Gromacki Ready for Her Debut as Titan Coach

Michelle Gromacki knows it will be a challenge.

She will be following in the footsteps of Judi Garman as Cal State Fullerton softball coach when the Titans open the season Friday in a three-day tournament at New Mexico.

Garman, who started the program at Fullerton in 1980, won a national championship and 913 games there in 20 seasons before stepping down as the nation’s winningest college coach. She will retire from the university March 27.

“Judi has given me a lot of guidance, and I feel I’m ready for this,� said Gromacki. “I’m here because of Judi. She gave me the opportunity to play here, and the opportunity to coach here.�

Gromacki was Garman’s top assistant the past five years, and has been her chief recruiter during that time.

Gromacki was the catcher on Garman’s 1986 national championship team. During one seven-year stretch in the 1980s, the Titans also finished second three times and third twice.

“That was a great time for Fullerton softball,� Gromacki said.

While Gromacki is listed as interim coach, she has the opportunity to show this season that she deserves the job on a permanent basis.

“The interim title doesn’t concern me,� Gromacki said. “I look at that as just a detail. I don’t need any extra pressure by thinking about that aspect of it.

“What happens after this season is an outcome. I tell our players not to think about the outcome, but to concentrate on playing the game, and that’s what I’m doing. I’ve always been able to maximize my opportunities, and that’s what I want to do.�

The Titans are ranked 26th nationally in the USA Today preseason coaches’ poll, and Gromacki is optimistic about the team’s chances.

“It’s a good mix,� she said. “We’re young, but we also have some veterans back who were part of what we did in the Washington regional last season,� Gromacki said.

The Titans, who were 36-29 overall and fourth in the Big West Conference last season, won their first two games in the NCAA regional, beating Tennessee and Oregon, before losing, 1-0, to third-ranked Washington. Fullerton was eliminated by Hawaii, 4-3.

The key this season probably will be how well the pitching develops.

Jana Oetgen, who won 21 games for the Titans last season, completed her eligibility, but sophomore Christy Robitaille is back after posting a 10-10 record as a freshman. She also had five saves. The other two pitchers, Gina Oaks and Jodie Cox, are freshmen.

The team’s top returning hitters are Yasmin Mossadeghi (.316), Dara Marzolo (.294) and Monica Lucatero (.282). Mossadeghi and Lucatero each had seven home runs, and Lucatero was second on the team in runs batted in with 36.

DOUBLE DIP

He’s not the first to do it, but UC Irvine men’s tennis Coach Steve Clark slipped through an NCAA loophole.

Teams are allowed 25 days for matches over the course of a season under NCAA rules. But there is no limit on matches in a day.

So, the Anteaters played two on Jan. 22, beating UC Riverside and U.S. International, 7-0.

“[Clemson Coach] Chuck Kriese came up with that,� Clark said. “He even does triple-headers sometimes. He’s a wild man.

“These teams aren’t as strong. We expect to win and we’re going to win. It’s a good chance for the guys to get the feel of the game back before we play USC, UCLA and all the big guys.�

Clark does have reason to be optimistic, as several of his returning players had good falls.

* Stephan Pongratz won the San Diego Intercollegiate Tournament.

* Chris Ma went five rounds at the All-American Tournament in Austin, Texas.

* Team captain David Matthew went four rounds at the All-American.

* Chris Chung reached the consolation semifinals of the Rolex tournament and hasn’t lost a challenge match against his teammates.

There is also Oliver Schweizer, a transfer from Pepperdine who reached the quarterfinals of the Southern California Intercollegiate.

DECK THE HALL

Irvine will induct three former athletes and one coach into its hall of fame Saturday.

* Tod Murphy was a key part of the Anteaters’ successful basketball teams in the mid-1980s, an era that included an NIT victory over UCLA in 1986. The 6-foot-9 Murphy is Irvine’s all-time leading scorer with 1,778 points.

* Jean Nachand was an All-American tennis player in 1974 and 1977. She reached the national doubles final in 1974 and was a quarterfinalist in the 1977 singles competition.

* Pat Glasgow was the first Irvine athlete to be named an All-American. He was an All-American in water polo in 1965 and in swimming in 1967. He finished second in the NCAA 1,650-yard freestyle and third in the 200 butterfly in 1967.

* Greg Patton was a colorful and successful men’s tennis coach. Patton had a 288-150 record from 1979 to 1992. His teams reached the NCAA championship tournament in 1983, 1987, 1988, 1989 and 1990. The 1989 Anteater team finished fourth in the nation.

They will honored at halftime of the men’s basketball game against Pacific Saturday.

Staff writer Chris Foster contributed to this report.