SOUTHERN SECTION BASEBALL CHAMPIONSHIPS : El Toro Sets a Winning Agenda : Student Leaders Give Chargers a Vote of Confidence

If teamwork and good leadership are necessary qualities for success, El Toro High School’s baseball team will have plenty of what it takes to win today when it meets La Mirada for the Southern Section 3-A championship in Anaheim Stadium.

While El Toro (18-13) has been one of the biggest surprises in the single-elimination tournament, it should really come as no surprise that four players in the Chargers’ starting lineup have achieved success.

Designated hitter Tim Jurkowski, first baseman Bob Gaskins, center fielder Dave Nemeth and second baseman Brian McNamara are among the student leaders at El Toro. Jurkowski is the student body president, Gaskins serves as treasurer, Nemeth is boys’ athletic commissioner and McNamara is the school’s representative at district meetings.

The four, elected by the student body to their positions, meet every day as part of the school’s student body council under the supervision of Keith Sims, El Toro’s activities director. They help plan and coordinate school activities, ranging from pep rallies to dances.

The council was busy this week planning service awards for the top seniors in each department, finalizing the agenda for a gymnasium dedication in honor of former Principal Don Walker, selling tickets for a senior picnic at Doheney State Park and making banners for the baseball team’s championship game in Anaheim.

“Athletic events are a big part of the school’s social calendar, so it’s nice to have so many members of the teams working on the council,” Sims said. “All four of the boys are good athletes as well as good leaders.”

Jurkowksi, who also plays first base, had been a member of the school’s speech and debate team for three years when he decided to enter politics. Last May, he ran uncontested for student body president under the campaign slogan, “It’s No Joke, I’m Your Only Vote.”

Though Jurkowski wore boxer shorts with red hearts and admitted he cracked jokes during the school assembly to introduce the candidates, he takes his position as president seriously.

He promised students he would alleviate parking problems and improve the public address system in the gymnasium. Well, cars still line the school’s surrounding streets each day and the sound system is barely audible in the gymnasium.

“Parking is always going to be a problem here, and I ran into too much red tape from the district office whenever I tried to improve the sound system,” he said. “But I think I have gotten more students involved in extra-curricular activities this year.”

Jurkowski estimated that more students and parents attended El Toro’s semifinal game against Saddleback at UC Irvine on Tuesday than any other baseball game in the past four years.

“We’ll have a good crowd at Anaheim,” he said. “We’ve always gotten great crowds for our football games, but then everybody just expects the football team to win all the time.”

Nemeth, a junior outfielder, is the liaison between the student body, the coaches and their programs. Nemeth’s job is to help publicize athletic events and coordinate activities leading to the date of the events.

“I’ve always been involved in athletics, and I thought it might be interesting to serve in student government,” he said. “My dad was president of his college, and I thought politics would be interesting.”

Nemeth wrote a campaign speech for the introduction assembly, but said he had forgotten it by the time he reached the podium. He ad-libbed his way to a victory as commissioner, but recently lost a bid to become student body president for 1988-89.

“I plan on staying involved in athletics and student government,” he said. “I want to be more than just a student in college.”

Gaskins submits budgets and signs dispersals for funds, but admitted he’s never seen a dime in his position as treasurer. Welcome, Bobby, to the political world of rubber stamping.

“I heard other candidates promise that if they were elected, they would set aside funds for a new parking structure,” Gaskins said. “It doesn’t work that way. No way anyone in this position would have access to funds for anything like that.”

Gaskins has been a standout on the football and baseball teams for four years, but said he was more nervous delivering his campaign speech than any time during his athletic career.

“It was scary,” he said. “It got real quiet in the gym when it came for my turn to speak. I’ve played in front of lots of people, but the fans are usually yelling and screaming. This was completely different.”

McNamara, the hottest player on the team with a 14-game hitting streak, has been credited by coaches for his hard work and perseverance. McNamara likely developed these qualities sitting through lengthy school board meetings.

McNamara will graduate 12th in his class later this month with a 4.2 grade-point average. His degree should read: “Summa Kinda Patience.” As school board representative, he must review all pertinent items discussed at board meetings with the student council.

A recent issue at El Toro discussed by the board was a mandatory ban on campus of T-shirts promoting beer companies, such as the popular Corona Beach Club T-shirts. McNamara felt the ruling was “big-time censorship.”

“Just because you’re wearing a T-shirt advertising beer doesn’t mean that you’re the type who drinks beer for breakfast every day,” he said. “I understand the problems with teen-agers drinking, but I don’t think banning T-shirts is the answer.”

McNamara has learned a simple lesson in politics . . . compromise.

“You have to learn to conform, but at the same time, you’re trying to keep your own identity,” he said. “It’s often a struggle. Things look so different from the outside, but once you get inside government, it’s completely different.”

3-A STARTING LINEUPS

EL TORO Pos. Name Avg. Pos. Name Avg. 2B Robert Reed .327 2B Brian McNamara .474 SS Chad Drown .301 3B Adam Brass .364 CF Ron Rico .330 SS Sean Drinkwater .354 P Eric Brooks .530 CF Dave Nemeth .367 LF Craig Fairbrother .344 DH Tim Jurkowski .305 RF Gary Molina .254 LF Bo Haley .263 3B Chris Sceffer .298 1B Bob Gaskins .148 C Chris McHenry .360 RF Forest Hayes .167 DH Tim Esparza .310 C Scott Toppo .175

Eric Brooks’ record is 14-1.

La Mirada’s Tim Esparza bats for first baseman Jim Kenning.

El Toro’s Tim Jurkowski bats for pitcher Jeff Stark (6-3).

3-A MATCHUPS El Toro (18-13) vs. La Mirada (21-6-1)

at Anaheim Stadium, 1 p.m.

La Mirada qualified for its first Southern Section baseball championship in the school’s 28-year history. Four-year starter Eric Brooks leads the Matadores with a 14-1 pitching record and a .530 batting average. Brooks, who was drafted in the fourth round by the Toronto Blue Jays, has pitched in 24 of a possible 28 innings in the playoffs. Left fielder Craig Fairbrother leads a potent offense with 13 home runs and 41 RBIs, both school records. La Mirada has scored 35 runs in 4 playoff games. El Toro’s opening five hitters have been hot in postseason play, averaging .471 or better in the past five games. El Toro hit only three home runs during the regular season, but had added four more in the playoffs. Designated hitter Tim Jurkowski, the school’s ASB president, is batting .471 with 11 RBIs in the playoffs. Leadoff hitter Brian McNamara has a 14-game hitting streak and has scored 11 runs in his past 5 games. Eight of El Toro’s nine starters were members of a Southern Conference championship football team. Left-hander Jeff Stark has a 2.04 earned-run average. El Toro, which qualified for the playoffs only after winning a wild-card game, has been designated as the visiting team.