All-Stars Load Up for Nealon

It took about three pitches for batting-practice pitcher Steve Costley to realize this workout was going to be both lengthy and expensive. One by one, players from the West all-star team sent his fastball over the fence and into the boondocks.

Hey, somebody give me another ball. And another. Break open that other box.

“I got shelled,” said Costley, a co-coach for the West team in the Bernie Milligan All-Star Game that will be played at 4 this afternoon at Cal State Northridge. “All these guys can hit. It seemed like everybody took me deep.”

With rosters as deep as those on both teams, several real pitchers might get knocked around. But then, there are some pretty good arms out there, too, and Costley is loading his opening lineup with right-handed bats against the East’s starting left-hander, Greg Nealon of Poly (10-1, 1.02 earned-run average).

“We’ll start guys like Scott Sharts, Denny Vigo and Adam Schulhofer,” Costley said. “Lefties like Rex McMackin will probably be coming in off the bench.”

Any other left-handed batters who won’t be starting against Nealon?

“Let’s see, Mark Cavaretta, Brian Roth. . . I’m trying to remember which of the guys who lit me up did it left-handed.”

Costley, the coach at Chaminade, said the West would use the entire roster and, in the late innings, would try to field either an all-Southern Section or all-City Section team. Chatsworth’s Bob Lofrano will co-coach with Costley.

“We figure there will be some interest in seeing something like that,” Lofrano said. “So we thought we’d try to work in the City and CIF kids as a whole.”

The West will face Nealon, followed by Hart’s Chris Matkin (8-1, 2.98), Alemany’s Charlie Winner (5-4, 3.65), Sylmar’s Olonzo Woodfin (4-2, 1.44) and St. Genevieve’s Mike Rohrbough (9-2, 2.23), according to East co-Coach Steve Marden of San Fernando.

Marden said each member of the East roster will see action.

“That’s our only real major objective,” Marden said. “To make sure everybody gets a chance to show what they can do.”

East starters will go the first four innings, but the lineup is tentative.

“I think we’ll let the kids decide,” said Marden, who will team with Coach Bob Mandeville of Notre Dame. “We’ll send them out to their positions at practice and tell them that the one that starts goes the first four and the backup guy can go the last five.”

The East roster includes infielders E. J. Pape of Burroughs (.420), Mark David of Poly (.310), Pat Huston of Montclair Prep (.457), Jeff Sofro of Glendale (.400), Tom Dodson of Saugus (.400, 6 HRs, 28 RBIs), Jon Kukawski of Grant (.464, 8 doubles, 6 HRs, 24 RBIs), Jeff Antoon of Notre Dame (.320) and Albert Torres of San Fernando (.514).

East catchers include Steve Lasagna of Antelope Valley (.400) and Jared Snyder of Saugus (.361, 5 HRs).

East outfielders are Josh Bergara of San Fernando (.353, 10 steals, 4 HRs), Luis Porres of Poly (.449, 7 doubles, 5 HRs, 30 RBIs), Gary Morgan of Canyon (.508, 13 doubles), Joe DeSchryver of Hart (.478) and Matt McElreath of Notre Dame (.351, 27 RBIs).

West infielders include Sharts of Simi Valley (.471, 15 HRs, 32 RBIs), Vigo of El Camino Real (.444, 4 HRs, 29 RBIs), Steve Sisco of Thousand Oaks (.374, 9 HRs, 15 steals), Sean Sullivan of Royal (.365, 7 doubles), Roth of Kennedy (.390, 8 doubles), Brian Eldridge of Monroe (.480, 7 doubles, 4 triples), Steve Kovacic of Granada Hills (.423), Mike Schlesinger of Kennedy (.443, 11 steals) and Joel Wolfe of Chatsworth (.406, 8 doubles, 29 RBIs, 22 steals).

West catchers include Cavaretta of Crespi (.418, 14 doubles, 32 RBIs), Mark Skeels of Thousand Oaks (.467, 5 HRs), Mike Kerber of Canoga Park (.484, 21 RBIs) and Mike LeCocq of Chaminade (.311).

West outfielders are Schulhofer of Canoga Park (.400, 6 triples), McMackin of Chatsworth (.450, 28 RBIs), Darren Aurand of Simi Valley (.400) and Kevin Ogle of Reseda (.421, 7 HRs).

Pitchers for the West are Dan Carroll of Crespi (12-3, 2.79), Pierre Amado of Chatsworth (10-1, 1.82) and Jeff Berman of Newbury Park (6-7, 2.36).

A solid cast of pitchers will be featured in the girls’ all-star softball game. See story, Page 20.