The Preps : Southern Section Baseball Playoffs : Mater Dei Gets Yet Another Shot at Upset-Minded Ocean View

Mater Dei High School travels to Ocean View today to play the Seahawks in the second round of the Southern Section baseball playoffs.

A nice, friendly, little playoff game. Right?

Well . . .

“Our kids wanted this game even before we played the first-round game,” Mater Dei Coach Bob Ickes said. “They talked about it to the point where I was afraid we were going to look past our first-round game too much.”

Ickes’ fears were put to rest when the Monarchs (21-5) dispatched Long Beach Wilson, 10-2, in the first round Friday. The victory gave the Monarchs what they wanted, a shot at Ocean View.

Why?

For the answer, you have to go back to 1985.

That season, the Monarchs were not only the top-seeded team in the Southern Section 4-A playoffs, but they were ranked No. 1 in the nation by USA Today.

But Mater Dei didn’t get past the quarterfinals. Ocean View hit three home runs for a 4-1 victory to eliminate the Monarchs.

Fine. Upsets happen once in a while.

Well, last season Mater Dei entered the 5-A playoffs as the second-seeded team. The Monarchs defeated Loyola, 9-1, in the first round, then played Ocean View in the second round.

Ocean View hit a pair of home runs for a 3-1 victory.

Is there a pattern forming?

“Personally, they are just another team,” Ickes said. “A good team and we’ll have to play well to beat them. But I don’t worry about what has happened before.”

Steve Barrett, first-year coach at Ocean View, feels a little different about it.

“This is almost the same scenario,” he said. “They are a highly ranked team and are very good. Even though all that is in the past, this is more than just a game between two good teams.”

Barrett was the frosh-soph coach last season when the Seahawks pulled their second upset over the Monarchs. However, he was scouting a game that day.

“Yeah, but I heard plenty about it,” he said. “From what I was told, it was all Ocean View that day. The score may have been close, but it was all Ocean View.”

Ocean View (18-9-1) finished third in the Sunset League this season, just one game behind champions Fountain Valley and Westminster.

Barrett hasn’t decided on a starter for today’s game. Randy Karliner (9-2, 2.00 earned-run average) and Brent Woken (8-3, 2.50) both pitched in Friday’s first-round 2-1 victory over Beverly Hills.

Woken started and pitched three innings. Karliner went the final four for the victory. Barrett said one of them will start today.

“Both are rested and can pitch,” Barrett said. “It’ll depend on how I feel about it tomorrow.”

Ickes also is undecided on a starter, although he is leaning toward Scott Corliss (7-2, 1.35). However, he might go with ace Tony Pena (10-1, 0.49).

Pena pitched five innings Friday, but threw only 64 pitches.

“I’m expecting to see Pena,” Barrett said. “After all that’s happened between us and Mater Dei, I’m sure they will pitch their best.”

In other 5-A action, Arcadia (22-4) is at El Dorado (19-8).

In the 4-A: Mission Viejo (19-6) is at Santa Ana; Western (16-10) is at South Hills (17-7); Anaheim (18-9) is at Cerritos (23-6), and Foothill (19-7) is at Sherman Oaks Notre Dame (24-5).

In the 3-A: Artesia (23-3) is at Tustin (19-8); Kennedy (21-5) is at Canyon Country Canyon (13-11); Elsinore (18-8) is at Laguna Hills (23-4), and Estancia (20-6) is at Corona (15-7-1).

In the 2-A: San Marino (19-3) is at Whittier Christian (15-7) and El Segundo (22-5) is at Orange Lutheran (14-10-1).

In Small Schools, Liberty Christian (21-2) is at Christian Church of Camarillo (17-5).

All games begin at 3:15 p.