2:30 p.m.
Saturday, February 11, vs. Grossmont, 10 a.m.
The Allan Hancock College softball team is off to a 4-0 start. The Bulldogs will hit the road to play three games over two days at a tournament hosted by Mt. San Jacinto from Friday, Feb. 10, through Saturday, Feb. 11. Hancock will face San Bernardino at 12:30 p.m. and Imperial Valley at 2:30 Friday. The Bulldogs will close against Grossmont at 10 a.m. on Saturday.
The Bulldogs are coming off a 7-2 win against Riverside in their home opener last Saturday. The Bulldogs scored seven runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to erase a 2-0 deficit. Sophomores Larrissa Ostrander, Maggie Dasis and Shannon Peterson, as well as freshman Bailey Killough had two hits apiece. Ostrander delivered a key two-run single in the seven-run rally for the Bulldogs. Peterson threw five solid innings, while Killough earned the win with two shutout innings.
Four games into the season, Hancock has outscored its opponents by a combined score of 49-4. Ostrander is hitting .563 with three triples and 7 RBI. Dasis is hitting .571 with 7 RBI, while Myranda Morales has 5 RBI and a .545 batting average. Freshman third baseman Nakaila Fuggs (Righetti HS) and center fielder Isabella Partida (St. Joseph HS) are tied for the state lead with five stolen bases apiece. The Bulldogs have a team batting average of .407. Both Killough and Peterson are 2-0 on the season. They have a combined ERA of 0.91 with 23 strikeouts over 23 innings.
This weekend at a tournament hosted by Mt. San Jacinto, Hancock will face three teams from the Pacific Coast Conference: San Bernardino (3-1), Imperial Valley (3-1), and Grossmont (2-1). Melannie Ibarra leads Imperial Valley with 6 RBI, while pitcher Maritza Rojas is 3-0 in the circle and hitting .583 at the plate.
BASEBALL (2-4)
This Week:
Thursday, February 9, @ Reedley, 3 p.m.
Saturday, February 11, vs. Reedley, 1 p.m.
The Allan Hancock College baseball team will look to snap its four-game losing streak against Reedley College this week. Hancock will play at Reedley on Thursday, February 9, at 3 p.m. before hosting Reedley Saturday at 1 p.m.
The Bulldogs lost three games at a tournament hosted by College of the Canyons last week. Hancock built a 7-2 lead against San Diego Mesa in the first game, but ended up falling 9-7. San Diego Mesa hit three home runs against the Hancock bullpen. Sophomore pitcher Walker Armstrong (St. Joseph HS) threw five solid innings where he scattered four hits and one run. Designated hitter Brian Dowell and second baseman Daniel Curiel had two hits apiece. Sophomore center fielder Kyle von Tillow had a triple and 3 RBI for the Bulldogs. Brendan Gomez (Santa Ynez HS) had three hits and Josh Harmonay added two, but the Bulldogs fell 13-5 to College of the Canyons last Friday. Will Dowell allowed nine runs, seven of them earned, in four innings of work to take the loss. In the final game, Gomez and catcher Nash Ackerman hit home runs, but the Bulldogs lost 9-6 to San Diego Mesa. Gomez, shortstop Quinntin Perez and Harmonay had two hits apiece. Perez had 3 RBI.
Six games into the season, Gomez is the team's leading hitter with a .409 batting average and 4 RBI. Perez is hitting .368 with 4 RBI, while Dowell is hitting .375 overall.
Ranked No. 17 in the Northern California Preseason Poll, Reedley is off to a 6-0 start. Sophomore Sawyer Pittman is hitting .474 with two home runs and 9 RBI. Chris Koutsoubos is hitting .375 with one home run. Reedley has a team ERA of 2.67, and averaging 6.5 runs per game.
Hancock has a team ERA of 7.27. The Bulldogs are averaging 5.7 runs for game.
WOMEN'S SWIMMING
This Week:
Friday, February 10 @ Western State Conference Pentathlon @ Ventura
The Hancock women's swimming and diving team will open the 2017 season at Ventura College during the Western State Conference Pentathlon Friday, February 10. Each college will have swimmers compete in the five events. The swimmer who completes all five events in the fastest total time is the winner. Last year, Dria Kwong (Orcutt Academy) won two events and finished second overall as a freshman.
Kwong, Maddie Diaz (Pioneer Valley HS), and Rebecca Gonzalez (Nipomo HS) are three key returners for the Bulldogs in 2017. All three competed at the CCCAA State Championships. Kwong won three individual conference titles, competed in three events at state, and was a three-time All-American as a freshman. Diaz was a three-time All-American and state qualifier in distance events. Gonzalez was a two-time qualifier for state in backstroke events. Last year, Hancock finished fourth overall in the conference and 18th at the CCCAA State Championships, the best finishes in program history.
MEN'S AND WOMEN'S TRACK AND FIELD
This Week:
Friday, February 10 @ Battle of Regions @ Bakersfield College
Anchored by two returning Western State Conference champions, the Allan Hancock College track and field teams open the 2017 season this Friday, February 10, at Bakersfield College. The Lady Bulldogs return a talented field of distance runners, including SoCal Regional qualifier Rachel Naugle (Graceway Private), along with sophomore thrower Taylor Nevitt (Nipomo HS), who won the 2016 WSC shot put title and qualified for the CCCAA State Championships. The men's side features 2016 WSC long jump champion Luke Nickelson (Nipomo HS) and Brent Dionisio (Pioneer Valley HS), who qualified for the 2015 SoCal Regionals in the high jump.