SACRAMENTO CITY COLLEGE

BASEBALL HISTORY

 1999 Team Photo

1998 Team Photo

1988 Team Photo 

 1953 Team Summary

1951 Team Summary

 Top 5 Coaches 

 Spider Jorgenson Photo

  Panthers in the Majors

 

State Champions Gallery 

1999 State Champions

The 1999 baseball team became the first Panther team since the 1982 football team to repeat as state champions. First year coach Andy McKay guided the Panthers after Coach Weinstein resigned his coaching position to take a job with the Los Angeles Dodgers organization. After sweeping through the play-offs, the team found itself needing to win the final 2 games on the final day to win the championship. The Panthers won the first and then found themselves trailing in the bottom of the ninth inning of the final. After telling McKay that he was going to win a championship, shortstop Joe Thurston delivered a 2 run double with 2 outs in the bottom of the ninth inning and the Panthers were able to dogpile for the second straight year.

 

1998 State and National Champions

    The 1998 Panther baseball team posted a dominating record of 44-2 in winning the second state championship under Jerry Weinstein and the fourth in school history.  The leam lost the second game of the season and didn't lose again until the second game of the play-offs--a streak of 37 straight wins.  They swept through the rest of the play-offs, defeating Saddleback in the final game.  Pitcher Mike Neu posted a record of 15-0, the most wins in school history without a defeat.  Matt Riley, a freshman who posted an 8-1 record, signed after the season with the Baltimore Orioles for a junior college record signing bonus of $790,000.
 

1988 State Champions

"Win the last game"

    Weinstein's Panthers captured the third state championship after going through the loser's bracket at the state tournament and defeating top-ranked Rancho Santiago twice to win the title.  The Panthers finished 46-10 and were led by CNC Player of the Year F.P. Santangelo, who led the state with 45 stolen bases.  Santangelo currently plays for the San Francisco Giants.  On April 28, 1988, the Panthers won the first game played in partially completed Union Stadium, clinching their eighth straight CNC championship.  Weinstein was named National Community College Coach of the Year.

 

1953 State Champions

     Jack Woerner led the Panthers to their second championship in 3 years as the team posted a 25-5 record.  J.C. Masters pitched the Panthers to a play-off victory for the league title to advance to the state play-offs.  Grant Tech (now American River) fell to the Panthers 15-0 and 5-2 as SJC captured the Nor Cal championship, as Masters pitched a 2-hitter and hit a home run in the opener and the team stole 13 bases.  After losing the opener of the state championship, the Panthers came from behind twice to defeat Long Beach City College in a doubleheader to win the final series.  Center fielder Norman Coons led the team in RBI, runs scored, hits, home runs, triples, and stolen bases in being named the team MVP.  Masters was 11-1 with 79 strikeouts in 78 innings.

 

1951 State Champions

    The Panthers of 1951 won the first baseball state championship in SJC history with a season record of 29-3.  The team, which was coached by Jack Woerner, had a 19-game winning streak that included a 14-1 defeat of the University of California.  Pete Vartanian was the team MVP, while catcher John McNamara was the team captain.  McNamara became a major league manager for 16 years, his career highlighted a World Series appearance in 1986 as manager of the Boston Red Sox.  Pitcher Tony Stathos had a 12-0 record and won the title-clinching game by a score of 7-5 over El Camino Junior College.
 

S.C.C. Top 6 Career Coaching Records

(ranked by wins through 2008)

Jerry Weinstein

830-209-12

79%
1975-1998

Andy McKay

333-131-2
71%
1999-current

Del Bandy

166-85-0

66%
1962-1970

Jack Woerner

152-51-1
74%
1946-1953

Tony Goehring

79-39-1

66%
1971-1974

Bill Sim

71-22-0

76%
1937-1942

SCC Totals

1858-659-21

73%
 

 

Panthers in the Big Leagues

 

 In 1946 John "Spider" Jorgenson became the first Panther alum to play in the Major Leagues when he was the Dodgers' starting third baseman in Jackie Robinson's first game. Since then 29 men have joined Jorgenson in the Bigs. Notable among them are Ken Forsch, Larry Bowa, Chris Bosio, Gino Petralli, F.P. Santangelo, and Jeff Blauser, the only former Panther to wear a World Series Championship ring. Additionally, Fernando Vina and Greg Vaughn played together in the 1998 All-Star Game.

 

A COMPLETE LIST OF FORMER PANTHERS

WHO APPEARED IN THE MAJOR LEAGUES

*indicates World Series Appearance

Player
Years

Original Team
Debut

 Key Statistic

 Sac City
 Spider Jorgenson* 1947-1951
 Dodgers
 4/15/47 1947: 29 doubles 1939, 1941
 Cuno Barragan 1961-1963
 Cubs
 9/1/61 only ML homer in 1st AB  1952
 Buck Martinez 1969-1986
 Royals
 6/18/69 17 seasons  1967
 Johnny McNamara* 1969-1996
 Athletics
 1969 managing record: 1160-1233  1951
 Larry Bowa* 1970-1985
 Phillies
 4/7/70 5 all star games 1964-65 
 Ken Forsch 1970-1986
 Astros
 9/7/70 114 wins, no-hitter 1965-66 
 Ken Hottman 1971
 White Sox
 9/11/71 6 games 1967-68 
 Larry Wolfe 1977-1980
 Twins
 9/16/77 161 games 1972-73 
 Geno Petralli 1982-1993
 Blue Jays
 9/4/82 1987: .302 BA  1978
 R.J. Reynolds 1983-1990
 Dodgers
 9/1/83 605 hits  1980
 Rich Rodas 1983-1984
 Dodgers
 9/6/83 9 innings, 6 K  1979
 Rick Schu 1984-91, 1996
 Phillies
 9/1/84 386 hits  
 Chris Bosio 1986-1996
 Brewers
 8/3/86 94 wins, no-hitter 1982
 Ken Dowell 1987
 Phillies
 6/24/87 15 games, 5 hits  
 Jeff Blauser* 1987-current
 Braves
 7/5/87 world champion 1984
 Lavell Freeman 1989
Brewers 
 4/7/89 2 games 1983
 Greg Vaughn* 1989-current
 Brewers
 8/10/89 352 career HR  1984-85
 Kevin Brown 1990-1992
 Mets
 7/27/90 3 wins, 44 K 1986
 Joe Bitker 1990-1991
 Athletics
 7/31/90 1-0, 26 innings 1984 
 Gerry Nielson 1992-1993
 Yankees
 7/12/92 1-0 career record 1986 
 Fernando Vina 1993-current
 Mariners
 4/10/93 all star game 1989
 Marcus Moore 1993-4, 1996
 Rockies
 7/8/93 86.3 innings, 73 K 1989 
 Randy Veres  1989-90, '94-96
 Brewers
 5/10/94 9-13, 116K 1985 
 James Bowie 1994
 Athletics
 8/3/94 6 games, 3 hits 1985 
 F.P. Santangelo  1995-2001
 Expos
 8/2/95 56 RBI in 1996 1988
 Darrell May 1995-1996
 Braves
 9/10/95 15 innings pitched 1992 
 Jason McDonald 1997-2000
 Athletics
6/5/97  167 hits in 286 games 1991-92 
 Dave Berg 1998-current
 Marlins
4/2/98  hit .313 in 81 games as a rookie  1990-91 
 Trace Coquillette 1999-2000
 Expos
9/?/99  25 hits in 51 games  1993
 Matt Riley 1999
 Orioles
9/9/99  6 K's in 3 games   1998
Adam Bernero 2000-2001
Tigers
8/1/00  struck out 5 in MLB debut  1997
Dave Moraga 2000
 Expos
6/?/00  appeared in 4 games  1994
Joe Thurston 2002-current
Dodgers
9/02/02  hit .462 in 8 games  1998-99