El Segundo Hopes to End ‘80s With CIF Baseball Crown

El Segundo High built a reputation as one of Southern California’s premier baseball programs by winning two CIF-Southern Section titles in the 1960s and three in the ‘70s with such players as slugger George Brett and pitcher Scott McGregor.

So far, though, the Eagles are 0 for the ‘80s.

They hope to change that Saturday when they close out the decade by facing San Marino for the 2-A Division title at 10 a.m. at Dodger Stadium.

“I think it’s about time to win another one,” said assistant coach Craig Cousins after El Segundo defeated Temple City, 4-2, Tuesday in the semifinals at Culver City High.

Coach John Stevenson, gunning for his sixth CIF title in 30 years, agreed that it’s been “too long” between finals. This marks the ninth time he has guided El Segundo into the finals and the first time since 1980 when it lost to Mater Dei, 8-5, in the 4-A championship game at Anaheim Stadium.

Although some considered this a rebuilding season--El Segundo returned only one starter from last year, outfielder Erik Evans--Stevenson was confident the team could go far.

“Everybody figured this was going to be a year when things didn’t happen for us,” he said. “But I told everybody, ‘Hey, don’t count us out. This team is good.’

“It’s really been a storybook year for the seniors.”

Not considered a particularly talented class compared to an extraordinary group of underclassmen, the seniors have come through with exceptional years.

Second baseman Pat Llamas, third baseman Chris Lane and left fielder Jeremy Carr--all junior varsity players last season--have played consistently. Pitcher Rick Clark, sidelined last year with an arm injury, improved to 9-0 Tuesday with a six-hitter. And Evans, who dropped off last season after an impressive sophomore year, leads the team with six home runs and 37 RBIs.

Stevenson, who watched his pitchers give up 19 hits in a 14-13 win over La Canada last Friday, said his main concern going into the Temple City game was offense.

“I was worried that we wouldn’t be able to score runs,” he said.

El Segundo collected only five hits against Temple City right-hander Brian McGraw, but two were for extra bases. Llamas delivered a run-scoring double to left-center field in the second inning and Garret Quiantance broke a 2-2 tie with a solo home run to right field in the fifth.

Stevenson said McGraw was more impressive when he scouted the lanky pitcher earlier in the season. In that game, McGraw struck out 16 in a 5-3 victory over La Canada.

St. Bernard baseball Coach Bob Yarnall, whose team finished second to El Segundo in the Camino Real League, says junior shortstop Mark Lewis was the most valuable addition to the Eagles this season. Lewis transferred to El Segundo from Rolling Hills where he started as a freshman and sophomore.

“He made their team complete,” said Yarnall, watching Tuesday’s game. “He allowed all the other players to play their normal positions.”

Lewis turned in a defensive gem to open the fifth inning against Temple City, backhanding a hard grounder in the hole by leadoff hitter Scott Wirz and throwing him out. It was a big play because the next batter singled to left.

Cousins, the Eagles’ veteran assistant coach, said it was one of their best defensive performances despite the fact that regular third baseman Lane didn’t start because he inadvertently missed practice Monday. Lane played the seventh inning Tuesday and handled the game’s final out.

Perhaps the biggest day in the young athletic career of Hawthorne senior Curtis Conway will take place Saturday.

Aside from competing in four events in the CIF State Track Championships at Cerritos College, Conway will take the Scholastic Aptitude Test for the final time in hope of qualifying for a football scholarship to USC.

“He’s enough of an athlete to do what he has to do, but it is distracting,” said Hawthorne track Coach Kye Courtney. “It’s been in the back of his head.”

Since the test runs from 8 a.m. to noon and the track meet doesn’t start until 5 p.m., Courtney said Conway will have sufficient time to prepare for his races in the 100 and 200 meters and 400 and 1,600 relays.

This will be the fifth time Conway has taken the SAT. He needs a 700 score in order to attend USC on scholarship. The results of his last test, taken May 6 on the morning after the senior prom, will not be available until next week, Courtney said.

“(Conway) said he did pretty good. He thinks he passed it,” the coach said. “But you never know.”

Conway, who holds the state’s best times this season in the 100 (10.44, wind-aided) and 200 (21.04), made it clear last week at a luncheon for the Shrine All-Star football game that he prefers football over track.

“In football, every play is like a race in track,” said the All-CIF quarterback. “In track, you only get to race three or four times a meet.”

Hawthorne’s boys have won the state title in the 1,600-meter relay for six straight years and own the best time in the state this season (3:13.05).

Yet, Courtney still has not settled on four runners heading into the state meet.

“We’re still moving people around,” he said. “We’re going to coach this thing right down to the end.”

The team of Chris Alexander, Ismael Delpino, Kevin Gatlin and Conway placed first at the Southern Section Masters Meet last Friday in 3:13.43, but Courtney said Delpino or Gatlin might be replaced this weekend by Erik Allen, a talented sophomore who qualified for the state meet in the 100 and 200 meters.

“It depends on what happens to Allen in the 200,” Courtney said. “If he doesn’t make the final, we’ll move him to the relay.”

Alexander, Delpino and Conway were members of last year’s 1,600 relay team that won the state title in 3:10.46.

PREP NOTES--Rolling Hills High is looking for football coaches. Coaching experience is preferred but not necessary. Anyone interested should contact Coach Gary Kimbrell or Athletic Director John Barr at 377-4888 . . . Five South Bay senior athletes will be recognized for academic excellence by the CIF-Southern Section at the fourth annual Academic Awards program Tuesday at Anaheim Stadium: Peter Swartz of Chadwick (3.69 grade-point average), Roy Figueroa (3.74) and Monica Huerta (3.83) of Mary Star and Paul Christenson (3.88) and Sara Dyer (3.90) of South Torrance. To qualify, athletes must have a minimum GPA of 3.5 in college-prep courses for the last three years, in addition to lettering in at least one varsity sport and participating in an extracurricular activity. Each honoree will have the opportunity to attend Tuesday’s Angels-Cleveland Indians game . . . The state track meet will be televised on Prime Ticket cable at 8 p.m. Tuesday.