Baseball: Laguna Beach producing another reality hit
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Laguna Beach’s baseball team could win its first league title in 46 years. Not that many in the idyllic seaside community would notice.
‘Around Laguna, there’s never been a buzz about baseball,’ Coach Jeff Sears said. ‘The weather starts getting warm, the surf gets good ... people find things that are more important, and everything’s more important than us.’
Still, the Breakers have a different look to them this year. Literally. They’re wearing black undershirts beneath their Maroon uniforms, Sears said, ‘to give us that harder look,’ and they’re more nimble thanks to yoga workouts with WWE star Dallas Diamond Page.
With four Orange Coast League games remaning, the Breakers (11-10 overall, 6-2 league) are two games behind league leader Costa Mesa. Laguna Beach plays a doubleheader against Cerritos Valley Christian on Saturday before closing league play with two games against Estancia and a pair against Costa Mesa.
What will it take to make history?
Sears, who is in his second year with the program, recently spoke with his players about making a breakthrough for a team that has only been to the playoffs once (in 2001) since 1963.
‘How do you make change and create history?’ Sears said. ‘We had that discussion yesterday. The bottom line is, it’s through hard work. If you don’t have hard work, you’re not going to have that to back you.’
The Breakers also have a core of talented players, including shortstop Chris Paul (.456 batting average, three homers and 23 runs batted in), catcher Gabe Stansberry (.417, two homers and 19 RBIs), center fielder Dillion Pierce (.414, 12 RBIs) and pitcher Casey Miller (4-3, 2.05 earned-run average).
The problem has been getting all of those players on the field at the same time. Several have been beset by the flu and others have suffered broken fingers and strained knee ligaments.
‘Stuff happens and you have to do what you do,’ Sears said. ‘We’re doing it with smoke and mirrors and we’re having fun doing it.’
That’s just the Laguna Beach way.
--Ben Bolch