City Baseball Finals : Canoga Park’s Waiting Game Over

Doug MacKenzie, Canoga Park High School baseball coach, has been waiting 37 years for tonight. At 7:30, the Hunters will make their first appearance in a City final, playing Sun Valley Poly for the 4-A championship at Dodger Stadium.

MacKenzie, 61, has been Canoga Park’s coach since 1951. Before Tuesday, when the Hunters defeated Sylmar, 5-1, Canoga Park had never advanced past the semifinals. And even MacKenzie, who usually keeps his emotions to himself, admits he is excited.

“I always try never to get too high or too low,” he said. “After a tough loss, or before a big game, I always sleep well. But after we beat Sylmar, I just couldn’t get to sleep. I guess it’s all the adrenaline in my system. We’ve had a lot of other exciting moments here, but not quite like that.”

This game is special in more ways than one for MacKenzie. If Canoga Park wins, it will be the 300th victory of his career. And, win or lose, it could be his last game as the Hunter coach. Last month, MacKenzie retired as a health instructor, and Canoga Park principal Charles Molina will decide this summer if he will allow MacKenzie to coach next year.

Canoga Park (18-4), which shared the West Valley League championship with Chatsworth, will start junior right-hander Adam Schulhofer, who has an 8-2 mark and a 2.40 earned-run average. Hunter ace Mike Kerber, 7-0 with a 2.10 ERA, threw 140 pitches in beating Sylmar and will not be available.

Offensively, Canoga Park is led by Schulhofer, who is batting .373 with 7 home runs; Mike Urman, who is hitting .444 and was selected by the Atlanta Braves in the second round of Tuesday’s draft, and Aaron Marks, hitting .393.

Poly (21-4), champion of the East Valley League, will start junior right-hander Nick Lymberopoulos, 9-0 with a 1.80 ERA, who pitched the final 2 innings of the Parrots’ 6-4 win over Chatsworth in the semifinals. Gary Nealon, 10-2 and 1.70, who started Tuesday, could be used in relief tonight.

Poly’s offense is even more impressive. The Parrots average 10 runs a game, have eight starters hitting .300 or better and have seven starters with 20 or more runs batted in. Poly is led by Danny Gil, .544 with 37 runs batted in; Joey Speakes, .487, and Luis Porres .453.

In the City 3-A title game at 4, Bell (25-4) will play three-time defending champion Venice (22-8).

Bell, co-champion of the Eastern League, will start left-hander Louis Carrillo (8-2). Either right-hander Lucio Chaidez (8-0) or left-hander Chico Garcia (4-0) will start for Venice, champion of the Western League.

Robert Moroney, Bell coach, admits that Venice’s experience in championship games will be a big advantage for the Gondoliers.

“Obviously, it will be a factor,” he said. “They’ve been there three times, and it will all be new to my kids.”

Offensively, Bell is led by Alfredo Leal, hitting .455, and Bobby Magalleanas, .411. Venice is led by Roger Serafin, .440 and 6 home runs; Ernie Soto, .414 and 5 home runs, and Eric Crawford, .363.