CMC75 Moments: 1996 Baseball Takes Cal Lutheran to Five in NCAA Regionals

As part of the buildup to the 75th Anniversary celebration for Claremont McKenna College (visit CMC's 75th Anniversary Countdown Page to learn more), we are reliving many of the great moments from CMS athletic department history over the 75-day countdown from April 17 to July 1. If you were a part of this great moment and would like to add to the memories, or if you would like to submit your memories of your own favorite CMS Athletics moments, fill out the form on our main 75th Anniversary page.

Great Moments from 75 Years of Athletics
1996 Baseball: Stags Come One Win From DIII World Series

The CMS Baseball team had one of its best seasons in program history in 1996, earning a 25-10 regular season record and a 17-4 mark in the SCIAC. That was good for second place in the league behind Cal Lutheran, a huge jump from the previous season's 8-13 mark and seventh place finish. The reward was an NCAA Regionals berth, the first for the program since 1990, and a best-of-five series with Cal Lutheran for the right to advance to the Division III World Series.

The Stags, who were ranked No. 9 in the nation at the end of the regular season, came out like gang-busters in the first game, dominating the Kingsmen 17-4 for the program's first NCAA victory in 15 years. The Stags scored four times in the first inning, and broke it open with a five-run fifth, on their way to a 20-hit effort. That was more than enough run support for star pitcher Brian Zinda, who was able to come out after five innings to save his arm for later in the weekend, while Mike Cook and Tyler Laughery each hit home runs and Mark Murray set an NCAA record with four doubles. Laughery also set an NCAA Division III record by stretching his hitting streak to 33 games during the regionals. 

Cal Lutheran bounced back to take the next two games in a Saturday doubleheader to take a 2-1 lead in the series, before CMS stayed alive with an 8-3 win on the final day. Zinda came back on one day's rest to throw a complete game, and the Stags used a five-run seventh inning to go ahead 7-3. That forced a second Sunday game, and a fifth and final game in the series, but Cal Lutheran prevailed for the regional title before advancing all the way to the national championship game (falling 6-5 to William Paterson).

CMS ended the year ranked No. 15 in the final ABCA poll. Laughery (.408, 49 RBI) was named a second-team All-American and the SCIAC Player of the Year for CMS and was joined on the All-West Region first team by Cook (.355, 46 RBI) and Zinda (12-1, 2.97 ERA, 11 complete games). Bryan Coin (.393, 37 RBI) and Karl Bracken (.368, 56 runs scored) were second-team All-Region, while Murray (.357, 50 RBI) and John Lister (.292, 22 RBI) were second-team All-SCIAC.

Read full 1996 Season in Review story written by Tony Patti

Karl Bracken:

What a run our 1996 team had, and that Super Regional at Moorpark Junior College was an experience none of us will ever forget. There was no love lost with that Cal Lu team we faced, and even their head coach (Coach Marty Slimak) wasn't above taunting our fielders from the third base coach's box.  But the feeling of opening the LA Times the morning after we won the first game of that series (see photo above) and seeing a feature article about pummeling them was very satisfying.

If I remember correctly, the season did not start off with a bang, but turned with one swing from a freshman pinch hitter off the bench in one of our early-season games: Scott "Superman" Robertson. From the moment he cleared the Italian cypress trees in left with his game-winning home run, we caught fire and it continued throughout the remainder of the season.

I loved everyone on that 1996 CMS baseball team, and having the opportunity to hit leadoff with all those great hitters behind me to drive me in was a true highlight amongst four fantastic years in Claremont.

Mike Nutting:

That was a special team.  Coming off a couple of losing seasons but returned a lot of guys with decent playing experience. Fortunately for me, T-Laugh moved to the outfield and I didn't have to compete with his scorching bat and sculpted physique for time behind the dish. I think we started the preseason playing ok, but when conference play started we went "en fuego" - won 6 of 7 league series (swept 4 of them). The only series we lost (of course) was 2-1 to Cal Lu. It was a real rivalry - we didn't like them, they didn't like us, and it felt like each position had its own adversaries. I think even the diplomatic Coach Town was probably at odds with their Coach Marty Slimak, who suffered an unfortunate accident with a blender around the time of the Regional (true story; he survived).

There are many other stories from that team, but most of them are probably not suitable to print. It was without a doubt the most fun I ever had playing baseball.

Brian Zinda:

Definitely the best team I was ever a part of. My first memory of that year was the very first practice I pitched to the team. I remember I had two strikes on Tyler Laughery and decided to waste a pitch and ended up throwing it a bit farther inside than i intended, it was basically headed straight for Tyler's knee and he ended up hitting it over the road and into the quarry for a home run. I immediately took that as a sign that Tyler was going to have an awesome year, which he did.

That was the season where our first league series was against Whittier and in the Friday game we were trailing by two runs in the bottom of the ninth. We scored a run and with a man on second, freshman Mudder Scott Robertson hit a home run to win it. I remember I was on top of the dugout doing the scoreboard at the time and went crazy and jumped off the roof (almost landing on and killing a freshman on the team, I don't remember who) to join the party at home plate. I feel like in that game we knew we were going to be able to win every game and have a great year.

One other big thing i remember about that year, my uncle John Zinda, the athletic director at the time, had passed away the summer before. The last thing he said to me in the hospital was "Beat La Verne", which we did. I think La Verne had gone undefeated in league play the year before and had won the Division III championship. I always felt like that year was dedicated to my uncle.

Tony Patti:

The funniest story is about Brian Zinda. He was 12-1 that year, but the loss was against NAIA-scholarship Azusa Pacific, so that says something already. That first-game blowout was started by Zinda and he was pulled after five innings with the game well in hand. So after dropping the doubleheader, Mr. Zinda returned for Game Four on one day rest. Completing the game meant Zinda had thrown 14 innings in about 46 hours. 

Afterwards, in the stands, a student reporter was interviewing Zinda about the incredible two wins. Excitedly, she asked, "Was this the most innings you have ever pitched in such a short time?" And in his Brian Zinda, Harvey Mudd genius deadpan style, he simply said, "No," without further explanation (he had previously pitched 14 1/3 innings in a loss to Redlands). The look on the reporter's face was priceless.

1996 Baseball Roster
Head Coach: Randy Town
Assistant Coaches: Chris Kimberly, Ray Eberle
Scorekeeper: Tony Patti
Tim Apter (So., RHP, CMC)
Karl Bracken (Jr., SS, CMC)
Dwayne Carey (Jr., 2B, CMC)
Bryan Coin (Sr., 1B, HMC)
Mike Cook (Jr., OF, CMC)
David Crumbine (So., OF, CMC)
Adam Duplay (Fr., C, CMC)
Brian Gray (Sr., RHP, CMC)
Lance Lanfear (Fr., 1B, CMC)
Tyler Laughery (Jr., OF, CMC)
John Lister (Jr., OF, CMC)
Kristian Lolich-Beyer (Fr., OF/P, CMC)
Reed Moulds (Fr., 3B, CMC)
Colin Murphy (So., 2B, CMC)
Mark Murray (Jr., 3B, CMC)
Mike Nutting (Jr., C, CMC)
Anthony Polazzi (So., C, CMC)
Matt Raine (Sr., RHP, CMC)
Scott Robertson (Fr., DH, HMC)
TJ Rodgers (Fr., DH/1B, CMC)
Sean Smith (So., RHP, CMC)
Steve Sugimura (Jr., OF/P, CMC)
Joe Whitlach (Jr., LHP, CMC)
Stuart Young (Sr., 2B, CMC)
Brian Zinda (Jr., RHP, HMC)