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

Cleveland

COACH: Steve Landress, 2nd season

LAST SEASON: 12-10-1; 3rd in league, 8-9

PLAYERS TO WATCH: Cleveland faces perhaps the biggest rebuilding job in the league, having lost seven talented starters. Only third baseman Mike Immken, a senior, returns among position players. Although the rest are new faces, Cleveland fared well in winter-league play. Underclass pitchers dot the landscape: Junior right-handers Anthony Williams and Eric Elzy and freshman right-hander Junior Brignac will handle mound duties. Mike Buckingham, a varsity reserve as a junior, starts at first. Senior Khanti Simmons, who had a solid American Legion season last summer, will start at second. Senior shortstop Tim McGuire missed last season because of a broken arm but has rebounded nicely, Landress said. Michael Locke, a returning letterman with good speed, will start in center. Richard Sanchez and Scott Foli, both seniors, will start in the outfield. Junior Matt Tays, a transfer from Covina who played on the junior varsity last year, probably will start at catcher.

OUTLOOK: Last season, highly regarded Cleveland under achieved. This season, the team is an unknown quantity. The pressure has lessened. “I’m kind of excited,” Landress said. “There’s some talent here and they’ve responded to coaching.”

Granada Hills

COACH: Darryl Stroh, 24th season

LAST SEASON: 17-7; 1st in league, 11-6

PLAYERS TO WATCH: Granada Hills has several returning lettermen, though only two were full-time starters. Senior outfielder Robb Weinzimer batted .382 in the leadoff position last season and again will start in the outfield. Gaby Halcovich, a senior second baseman, also returns. Pete Pero, a reserve as a junior, will start at catcher, replacing departed Sam Voita, now playing at Pepperdine. Kyle Nakamura and Jon Mayer, seniors and returning lettermen, start at first and third base. Newcomer Jim Landress, a sophomore who started in the outfield as a freshman at Notre Dame, will play shortstop and is a player to watch, Stroh said. Landress’ father, Steve, is the Cleveland coach. Junior Bryan Weinstein, who played for the junior varsity last year, also will start in the outfield. Senior Rob Cohen, up from the junior varsity, will be the designated hitter. Senior right-hander Matt Livingston, who was 8-3 with a 2.16 earned-run average, is the staff ace. A group of four new pitchers is solid, if untested. “I like ‘em a lot,” Stroh said. “When they’re on their game, they’re all effective.” Sophomores Josh Goldberg, a left-hander, and Jim Brooks, a right-hander, will be tested early. Junior right-handers Mark Mandell and Bill Peters, promoted from the junior varsity, also will get a shot.

OUTLOOK: Granada Hills may be the defending champion, but Stroh picks Kennedy as the team to beat. “We should be in pretty good shape, but I think Kennedy has the horses,” he said. “They have some returning guys (on the mound) and some pretty good hitters too.”

Chatsworth

COACH: Tom Meusborn, 4th season

LAST SEASON: 17-11; Tied for 1st in league, 11-6

PLAYERS TO WATCH: This might be the most inexperienced Chatsworth team in recent memory, and the Chancellors must mature fast in order to compete with league favorites El Camino Real and Taft. Only two starters return, but they are impact players. Mark Lopez, a senior center fielder, was an All-City 4-A selection last year. Junior shortstop Bryan LaCour, who missed much of last season because of a broken ankle, batted .375 and is one of the region’s best hitters. The rest are new faces, including the untested pitching staff, which is composed of “two sophomores, two juniors and two seniors, which all adds up to six very green guys,” Meusborn said. Right-handers include senior Doug Sidwell, juniors Jim DeBiasi and Tony Montiel, and sophomore Harry Kenoi. Senior Kyle Reed and sophomore Ray Daryabigi are left-handers. None of the six has varsity experience, and neither do most of the position players. Promoted from the junior varsity are junior catcher Brandon Murphy, junior first baseman Eric Rovner and second baseman Luis Enriquez. Senior Ryan Mort, a returning letterman, might catch. Other than Lopez, the outfield remains unsettled.

OUTLOOK: Chatsworth has eight seniors and 11 underclassmen, so the early going could be rough. Chatsworth doesn’t rebuild often, but the team should definitely be a title contender next season. “Lopez and LaCour will be fine,” said Meusborn, who might bat the pair first and second in the order. “But we’ll need somebody else to step up.”