High School Baseball Preview : Hoover Starts Fast in Bid for a Return to Pacific League Throne

If the start of the 1988 high school baseball season is any indication, some familiar names and familiar teams again will command attention in the Glendale area.

Hoover, which won consecutive Pacific League titles from 1983 to 1985 and had qualified for the playoffs every year since 1977 before last season, is off to one of its best starts at 6-0.

At Franklin, pitcher Sam Genie is 15-3 over the past three seasons and returns to lead the Panthers in their bid for the Northern League championship.

And at Flintridge Prep, All-Southern Section Small Schools selection Gerrick Aschenbrenner will attract attention from Division I colleges if he can come close to matching the .540 batting average he posted last season as a junior.

The following is an alphabetical listing of the prospects for high school baseball teams in the Glendale area:

CRESCENTA VALLEY

Pitching should be Crescenta Valley’s strength, but so far the Falcons’ hopes have not materialized. “We’re struggling,” Coach Randy Siebert said. “We should be closing the door in relief, but we’re not.” Senior Dominique Gonzalez, a transfer from Glendale High, and senior Trey Pogue were both first-team All-Pacific League selections last year and will handle much of the pitching load. Senior Sean Mercer is the top reliever. “We have a lot of seniors on the mound and other than that we’re real young,” Siebert said. A junior, Hyok Chang, will start behind the plate and a sophomore, Shane Cowsill, will be at first. Juniors Scott Gleason and Louie Dominguez will start at second base and shortstop, respectively, while Dan Sanchez starts at third. Crescenta Valley’s power hitters are in the outfield with left fielder Eric Anderson (.350), center fielder Victor Ramirez (.375) and right fielder David Bayles (.400). The Falcons finished 12-11 and third in league play last season, losing to Crespi in the first round of the playoffs, 5-3. They are 2-4 overall and 0-2 in league play this season.

EAGLE ROCK

The Eagles missed the playoffs last season, finishing fifth in the Northern League, but several players return, including most of the infield. Manny Washington, an all-league utility player, is starting at shortstop and batting .400. Senior Steve Buccat, a first-team all-league selection as a sophomore, will start at second. Sean Beloud, a right-hander who batted .300 last year, will pitch and play third base. Chuck Engel, a quarterback on the football team, will split time at catcher with junior Bobby Collier. Engel, a senior, batted .330 as the designated hitter last season. First base will be covered by Francisco Del Rio, a left-hander who is 3 for 7 this season. Pitching could be a weakness. Phil Campos and Beloud should throw some innings in relief, but the onus is on junior Brian Kochner. The 6-2, 240-pound left-hander lacks a strong fastball, but has a solid changeup and curve. The Eagles’ outfield consists of Anatascio Martinez, Sam Medel and Matt Kelly. Said Coach Mike Houlemard: “Our weakness is our pitching and our strength is on the bases. We’re hoping our pitching can keep us in it and then we can run on them.”

FRANKLIN

Franklin should have one of the strongest teams in the Northern League this season, thanks to pitcher Sam Genie. The right-hander is 12-1 in league play over the past three seasons and 15-3 overall with a 1.28 ERA. Genie, who also plays first base, batted .400 last season and led the team with 22 RBIs. Genie is being pushed by Phil Arreola, a junior who was 9-1 on the junior varsity last season with a 1.50 ERA. Both are 1-1 this season. The catcher is Emilio Marquez. Hyung Cho will start at first when Genie is on the mound. The junior batted .375 last season. Sergio Galvez was a second-team all-league selection at second last season, batting .385 and finishing with 15 stolen bases and 18 RBIs. Chad Infranca will start at short while third will be played by either Arreola or senior Oscar Rodriguez, a two-year starter who batted .293 last season. Last season Franklin (12-3) finished second behind Marshall and was eliminated in the first round of the playoffs. “We’re looking for leadership from Ernie Barraza and Arreola,” Coach Rick Campbell said. Barraza is the team’s leading outfielder and a returning all-league selection. He batted .383 last season and has a strong arm. He will play in center or right along with either Oscar Rodriguez and Pascual Martinez. Left field will be played by Jose Cervantes.

FLINTRIDGE PREP

Shortstop Gerrick Aschenbrenner was a first-team All-Southern Section Small Schools Division pick last season after batting .540. He is back for his senior season and could account for much of Flintridge Prep’s offense. Aschenbrenner should have support from senior Steve Battaglia, a right fielder who is batting .400. Kevin Ropp will pitch and play first base. Ropp was 5-5 with a 3.31 ERA and a .321 batting average last year. Kenden Mitchell or Bruce Fraser will play at first when Ropp is pitching. Second base will be covered by either Jeff Stubblefield or sophomore Greg Grossman, a junior varsity addition. David Swayne, also a junior varsity addition, will start at third. David’s brother, Steve, was an All-Prep League pitcher last season, but injured his left hand during basketball season and is not expected to return until next month. Coach Manuel Nunez believes that if his team stays steady until Steve Swayne returns, it could make its fourth trip to the playoffs in the past five seasons. Kevin Robb, Kyle Ransford and Aschenbrenner will also pitch. Catcher Tom Fakurfar, a three-year starter, batted .289 last season. Starting in left field and center will be Kenden Mitchell and David Park.

GLENDALE

Glendale’s playoff chances will depend on the play of third baseman Jeff Sofro and first baseman Brian Kneiding. Sofro is batting better than .500 this season, Kneiding is batting better than .300. Both are seniors and key an infield that includes second baseman Craig Rich and shortstop Swain Wukelich. “Our defense is going to make or break us,” Coach Chris Axelgard said. “Glendale hasn’t been in the playoffs in a very long time. But this season we have a bit of talent.” Outfield duties will be handled by Ryan Brito, Felipe Perez and Michael Revas. But to remain competitive, Glendale (3-3, 2-1 in the Pacific League) will need steady performances from pitchers Bob Moser and Justin Lord and catcher Dave Monach.

HOOVER

Hoover (6-0, 2-0) is off to one of its best starts. The Tornadoes have twice defeated Muir and pitchers Kyle Bell and Sean Regan are both 3-0. Hoover also has received solid performances in relief from David Berkey and Howard Mazei. Berkey also plays center field and shortstop. Junior Pete Kim starts behind the plate. Mickey Moreno and Frank Gonzalez will platoon at first with Trenton Morrillo at second, Bell or Berkey at shortstop and sophomore Brian Day at third. But the power is in the outfield with James Hernandez, a .300 hitter last season, in left, and either Berkey or Adam Wiggins in center. Hoover finished fourth in the Pacific League last season under Coach Bob Cooper, who is in his 13th season. “We’re just an average baseball team,” Cooper said. “If we have good pitching and a good defense we can be as tough as anybody.” Hoover won the Pacific League title in 1983-84-85 and had qualified for the playoffs every season since 1977 before last year.

LA CANADA

Coach Gary Lievre has the luxury of having four returning pitchers. Senior Jeff Kucera is the Spartans’ best pitcher, but there is plenty of support with seniors Mike Larson and Matt Whiznant and junior left-hander Mark Hanson. Larson and Whiznant will pitch and play first base. Senior Randy Dorr will start at second and Kiki Welk will play at shortstop after spending last season in center. Greg Angeloini, a junior varsity addition, will start at third with Tony Sullivan in left and Chuck Siegler in center. Right field will be played by Jeff Pierce or Hanson. The catching duties will be split between juniors Bill Koury and Sean Weingarton. Lievre said that the league race is wide open and that the Spartans’ hopes will depend wholly on their pitching. “We have a good chance of winning the league if our pitching is sound,” he said. Lievre has coached the Spartans for the past seven seasons, taking them to the semifinal of the 2-A playoffs in 1984. Last season, the team finished 7-14 overall and 5-10 in the Rio Hondo League.

MARSHALL

Marshall lost three players to academic ineligibility and is hoping for their return for the second half of league play. Marshall (5-4-1, 1-0-1) returns All-City pitcher Jose Garcia. Last year, the senior right-hander was 10-2 with an ERA of less than 2.00. The catcher is senior Jose Chavez, who batted .400 last season and is 4 for 8 this year. First baseman Darren Hubert, a senior, was named to the All-Northern League team his sophomore season. Because of the ineligibilities, Gus Marroquin and Mike Rodriguez are starting at second base and shortstop, respectively. Sophomore Mark Umemoto is at third. “If we can hang in there for our first eight league games and come out 6-2, we could have a good shot at winning it,” Coach Gary Donatella said. The outfielders are senior left fielder Ramon Hernandez (.350 last season), sophomore center fielder Jamie Chavez and either Angel Lao, Jesus Plascencia or Louie Garcia in right. Marshall won the league title in three of the past four seasons and has advanced to the quarterfinals of the City 3-A playoffs the last two years.

PATER NOSTER

Coach Jesus Peinada has had trouble keeping a team on the field. Two starters are currently ineligible and with only nine players remaining, there is little margin for error. Pater Noster (1-3) already has forfeited two games because of player ejections, once for violating a rule against wearing jewelry and the other for abusive language directed at an umpire. Pater Noster had one of its best seasons last year, finishing 12-9 overall and 7-7 in the Santa Fe League, but it lost its final league game and missed the playoffs. Seven players were lost to graduation, however, and this season the team’s top player appears to be sophomore pitcher Paul Martinez. The left-hander played on the junior varsity last season but has displayed good control at the varsity level. He is joined by another sophomore pitcher, Chuy Barraza. Other possible impact players include Jeff D’Errico (pitcher, first base) and Ricky D’Acosta (pitcher, shortstop). “It’s going to be a real rough season for me,” Peinada said. “We have a young team and only a couple of seniors. We’ll have a good team next year.” Tony Quintero, a sophomore catcher, bats third and is sound defensively. Acosta shares the duties at shortstop with Vince Lopez, a sophomore who is batting fourth. Eddie Espinoza, Effran Torres and Rudy Aguilar will play in the outfield.

RIBET CHRISTIAN

The Fighting Frogs are 2-1 this season with what Coach Patrick Moyal characterizes as a “very young team.” Not only are the players young, the program has only been in existence for three years. Ribet, which plays in the Heritage League, will have a very strong infield. Moyal has loaded the infield with the team’s best all-around players because, he said, the ball rarely makes it to the outfield. Senior Joe Viray will be at first base with Dale Santa Ana at second, Billy Sanders at shortstop and Mike Gittos at third. The Frogs have few returning pitchers, but the strongest is junior right-hander Tony Lee. Santa Ana and Gittos will pitch in relief with senior Willie Guerrero starting at catcher. Maurice Johnson, Keith Henderson, Mike Lee and Joseph Wiles will platoon in the outfield. Ribet finished 6-8 in league play last season.

ST. FRANCIS

Coach Ric Cly is starting three seniors, five juniors and a sophomore but is optimistic about his team’s chances. Two players who will be keys to the Knights’ success will be shortstop Bill Morris and second baseman Mark Loretta. Morris, an all-league football and baseball player, batted .390 last year and is a team leader. Loretta, a junior, batted .340 and was an honorable-mention all-league selection. Cly said catcher Greg Zaun could earn all-league honors this season. Zaun went 3 for 4 against Bosco Tech in the Del Rey opener. New to the lineup are Paul Walleck at third and Derek Bedell at first. The outfield includes Matt Jones in left, Joe Garofalo in center, Mike Weisenberg in right and utility fielders George Hurley and Mauricio Nunez. John Farkus, Eric Hagge, Dan Fraschetti and Weisenberg are the relief pitchers. St. Francis (2-3-1, 1-0) finished fourth in league last year.