HIGH SCHOOL BASEBALL PREVIEWS : FOOTHILL LEAGUE : Youth Expected to Serve Hart Well : Murray Pins Title Hopes on Underclassmen in Key Positions

If everything goes as planned for Hart High Coach Bud Murray, youth will be served in ’88. And many Indians will have their day.

Murray’s Indians, picked by most to win the Foothill League, are, strangely enough, probably the youngest starting nine in the league.

Hart starts only one senior, center fielder Joe DeSchryver. Six juniors and two sophomores comprise the rest of the lineup.

“We’re awful young, but these kids can play baseball,” Murray said.

Murray is so confident of his youngsters that he simply shrugs off talk about the traditional problems that plague young teams. Does he fear his team lacks leadership?

“No, there are some leaders out there,” he said. “That guy out on the mound is a leader, that guy behind the plate is a leader, and that little guy out at second base is a leader.”

The three Murray speaks of are juniors Jason Edwards, Casey Burrill, and Darrin Tsukashima, who form the team’s nucleus. Each was an all-league selection last season and played on the Chicago Cubs-sponsored rookie team in the off-season.

Young teams frequently lack consistency. Is that a concern?

“Look, These kids are players and I’m not going to worry if they’re young or not,” Murray said.

If Murray won’t worry, then the rest of the Foothill League coaches will.

“What does Hart have, eight juniors?” Burroughs Coach Ed Knaggs asked. “They have an entire nucleus that will be back next year. They’ve got to be the favorite.”

Despite their youth, the Hart group has ample experience. Six players were members of the Van Nuys-Sherman Oaks Babe Ruth team that won the Babe Ruth World Series last summer.

Five of those players--Tsukashima, Edwards, Lance Migita, Robby Davis, and Chris Vasquez--have starting slots.

Hart

COACH: Bud Murray, 11th season

LAST SEASON: 2nd in league at 10-5; 18-9

PLAYERS TO WATCH: Murray likes what he sees in his Hart squad. Heading the Indian marquee is returning all-leaguer Casey Burrill. Burrill hit .395 as a sophomore outfielder last season but Murray has moved him to fill dual roles as pitcher and catcher. Jason Edwards, who batted .352 last season, will share similar duties. Edwards, too, is a returning all-league performer and he and Burrill figure to make up Hart’s starting pitching rotation. But the list of returning all-leaguers does not end there. At second base, is Darren Tsukashima (.341), one of six Hart players who played on the Sherman Oaks-Van Nuys Babe Ruth World Series championship team last summer. Chris Matkin, a 6-4 senior side-arm thrower, also possesses a strong arm. Defensive prowess is provided by left fielder Lance Migita, who already is turning in acrobatic catches in Burrill’s old position. Murray will look for power from first baseman Ray Gardocki. And, as if they needed more help, the Indians received it when shortstop Robbie Davis transferred from Saugus. “He gives us a little bit of everything,” Murray said.

OUTLOOK: The word around the league seems to be the same. Hart is the team to beat. “We’re gonna be real good,” Murray said. “Defensively we do a good job, we hit the ball real well, and the pitching is there. They just have to do the job.” And the league race? “We’re gonna be there,” Murray said.

Burbank

COACH: Gabe Margve, 1st season

LAST SEASON: 4th in league at 7-8; 15-9

PLAYERS TO WATCH: Margve will be the first to tell you that he has his work cut out for him in his first year. Margve, the junior varsity coach last year, has 13 players on his roster and only two are returning starters. “We’re just going to make do with what we’ve got,” he said. On the positive side is the return of all-league pitcher Wayne Schull, from whom Margve is expecting great things. “Schull has a big bat,” he said. The other returning starter is second baseman Ray Lemus, who along with Schull is a co-captain. The Bulldogs have one other returning player--shortstop Joe Hiortdahl--and after that it’s strictly JV players. “That’s one great advantage I have,” he said. “I know all the kids really well.” Margve will look for pitching help from Amani Huber and Steve Trainor, both juniors. A pleasant surprise came in last week’s La Canada tournament when sophomore Brian Gordon struck out 7 in 3 innings. Margve is quick to praise his team’s defense. “I think our defense is our greatest asset,” he said. Brett Howard, who left the track team for baseball, and Kevin Kruse are reliable outfielders.

OUTLOOK: As expected, Margve talks of Hart when asked about the league outlook. “It looks like Hart’s going to be on top,” he said. “They just look really strong. But after that, I don’t know.” Margve likes the attitude his team is taking. “The kids are all really positive,” he said. To be sure, Burbank is facing long odds. But if Schull comes through as Margve hopes and Gordon pans out, the ride will certainly be made easier.

Burroughs

COACH: Ed Knaggs, 1st season

LAST SEASON: 5th in league at 3-12; 7-15

PLAYERS TO WATCH: Solid, not spectacular, seems to be the word to describe the Indians. And that description is best exemplified in Burroughs’ pitching staff of three--what else?--solid arms. “They’re not going to blow anybody away,” Knaggs said. “But they’re gonna keep us in some ballgames.” The trio is composed of Chris Westbury, a junior right-hander; Brian Forth, a junior left-hander; and senior right-hander Sean Perry. But if anybody can be called spectacular it is two-time all-league second baseman E.J. Pape (.393, 5 HRs). Knaggs looks to Pape as a source of run production and lists him third in the batting lineup. Knaggs is hoping that first baseman Keith Morris, a player with no varsity experience, will add power. Another great hope of Knaggs’ is outfielder Tony Jordan, a player he calls a “tremendous athlete.” Defensively, shortstop Ken Kusler, who hit .460 for the junior varsity last year, is one of Knaggs’ top fielders. Senior outfielder John Barnfather should also contribute. But it isn’t the talent that impresses Knaggs, it’s the attitude. “We aren’t really gifted with much,” he said. “But if anything, we’re a really tough team. We just go out and do it.”

OUTLOOK: While Knaggs, a Hart graduate and former player under Murray, concedes that Hart is the class of the league, he doesn’t count out his own team. “I project us dogfighting them for the whole thing,” he said. “I think I’d be shortchanging my kids if I expected anything else.”