Cal Lutheran Gearing for Final Step : College baseball: Ithaca is first up for No. 1 Kingsmen, who a year ago tripped on threshold of Division III title.

Each had high-powered tune-ups. The true race for No. 1 starts now.

Cal Lutheran and Ithaca--two of the most successful NCAA Division III baseball programs--will battle today at 2:30 p.m. PDT in the opening round of the eight-team, double-elimination College World Series at Nichols Field in Battle Creek, Mich.

“We played good ball (in the regional) and we’re prepared for this,” Kingsmen Coach Rich Hill said. “We’re confident and focused. We’re very businesslike.”

Cal Lutheran (32-7) was ranked first in the final regular-season poll and did nothing to embarrass voters in its sweep of overmatched Redlands in the West Regional last week at Moorpark College. Cal Lutheran outscored Redlands, 37-4, including 23-2 in the opener.

Under Hill, the Kingsmen have become a division power. Cal Lutheran, which won the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference title, advanced to the World Series championship game last season.

The Kingsmen were on the verge of winning their first title but allowed three runs in the top of the ninth inning in a heartbreaking 3-1 loss to William Paterson College of New Jersey.

“We haven’t talked about it,” Hill said. “That was last year. We know what we have to do now.”

Ithaca (31-8) swept the New York Regional, outscoring its three opponents, 29-17. The Bombers won Division III championships in 1980 and ‘88, and this year Ithaca claimed its 18th league title in the past 21 seasons.

Cal Lutheran is an anomaly. At a level of play dominated by hitting, the Kingsmen control games with pitching; they have a sparkling 2.88 earned-run average.

Cal Lutheran’s starting staff is among the best in the nation and should be a key to the series. Redlands looked hopeless against right-handers Jeff Berman and Mike Winslow and left-hander Pat Norville.

Berman, the hard-throwing staff ace, is 9-2 with a 1.48 ERA and 75 strikeouts in 84 innings. Winslow is 8-0 with a 1.92 ERA and Norville is 8-1 with a 3.04 ERA.

“All of our starters can come up with big games,” Berman said. “We each have confidence we can get it done.”

The Bombers counter with Ed Mahoney (7-0, 4.13 ERA), Cameron Smith (5-3, 5.47 ERA) and Jon Moores (4-1, 4.28 ERA). Ithaca’s ERA is 4.99.

Each team scores runs in bunches.

The Kingsmen are led by power-hitting first baseman Eric Johnson, who was the SCIAC and regional most valuable player. He is batting .434, with five home runs and a team-leading 44 runs batted in.

Outfielder Jeff Geller and third baseman Paul Pedone pace Ithaca. Geller has a .407 average, 12 homers and 41 RBIs. Pedone is batting .405, with seven homers and 48 RBIs.