Getting Back on Track : Baseball Coach Expects Harbor to Overcome Shaky Start

Jim O’Brien has been the baseball coach at Harbor College for 13 years, and this is the first time his team wasn’t ranked in the state’s preseason top 10. O’Brien’s teams have won nine conference championships and two state titles and have finished second in the state three times.

O’Brien says being a dark horse is new to him but actually serves as a motivational factor for his young players.

“It makes them work harder,” O’Brien said. “These kids are working harder this time of the year than any kids I’ve had. They don’t like the ratings, and they’re out to prove something.”

The Seahawks (11-8-1, 3-0-1) lost several key players from last year’s Southern California Athletic Conference champion team that fell in the second round of the regionals, but they have a crop of talented freshmen and four returning starters.

Danny Parente, an all-league and all-state selection last year, is expected to lead Harbor’s defense, which appears to be its strength. The 6-foot-3, 175-pound left-hander, who was drafted by the Montreal Expos as a pitcher, is an alternate starter at first base and a key figure on the mound. Parente batted .346 last year and compiled a 2-1 record with an earned-run average of 3.46.

“He’ll play first,” O’Brien said. “He’ll be our designated hitter, he’ll pitch. . . . He’s just a great athlete. He can really help us.”

Dave LaCroix is the other first baseman and another one of Harbor’s key returners. The 6-foot-2, 170-pound sophomore, who was drafted by the Houston Astros last season, has a .304 batting average.

Third baseman Steve Kristy and left fielder David Kushan are the other returning starters. Sophomore Mike Stone, a transfer from El Camino, starts at second, and Tony Liebsack, a redshirt freshman, starts at shortstop. Freshman catcher Gus Mungaray completes the infield.

“Defensively, our infield is very strong,” O’Brien said. “We can make all the plays because we have good speed and power in that area.”

O’Brien doesn’t have a permanent set of starters for the outfield, but that’s because the Seahawks are blessed with so much depth in that department. Besides Kushan, he’s used freshmen George Baker (Fairfax High), Ryan Karp (Beverly Hills High) and Jim Henderson (North Torrance) on a regular basis.

The Seahawks appear to have overwhelming talent in every area except pitching. Eight batters are hitting over .300, but the pitching staff has lacked personnel and consistency since Harbor lost its two best hurlers, sophomores Jeff Hunter and Sky Lasowitz, to preseason injuries.

Sophomore Chris Garrett and freshman Pat Ahearne (St. Bernard) have led the Seahawks in their absence. Garrett is a 6-foot, 175-pound transfer from San Diego State University who has a 2-2 record and a 3.46 ERA. Ahearne (6-foot-3, 186 pounds) has a 4-3 record and a 4.33 ERA.

O’Brien expects both men, along with Parente and freshman reliever Tom Fulkerson (St. Bernard), to shape up and help the Seahawks win their 10th conference title. It shouldn’t be difficult, considering that half of last year’s SCAC teams dropped out to form their own conference, leaving only five teams in the league this season.

“I have to admit,” O’Brien said, “that we started out really shaky. I didn’t know what was going on, and I was very frustrated because it had never happened with any of my teams. But we’re in it now. This team is going to surprise a lot of people. We should win our conference and probably come in as a sleeper in the (state) tournament.”