Peñaloza: Sailors take on St. John Bosco as part of Sunset League vs. Trinity League Baseball Challenge

The organizers of the Sunset League vs. Trinity League Baseball Challenge dinner last Saturday got two of the college fight songs right, except the first one.

Before Orange Coast College baseball coach John Altobelli spoke at the Newport Harbor Elks Lodge, the song for the Pirates of the Caribbean ride at Disneyland played.

“That was interesting,” Altobelli said, drawing laughter from the crowd.

After all, Altobelli is the coach of the Pirates, who won the California Community College Athletic Assn. state tournament in 2014 and ’15.

Altobelli was the night’s first guest speaker, and USC Coach Dan Hubbs and UCLA Coach John Savage followed. The event recognized coaches from the two leagues, as well as former standout players from the two leagues.

The high school baseball season is right around the corner, and for Newport Harbor, the Sailors are involved in the major showcase involving the Sunset League’s public schools against the Trinity League’s private schools this month. The Sailors play host to Bellflower St. John Bosco on Feb. 13 at 11 a.m.

“I think it’s really exciting,” Newport Harbor Coach Evan Chalmers said of the showcase, which Fountain Valley assistant coach Chris Sorce, a former Estancia boys’ basketball coach, put together. “There [are] a lot of really good players that come out of both leagues. We like to think that our [Sunset League] can stand up to pretty much any league. Obviously the private schools are, you know, highly touted, and have a lot of great players coming from all over, but we like to think that we can compete with them.”

The last time one of Chalmers’ teams faced a Trinity League opponent was two years ago in the CIF Southern Section Division 1 playoffs. Things didn’t go exactly Newport Harbor’s way in the wild-card game, as Orange Lutheran’s Toby Dunlap threw a perfect game against the Sailors in a 7-0 win.

I brought up the Orange Lutheran game to Chalmers, who would rather forget it.

Chalmers and his assistant coach, John Christensen, were at the dinner. They sat Chalmers and Christensen toward the back, along with me. We had the table all to ourselves, until my sports editor, Steve Virgen, decided to switch tables. The attendees near the exit ate first, and I think that’s the reason why Virgen ditched his table for ours.

Ed Arnold, the longtime Southern California sports anchor, was the emcee. He even recognized Virgen and the rest of the media members at the event.

The event really belonged to Bob Ickes, the former Mater Dei head coach who won a CIF Southern Section Division 4-A title in 1980 and compiled a 451-181-9 record during his 25 years in charge, David Huff, a former Edison player and CIF Southern Section Division II champion in 2001 and current pitcher with the Kansas City Royals, Ron La Ruffa, a former Edison and Fountain Valley coach who won CIF Southern Section Division I titles with the Barons in 1994 and ‘95, Rob Sharpnack, a former Fountain Valley pitcher and CIF Southern Section Division 4-A champion in 1985, and Cory Hahn, a former Mater Dei outfielder and CIF Southern Section Division 1 champion in 2010 who was paralyzed in 2011 after sliding head-first into second base while a player at Arizona State.

Out of the five honored, Hahn, got a standing ovation. Hahn is currently a scout for the Arizona Diamondbacks. He thanked those in attendance, crediting his former coaches and opponents for making him the person he is today. Both Hubbs and Savage, a former UC Irvine coach, said Hahn inspired them.

Hubbs and Savage said they closely follow the players and teams from the Sunset and Trinity leagues. Huntington Beach won the CIF Southern Section Division 1 title last season and Santa Margarita claimed it in 2014, while Marina finished as runner-up in 2013.

“Huntington is No. 1 in the nation,” said Chalmers, whose team finished 11-17 overall and in last place in league at 2-13 last season. “We got our work cut out for us [with the Oilers] and pretty much everyone else.

“We have really, really good team chemistry. We have really good … commitment and a very, very good work ethic. We’re excited about where we’re headed, [trying] to get to the playoffs.”

Below are the matchups in the Sunset League vs. Trinity League Baseball Challenge:

Feb. 6

Mater Dei at Los Alamitos, 10 a.m.

Santa Margarita vs. Huntington Beach at Canyon, 12 p.m.

Feb. 13

Marina at Servite, 11 a.m.

St. John Bosco at Newport Harbor, 11 a.m.

Feb. 17

Edison at JSerra, 5 p.m.

Fountain Valley vs. Orange Lutheran at Hart Park, 6 p.m.