Westmont right-handed hurler Tim Crabbe was selected by the Cincinnati Reds in the fourteenth round of the 2009 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft.

“It’s exciting,” said Crabbe about the selection. “There are still a lot of questions. I have more years of (college) eligibility so I need to negotiate with the Reds tomorrow and over the weekend. I’ve got to look at every situation. I’ll talk it over with my parents and make a decision.”

After sitting out most of the 2008 season due to an injury, Crabbe struggled at the beginning of 2009 to get his form back. But as the season progressed, so did Crabbe’s performance on the mound. In the final start of his junior year, Crabbe turned in a complete game 4-2 victory against Azusa Pacific. The resident of Tucson, Arizona retired 19 consecutive batters while allowing one earned run on three hits.

With a fast ball consistently in the low to mid 90s, Crabbe attracted attention not only from the Reds, but also the Angles, Cardinals and Phillies. But it was the Reds that pulled the trigger with the 419th overall selection.

Westmont Athletic Director Dave Odell has announced the hiring of Robert Ruiz to serve as head coach of Westmont Baseball. Ruiz, who has served as an assistant coach and associate head coach at Azusa Pacific the past five years, is excited about the opportunity to lead the Warrior program.

“Westmont College is proven as a premier NAIA academic and athletic institution and it is an honor to join such a tradition,” said Ruiz.

Ruiz helped lead Azusa Pacific to some of its most successful years in program history. As hitting coach, Ruiz equipped the Cougars to post their best three-year totals in batting average (.344), hits (2,132), doubles (422), home runs (304), total bases (3,516), runs (1,653), RBIs (1,490) and slugging percentage (.567). Among Ruiz’ other duties at Azusa Pacific were infield coach, third base coach and recruiting coordinator.

Westmont catcher Sam Wiley of North Hollywood, Calif. has been named to the All-Golden State Athletic Conference Baseball Team. The junior, who also played at first base, posted a team-high batting average of .392 and drove in 18 runs. Among his 65 hits were five home runs, two triples and 11 doubles. Wiley also recorded team season-highs in slugging percentage (.572) and on base percentage (.460).

Wiley tallied 23 multi-hit games including a four-for-four performance against Azusa Pacific on April 23 in which Westmont defeated #12 Azusa Pacific 4-2. That was the contest in which Tim Crabbe threw a complete game three-hitter with Wiley calling the game from behind the plate. As a catcher, Wiley did not allow a pass ball all season and threw out 14 men attempting to steal a base.

Notably, Wiley struck out only 15 times in 189 plate appearances for a percentage of 7.9%, the lowest on the team. He walked 19 times.

Westmont Athletic Director Dave Odell has announced that Scott Deck will not return as head coach of the Westmont Baseball program for the 2009-10 season.

Deck took over a struggling program in December of 2007, producing a record of 16-72 in his first two seasons. During the 2009 campaign, Deck led the program to a record of 16-31 - the first season in which the Warriors have won ten or more games since 2001. Over the last 24 games, the Warriors have produced a record of 13-11, including wins over #4 Point Loma Nazarene and #12 Azusa Pacific.

In the final game of the 2009 season and the final game at Russ Carr Field before construction of a new field, Westmont Baseball was defeated 5-4 by the Cougars of Azusa Pacific on Tuesday afternoon.

Kellen Skersies took the loss for the Warriors. The senior pitched four and one-third innings, giving up four runs on seven hits. Azusa’s Peter Gehle was awarded the win after giving up three runs, two earned, and allowing six hits in six innings of work. Ben Jones, who pitched the final two innings without giving up a run, earned the save.

[box score]

After throwing a complete, three-hit game against #12 Azusa Pacific on Thursday, Westmont junior Tim Crabbe has been named the Golden State Athletic Conference Pitcher of the Week. Crabbe allowed an unearned run in the first inning and an earned run in the eighth in the Warriors 4-2 win over the Cougars.

Beginning with the last batter in the top of the first inning, the right-hander retired 19 Cougars in a row. Crabbe, who hails from Tucson, Arizona, allowed just two walks in the game while striking out the nine.

“I think he was pitching amazing,” said Westmont catcher Sam Wiley. “Every pitch had movement. For the most part his pitches were down but when they were up, the batters were chasing them and not hitting. It was the best pitching performance I have seen him give.”

For a quarter of a century, Mel Gemberling has brought a wealth of baseball knowledge and history to the baseball team at Westmont College. A beloved figure by generations of Warrior players, Gemberling has volunteered his time and wisdom as an assistant coach since 1985.

The Warriors have been through some tough times in recent years, but Gemberling is an everyday reminder of the joy of playing baseball. He should know - he’s been playing and coaching baseball for nearly seventy years.

Born in 1931, Gemberling grew up in the Highland Park area of Los Angeles during the Great Depression and World War II.

“We were too young to know what was really going on in the world,” said Gemberling. “No one had money, no one had fancy houses, and so we had a lot of fun. We made up our own games, our own teams and we played after school, we played in the streets and on the playgrounds.

Right-hander Tim Crabbe gave up just two runs, one of which was earned, in a three-hit complete game victory over #12 Azusa Pacific on Thursday afternoon at Russ Carr Field. Beginning with the final batter in the top of the first inning, Crabbe sat down 19 Cougars in a row in the Warriors 4-2 win.

“I think he was pitching amazing,” said Westmont catcher Sam Wiley. “Every pitch had movement. For the most part his pitches were down but when they were up, the batters were chasing them and not hitting. It was the best pitching performance I have seen him give.”

“I was just trying to hit Sam’s glove the whole time,” said Crabbe. “Throwing strikes has been the biggest problem for me this year but that seemed to be working. Everything else just fell into place.”

[box score]