HIGH SCHOOL BASEBALL / City Section Previews : NORTHWEST VALLEY CONFERENCE : WEST VALLEY LEAGUE (4-A)

El Camino Real

COACH: Mike Maio, 11th season

LAST SEASON: 15-8; tied for 1st in league, 11-6

PLAYERS TO WATCH: The best place to start is up the middle, where El Camino Real is as solid as any team in the league. Shortstop Dan Cey committed only one error as a junior and was an All-City 4-A selection. Cey, who has signed to play at Cal, batted .418 as a junior after flirting with .500 for much of the season. Second baseman Jeff Astgen and catcher Chris Seal are largely untested on the varsity level, but both played well last summer during the American Legion season. Both are seniors. Third baseman Justin Balser, the team’s catcher the past two years, is expected to supply some power. Balser batted .290 last year and had 15 RBIs. John Novak, a senior and returning starter, will play at first base and designated hitter. A trio of starters return in the outfield. Junior Randy Wolf, a three-year starter, batted .388 and scored a team-high 23 runs last year. Justin Martin, a speedy junior, batted .315. Senior Mike Smith (.232, five doubles, two homers) also returns. Pitching is very much up in the air, Maio said. Senior right-hander Kevin Szymanski, up from the junior varsity, has the most experience after performing well during the Legion season. Junior right-handers Tony Kyber, Billy Burnett and Ryan Venturine, along with Wolf, a left-hander, also will pitch.

OUTLOOK: With five returning position players, runs should not be a problem. Stopping runs from scoring could be. “I really don’t know how strong our pitching is,” Maio said. “It’s a big jump from the JVs up to the varsity.” Despite the team’s potent offense, Maio sees conference foes Taft, Kennedy, Granada Hills and San Fernando as other contenders.

Kennedy

COACH: Manny Alvarado, 5th season

LAST SEASON: 19-9; 2nd in league, 10-7

PLAYERS TO WATCH: Kennedy has a deep crop of returning starters and lettermen and should score runs by the bushel. “Ever since I’ve been here, we’ve batted better than .300,” Alvarado said. “This year, we should (again) score a lot of runs.” The keystones of the lineup are senior catcher David Bourne and senior first baseman Jeff Tagliaferri. Bourne (6-foot-4, 195 pounds) is considered a college and pro prospect, and Tagliaferri will be starting for the third season. Tagliaferri batted .322 with a team-high 25 runs batted in as a junior. Kennedy is more solid than most on the mound with returning starters Miguel Diaz and Tom Manning, both seniors. Diaz, a right-hander, was 6-2 with an earned-run average of 2.91 last year. Manning, a left-hander, was 7-4, 2.61. Senior right-hander Billy Murray, up from the junior varsity, also will pitch. Senior John Toven, who batted .351 as a third baseman, moves to shortstop. Keith Thompson, a reserve as a junior, will play at second or third base. Ken Bernas, a junior who played for the junior varsity, might play at second. Senior Rick Nadeau, a speedy outfielder, batted .338 and will start in center. Seniors Jeff Hall and Pablo Perez, and juniors Richard Prieto and Devin Connolly, are contending for outfield positions. Connolly was the junior varsity league MVP in 1992.

Senior right-hander Billy Murray, is up from the junior varsity.

OUTLOOK: Last year, Kennedy’s biggest question mark was on the mound. “The guys who took control are back, so that really helps,” Alvarado said. With the plethora of bats and two experienced pitchers, Kennedy again should contend.

Reseda

COACH: Mike Stone, 15th season

LAST SEASON: 3-16; 4th in league, 1-16

PLAYERS TO WATCH: Reseda is fielding perhaps the youngest team in the region. Only two seniors will start, and both must contribute substantially. Catcher Juan Romero, a senior, is back to start for the third consecutive year. He batted .318 last season. Ruben Guerra, a senior, is back for his fourth varsity season at shortstop. Junior Carlos Nunez, the team’s best pitcher and a part-time starter at first base, also returns. Nunez batted .386 as a sophomore. A right-hander, he was 2-7 on the mound with a 4.06 earned-run average. A slew of untested sophomores will play a lot: Right-hander Jorge Macias will pitch and play first, right-hander Sean Hernandez will pitch, Jimmy Lucas will start at second, Alonso Arreola will start at third and Ben Nunez will play the outfield. Ben and Carlos Nunez are brothers. Junior outfielders Travion Trammel and Alfredo Guerra, Ruben’s cousin, will start.

OUTLOOK: The most immediate concern is in the outfield, where Stone must replace departed seniors Larry Trammel and Will Skett. “It’s very questionable right now,” Stone said. “But the infield should be better defensively. I like what I’ve seen there.” If Carlos Nunez continues to improve and his defense holds up, Reseda could pull some upsets.

San Fernando

COACH: Steve Marden, 17th season

LAST SEASON: 10-12; 4th in league, 6-11

PLAYERS TO WATCH: San Fernando went from the top floor to the basement in the span of 12 months. The Tigers were City Section 4-A Division champions in 1991, but finished last in league play last year and did not make the playoffs. Pitching depth should keep San Fernando out of the cellar this year, however. Four varsity pitchers return, led by right-hander Raymond Rivera and left-hander Jorge Gonzales, a pair of senior starters. Rivera was 3-4 with an ERA of 3.35 and Gonzales was 3-5, 4.03. Right-hander John Romero, another senior, was 4-3, 2.77. “Our strength is definitely the staff,” Marden said. The team might have to scrap and claw to generate offense. Abel Barajas, a senior catcher back for his third varsity season, had a solid winter and is expected to lead the attack. Tony Cabrera, a junior and returning starter, moves from second to third base. Marden might platoon at first and second base, depending on who the opposition starts on the hill. Three seniors up from the junior varsity--Javier Lozano, Mario Salcido and Eddie Lopez--are likely to play first and designated hitter. Seniors Manuel Mendez and Johnny Alcarez, both up from the junior varsity, will play second. Javier Barragan, a sophomore, will start at shortstop and Ramon Orozco, a junior, is a utility infielder. Senior Javier Lujan, a returning letterman, is the lone set starter and best offensive threat in the outfield. Senior Vince Guerrero, juniors Jerry Rodriguez and Jaime Zamora, and sophomore Angel Hernandez are vying for the remaining two outfield berths.

OUTLOOK: This is a typical San Fernando team that will rely on pitching and execution. “We might have to manufacture runs,” Marden said. “Will the pitching be good enough to compensate?”

Taft

COACH: Rich McKeon, 6th season

LAST SEASON: 12-10-1; 3rd in league, 10-7

PLAYERS TO WATCH: Taft is loaded with experienced seniors, including entire infield and pitching staff. Warren Stewart, a right-hander and four-year starter, will pitch and play second base. Stacy Kleiner, an All-City 4-A catcher as a junior who batted .463, also will pitch and play second base. Senior Adam Shotland, a returning letterman, will catch. Other returning lettermen include seniors Josh Irving at third base and Gabe Kapler at shortstop. Kapler, who had a solid American Legion season last summer, earned a scholarship to Cal State Fullerton. Right-hander Brandon Witkow and left-hander Justin Siegel will play first base. Siegel, who earned a scholarship to North Carolina State, had elbow surgery earlier this month and is not expected to pitch until late in the season, if at all. Witkow, who was 4-4 as a junior, is one of the team’s top pitchers. The outfield is the team’s biggest question mark. Only senior John Soto, who belted four homers as a sophomore but struggled last year, has varsity experience. Junior Mike Ferguson and sophomore DaShon Polk, both football players, are contending for starting berths along with junior Nick Andrisano. Junior right-hander Brian Dueppen, up from the junior varsity, also will pitch.

OUTLOOK: McKeon sees the pitching depth and experience as team strengths. “Even without Siegel, we have three quality guys who can throw,” McKeon said. “And the infield is real solid.” McKeon stopped short of predicting a league title, but he feels good about the Toreadors’ chances. “Physically, I’d put our guys up against anybody,” he said. “Our pitching, on paper, looks stronger (than that of Chatsworth and El Camino Real).”