In the Playoffs Again : Surprising Harbor Pitchers Boost Hopes

Bad pitching. It can prevent even the strongest-hitting ballclub from making the playoffs, as many thought it would do to Harbor’s baseball team.

But the Seahawks, veterans of postseason action, are in the Southern California Regional playoffs again after winning their fourth straight league crown.

Under Coach Jim O’Brien, Harbor has won 10 conference championships and two state titles. This year the Seahawks cruised through the weak Southern California Athletic Conference (29-13, 18-2) and today at 3 p.m. face fourth-seeded Palomar (21-15-1, 18-6) in the the playoffs at Rancho Santiago College in Santa Ana.

In order to advance to the state finals May 27-29 in Sacramento, fifth-seeded Harbor needs two victories in the double-elimination tournament, which includes Cypress and Rancho Santiago.

Going to Sacramento would exceed the Seahawks’ expectations since they were labeled dark horses from the start. Harbor wasn’t ranked in the state’s preseason top 20 for the first time since O’Brien took over in 1976.

The loss of several key starters played a role in that, but the main reason was pitching, or rather lack of it.

Harbor’s forte has always been defense and pitching. However, before the season O’Brien learned that his two veteran hurlers, Jeff Hunter and Sky Lasowitz, wouldn’t return because of injuries. Freshmen and three inexperienced sophomores would have to fill the void.

Pitching “was a big question mark at the beginning of the year,” O’Brien said. “They were untested and very young. They made a lot of mistakes and they lacked confidence. It cost us a lot of games early in the year.”

Harbor pitching coach Tony Bloomfield said, “They came in with the ability to throw, but they just didn’t have the ability to deal with pressure situations.”

It wasn’t until Easter, a third of the way through the season, that Harbor’s pitching prevailed. Experience and extra physical conditioning played a big part in the improvement.

“They have about five pretty solid pitchers,” said L.A. Mission Coach John Klitsner, whose team finished second in the SCAC. “They shut us down pretty well. Actually, they knocked us out real good. They beat us five times and good pitching was one of the main reasons.”

It’s also why the Seahawks are in the playoffs, according to O’Brien. He says that without a variety of solid pitchers it’s impossible to be successful in postseason games.

“You can’t just have one great guy,” he said. “You need a whole lot of guys that are pretty good to win these tournaments. You need five or six of them and you have to develop them along the way.”

In Harbor’s case, there are six reliable pitchers on the staff. The three starters--Pat Ahearne, Leonard Fletcher and Chris Garrett--are within statistical range of one another.

Ahearne, a freshman from St. Bernard High, is known for his sinking fastball. The 6-foot-3, 186-pound right-hander ended with a 6-1 SCAC record (9-4 overall) and a 3.71 earned-run average. Garrett (Westchester High), a transfer from San Diego State University, is known for his split-finger fastball and fielding. The 6-foot, 175-pound hurler has a 5-3 record and a 3.11 ERA.

And Fletcher is the Seahawks’ best breaking pitcher. The 6-foot-3, 177-pound sophomore from Banning High has a 4-1 record and a 3.21 ERA.

“Their pitching is definitely good enough to stop a good-hitting team,” said East L.A. Coach Roger Lawson, whose team finished third in the SCAC. “They also have a lot of depth. They have a couple of good guys that they can put in the seventh and eighth inning and close the game.”

Harbor’s relievers are Robert Parga, Tom Fulkerson and John Ingram. Fulkerson (St. Bernard), the Seahawks’ main stopper, has a 4-0 record (3.04 ERA) and Parga (Carson High) has a 3-2 record and a 2.84 ERA. The 6-foot-2, 170-pound right-hander pitched a no-hitter against Mission on March 30, which hadn’t been done at Harbor since 1963.

“I think at first we just lacked experience,” Parga said. “I know I made a lot of freshman mistakes. Now we’re making better pitches and our conditioning is better, so we’re lasting longer.”

Freshman outfielder Matt Nuez, Harbor’s second leading batter, agrees. He says it was evident early in the season that Seahawk pitchers lacked determination.

“It’s like night and day,” he said. “At the beginning most if not all (pitchers) were very shaky. We all noticed that they were a little unsure of themselves. Now they’re so confident. You can tell by the way they carry themselves. Their mental attitude has improved a lot.”

The Seahawks have four players batting over 300. Freshmen Ryan Karp (.390), Nuez (.382), Jonathan Lopez (.364) and Tony Liebsack have been forces at the plate most of the season.

Karp has 35 runs batted in, six home runs and 12 doubles, and Nuez has 34 RBIs. Sophomore third baseman Steve Kristy hit .333 and had 29 RBIs, five home runs and eight doubles before breaking his left hand in a game against Mission several weeks ago.

“They just have a great overall team,” Lawson said. I think they should win regionals and definitely get to Sacramento.”

That was O’Brien’s plan from the start, despite the brief letdown in pitching.