COMMUNITY COLLEGE STATE BASEBALL PLAYOFFS : Scott Pickler Gets Chance to Help Cypress Win Title

Scott Pickler would like to become the second family member to lead a Cypress team to a State title this year. He gets his chance starting today, when the Chargers open play in the State tournament in Sacramento.

Brad Pickler, Scott’s brother, coached the softball team to its first State title last weekend at Golden West.

If Scott is to match Brad, the Chargers will need to pull off a big upset. Cypress (33-15) plays Sacramento City (49-1-2), the top-ranked team in the state, at 3 p.m. today.

Riverside (36-13) plays Chabot (36-13-4) at 11 a.m. in the other game of the double-elimination tournament.

The losers of the first-round games play at American River at 10 a.m. Sunday and the winners are at Sacramento City at 11 a.m. the same day. The title game is at 11 a.m. Monday.

Cypress freshman Robert Legendre (8-4) is expected to start against Sacramento City. Legendre, a right-hander, had two victories in the Southern California Regional playoffs last weekend. He beat Los Angles Harbor, 8-3, in the first round May 17, and came back two days later to pitch the final three innings of a 5-4 victory over Los Angeles Pierce.

Roger Weems (6-2) and Todd Blyleven (6-4) are the other two starters for Cypress. Carlos Castillo (7-2) and Noe Najera (2-1) are the top two pitchers out of the bullpen.

Jason Bates (shortstop) leads Cypress with a .391 batting average and a .559 on-base percentage. Bates, who bats leadoff, has walked 48 times and been hit by pitches 11 times.

Kevin Cook is tops on the club with 11 home runs, and Doug McConathy has 10. Troy Babbitt’s 25 doubles set a single-season Cypress record. Sean Drinkwater leads with 14 stolen bases.