In a year like no other with online learning, season cancelations and COVID-shortened schedules, Ventura College Athletics still transferred 36 student athletes to four-year schools for the 2020-21 academic year, as of August 10. Of those transfers, 19 plan on continuing competing in their sport(s) across all divisions of intercollegiate competition. There were 15 transfers who received athletic scholarships while 20 received academic aid to their new school.
Pirate baseball designated hitter Chase McBean has been named to the Southern California All-State team for the 2021 season as designated by the California Community College Baseball Coaches Association. The second-year freshman from Boca Raton, FL was also a first team All-Western State Conference selection.
Pirate outfielders JR Godinez and Elijah Maris and designated hitter Chase McBean all earned first team All-Western State Conference honors for the 2021 season in voting by the conference coaches earlier this month. Godinez also received a Gold Glove award for his defensive prowess along with catcher Max Baldaccini. Baldaccini, Anthony Chavez, Garrick Levesque and Casey Turturici all were named second team All-WSC.
Ventura College student athletes excelled once again in the classroom in the spring semester, achieving an overall 3.22 grade point average. A total of 106 Pirates earned Dean's List honors by posting at least a 3.5 GPA in 12 or more units of study, with 49 of them recording a perfect 4.0 GPA of all A's. Of VC's 19 intercollegiate athletic teams, 17 earned an overall GPA of 3.0 or better.
The Ventura College baseball team kept its offense humming on Saturday, defeating Antelope valley 10-3 and 10-8 to close the 2021 Covid-shortened season at Pirate Park. Catcher Max Baldaccini had three hist on the day, including a double and a home run, while scoring three times with six runs batted in to lead the offense. Joseph Wiersma pitched four innings in starting Game 1, giving up one run with four strikeouts while Robby Keister picked up the win in Game 2, throwing five complete allowing two hits and one run while punching out five.
Scoring runs was not a problem for the Pirate baseball team Thursday as they put up four touchdowns in taking two games from Antelope Valley, 14-11 and 14-3 in Lancaster. VC banged out 29 hits in the two games, led by John Oleson who had five hits while scoring five runs with three runs batted in on the day. Max Flame scattered eight hits over six innings, giving up three runs, two earned, with eight strikeouts to pick up the win in the nightcap.
The Ventura College baseball team split a pair of games against Oxnard College Friday at Pirate Park. VC dropped the opening 7-inning game 12-2 to the Condors before coming back in the nightcap to claim an 8-5 victory. Centerfielder JR Godinez was one of four Pirates with two hits in the second game, along with Anthony Chavez, Elijah Maris and Ramon Torres. Robby Keister pitched five innings and gave up two runs to pick up the victory in the nightcap.
The Ventura College baseball team swept a double-header at Oxnard on Wednesday, defeating the Condors 6-1 and 7-1. Jake Read pitched a seven-inning complete game shutout in the opener while the Pirate bullpen hurled five scoreless innings in relief in the nightcap. Anthony Chavez carried the big bat for VC with four hits, including two doubles and a home run, and five runs batted in on the day. Chase McBean scored four runs from his lead-off position in the two games.
The Ventura College baseball team traveled to Bakersfield Saturday and dropped a pair of games to the Renegades, 7-4 and 11-4. Anthony Chavez had three hits, including a pair of doubles, while scoring four runs with a run batted in to lead VC.
The VC baseball team was on the short end and on the long end of a pair of blow-outs Thursday afternoon with visiting Bakersfield College at Pirate Park. Ventura dropped Game 1 of the twin-bill 8-1 in seven innings before coming back to defeat the Renegades 11-2 in the nightcap. Lead-off man Chase McBean had three hits and scored four runs with a run batted in on the day.
Ventura College assistant baseball coach Andrew Cotner passed away last week after a long health battle with multiple health ailments. The former left-handed hurler joined the Pirate staff in 2020 for VC’s Covid-shortened campaign. His health issues prevented him from returning to the dugout this season.
The VC baseball team traveled to Santa Maria Saturday, dropping a pair of games to Western State Conference frontrunner Allan Hancock College. The Pirates fell 10-5 in the 7-inning opener before dropping the second to the Bulldogs, 17-7. Elijah Maris had pair of hits on the day with three runs batted in and a run scored while Connor Laeng scored twice with two hits and an RBI.
The VC baseball team dropped a pair of games to the visiting Allan Hancock Bulldogs Thursday at Pirate Park. Ventura fell in the first contest 8-0 before losing the nightcap 13-7. Elijah Maris had a pair of hits in the opener while JR Godinez was 2-4 with three runs batted in and Ramon Torres was 2-4 with two runs scored in game two.
The Pirate baseball team traveled to Moorpark on Saturday, coming home with a double-header sweep of the Raiders. In the opener, Joseph Wiersma pitched five innings of shutout ball, allowing just one hit while striking out four while Max Baldaccini had three runs batted in, including two on a double in VC's 5-run fifth inning. In the nightcap, Baldaccini provided the big bat once again with a grand slam home run in the 7-run second frame, leading Ventura to a 12-3 win.
It was a wild day at Pirate Park on Thursday. Ventura and Moorpark combined for 47 runs in two games as the Pirates and Raiders split a twin-bill. VC trailed by as many as 10 runs in game one before coming back to win in walk-off fashion 16-15 before falling to their cross-county rivals 10-6 in the nightcap. JR Godinez led the Pirate offense with five hits, five runs batted in and two runs scored over the 16 innings of play. Travis Nelson picked up the win on the mound in the opener while Robby Keister picked up the save.
The Pirate baseball team came back twice on the visiting Oxnard Condors, only to see OC prevail with late rallies in two games Thursday afternoon at Pirate Park. Ventura (4-4) trailed 5-0 in game one, coming back to tie the score before Oxnard plated three runs in the ninth inning. In the nightcap, VC fell behind big before a six-run sixth inning closed the gap to a single run before OC scored twice in the final frame of the seven-inning contest.
The third time was the charm for the Pirates. Playing their third double-header of the season, the Ventura College baseball team bucked the trend of splitting a twin-bill by sweeping the Allan Hancock College Bulldogs 5-4 and 10-7 in Santa Maria on Saturday. Max Baldaccini had four hits, including a pair of doubles, with two runs scored and a run batted in during the opener while Elijah Maris hit a pair of doubles with three runs scored and two RBI and Nick Schnopp was 3-4 with three runs and an RBI in the nightcap for the Pirates (4-2).
The VC baseball team lost a 3-2 heartbreaker in walk-off fashion in the first game at Moorpark Thursday before pounding the hosts 10-1 in the nightcap to split a twin-bill in non-conference action. JR Godinez had a pair of hits and scored a run in game 1 while Max Baldaccini had a pair of hits, including a grand slam home run, knocking in five runs in the second contest.
The Pirate baseball team ushered in Ventura College Athletics' return to action on Saturday in a double-header against Cuesta College at Pirate Park. VC went 394 days between competitions due to the Cobid-19 health emergency, and the teams tried to make up for lost time in Ventura's 5-3, 16-inning thriller in the opener. Anthony Chavez hit a 2-run bomb to left field for the walk-off victory. VC dropped the nightcap 3-0 in seven innings.
It has been 392 days since the Pirates competed in an intercollegiate contest, but in two days they return. On Saturday April 10 the VC baseball team hosts Cuesta College for a double-header and the Pirates' men's tennis team travels to Westmont College to usher in Ventura College's post-Covid athletic schedule. All 10 of Ventura's spring sports are scheduled to return to competition in the coming weeks, although fans will not be allowed inside venues due to county and state health department restrictions.
After opting out of Spring I season sports due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Ventura County Community College District (VCCCD) will “opt-in” for the upcoming California Community College Athletic Association (CCCAA) Spring II season. The decision is based on CCCAA COVID-19 guidelines and input from the athletic directors, coaches and athletic staff of Moorpark, Oxnard and Ventura colleges. The Spring II season includes men’s and women’s competitive sports and begins April 10. The length of the season varies by sport.
Ventura College Athletics is achieving great success in the classroom and on the field! Please consider participating in the #HaveAHeartforVC fundraising campaign for our student athletes February 14 - 22, 2021!
Student athletes at Ventura College continued to achieve academic honors in the fall 2020 semester with 99 of them earning a spot on VC's Dean's List by posting a 3.5 or better grade point average in 12 or more units. Of those honores, 47 earned perfect 4.0 GPA's signifying all A's in their classes. Meanwhile, 13 of the Pirates' 19 intercollegiate athletic teams achieved an overall GPA of 3.0 or better.
Ventura College baseball alumnus Marty Lamb '87 played an integral role in the Los Angeles Dodgers' return to the World Series championship this past fall. He was the signing scout for Walker Buehler, Will Smith, Matt Beaty and Caleb Ferguson from the 2020 title-winning club, but his off-the-field work is also garnering attention. The following article by Ken Gurnick appeared on MLB.com on December 22.
After Thanksgiving, Black Friday and Cyber Monday, the VC Athletic Department is hosting a Day of Giving on Tuesday Dec. 1. The fundraiser conducted through text messaging or online will benefit Pirate Athletics, or any of VC's 19 sports teams. The goal for the day is to have at least 50 individual donors and raise at least $1,000 combined.
Tuesday September 22 was National Voter Registration Day. In conjunction with that day, the Ventura College Athletic Department has paired with the Associated Students of Ventura College to encourage 100 percent voter registration among eligible student athletes and 100 percent registration among VC students. The effort is also encouraging all students to become educated voters and participate in this fall's election.
Despite the movement of classes online and the cancellation of most of the spring season, student athletes at Ventura College continued to achieve academically in 2019-20. In the fall, 99 student athletes made the Dean's list, signifying a grade point average of 3.5 or above, while 107 student athletes were honored on the Dean's list in the spring 2020 semester.