SAN DIEGO SECTION: BASEBALL TOP 10 : Undefeated Mira Mesa Best of the Best

Spring vacation tournaments, such as the annual Lions tournament, normally give teams an inkling as to where they stand heading into league play. But with Easter falling in the middle of April this year, most teams have already begun league play before Saturday’s start of the Lions.

Some, like powerful Mira Mesa in a down City Eastern League, can already figure a reasonable magic number for wrapping things up.

But most of the other top-ranked teams should find themselves in a battle with as many as four teams. The Metro Conference, where early favorites Sweetwater and Castle Park have been upstaged by Hilltop and Montgomery, is a perfect example. Those two clubs were ninth and 10th in the Metro last year, but are now tied for first.

Grossmont and Santana in the Grossmont 2-A League have just one loss each and seem headed for a collision on April 27 when they meet at Santana.

Helix has slipped since making the section 3-A final the past two years, and the Highlanders must now reckon with upstart Monte Vista as well as Granite Hills in the Grossmont 3-A.

After the death of senior pitcher Ben Pai, Oceanside might become an emotional favorite in the Avocado League. But the Pirates (7-2-1) will still have to contend with El Camino, San Marcos and Escondido. Carlsbad, the defending 2-A champion, is 3-6.

In the Palomar, perennial favorite Mt. Carmel, the defending 3-A champion, should be tested by Orange Glen, Poway and Fallbrook.

USDHS might have figured to have an easy go in the City Western, but that was before Monday, when Mission Bay, just 4-6 this year, ripped them, 17-2. La Jolla and Kearny might also be factors.

Crawford (9-2) stands to crack the top 10 soon, but should feel some heat from San Diego before things are through in the City Central.

Three games into the first ever City Harbor season, things are bunching up and there does not appear to be a favorite as yet.

The Times’ San Diego Section Baseball Top 10:

1 MIRA MESA 1990 record: 13-0 League:

City Eastern

Coach: Mike Prosser

Mira Mesa, which was 22-5 last year and lost in the 3-A semifinals to eventual champion Mt. Carmel, might be on top for a long time considering it has only two senior starters--Beau Champoux (.413 average) and pitcher Jimmy Escamilla (26 strikeouts). Of the juniors, versatile Marc Nielsen is hitting .416 and is 3-0 on the mound. Though Prosser says hitting is the primary reason for the fast start, pitching hasn’t been shabby. Junior Mike Bovee leads the county at 6-0. “I’d have to say it’s the best team I’ve had,” Prosser said. “They play real well together and they get along well. It’s a real team effort.”

2 GROSSMONT 1990 record: 13-1

League: Grossmont 2-A

Coach: Jeff Meredith

Grossmont can score runs in bunches. Junior catcher Todd Cady is leading the county in runs batted in (27), is tied for the lead in home runs (five) and is tied for third in stolen bases (12). Senior third baseman John Tatum has three homers and 16 RBIs, senior outfielder Lenny Van Every is hitting .475 with 15 RBIs and 12 stolen bases, and senior first baseman Jim Earley has two homers and 13 RBIs. That production has made life easy for pitchers Danny Lennon (4-0, 0.69 ERA), Jason Eskridge (3-0) and Mike Spears (26 strikeouts). Meredith is in his second season but guided the Foothillers to the 2-A title game last season. A return to that game is possible this year.

3 MT. CARMEL 1990 record: 10-1

League: Palomar

Coach: Sam Blalock

For the past decade, the Sundevils have won four section titles. In the six other years, they were eliminated by the eventual champion. So the road to the title goes through Rancho Penasquitos. Although catcher Matt Miller (.275, nine RBIs last year) is the only returning field player and Doug Hill (9-0, 2.56 ERA last year) is the only returning pitcher, Mt. Carmel will rely heavily on a junior varsity team that finished 19-2 in 1989. Blalock said this is his best defensive team ever. Mt. Carmel has held opponents to two runs or less in eight of 11 games, and only three runs in another.

4 SANTANA 1990 record: 11-1

League: Grossmont 2-A

Coach: Jim Saska

Before last year, Santana had made it to the 3-A title game four out of five years, and won it all in ’84 and ’86. By its standards, Santana was down last year finishing 15-10-1, including a first-round playoff loss. In 12 games this year, the Sultans are hitting well and will challenge Grossmont for the league and possibly the section title. Junior outfielder Gabe Hernandez is hitting better than .500 and senior Ferdie Hollis has three home runs.

5 MONTE VISTA 1990 Record: 10-3

League: Grossmont 3-A

Coach: Rob Phillips

With a new coach, a new field and renewed enthusiasm, Monte Vista broke a 16-year playoff drought last year. This year, the Matadors look to continue those winning ways. Senior all-purpose player Vern Mullis (.434 average last year) is second in the county with a .545 average and has three home runs and 13 RBIs. Darren Rucker is hitting .474 with 16 RBIs. On the mound, though, is where the Matadors excel. Senior Ernie Reyes is 3-0 with a 1.91 ERA, junior Robbie Stone is 4-1 with a 1.18 ERA, Mullis is 2-1 with a 1.51 ERA and senior Neal Svalstad has a 0.88 ERA.

6 USDHS 1990 record: 9-3

League: City Western

Coach: Richard Serrano

After finishing third in 1988 and second last year, there’s no reason USDHS can’t take that final step and win its league. The Dons’ have the enviable balance of heavy hitting, fine pitching and all-around experience. Scattered in the lineup are three of the county’s top 25 hitters. Juniors Gavin Millay and David Sanchez and senior Jeff Desjardins are all batting over .420. Tom Shanner and Gary Remiker join Millay for a solid pitching staff. And there are six players who were starters last year. Serrano’s outlook is optimistic, but cautious: “We can play with the best, but we can lose with the best, too.”

7 ORANGE GLEN 1990 record: 9-3

League: Palomar

Coach: Ken Walker

The strategy for first-year coach Ken Walker is pretty simple: keep other teams from scoring. His pitching staff can do it. The Patriots have three solid pitchers--Scott Coleman (1.92 ERA), Jim Roby (2.10) and Damon Vinje (2.04). The team allows less than two runs per game. Coleman set a section record earlier this year by posting 16 consecutive no-hit innings.

8 HILLTOP 1990 record: 8-3

League: Metro

Coach: John Baumgarten

After dominating the South Bay in the early 1980s, it has been five years since Hilltop last won a league title. The Lancers, ninth last year at 8-16, appear ready to make a run. “We have a nice pool of talent,” said Baumgarten, in his 19th year. “They are young, but they do think pretty well, and that’s so important in this game.” Juniors Jose Silva (4-2) and Jose Gallegos (2-0) and senior Martin Villanueva (2-1) form a solid staff. There are only three senior starters, but they are up the middle--catcher Paul Stojsavljevic, shortstop Rich Dare and center fielder David Chapman.

9 MONTGOMERY 1990 record: 9-3

League: Metro

Coach: Manuel Hermosillo

Perhaps the biggest surprise has been the turnaround made by the Aztecs. Tenth last year in the league at 9-15, 4-10, Montgomery has posted big victories already over Bonita Vista, Sweetwater and San Diego and is tied for first with Hilltop at 3-0 in league. “I’m real surprised,” Hermosillo said. “The kids set their own standards after finishing last last season.” Senior catcher Miguel Perez (.481) leads six Aztecs hitting over .340. The others are seniors Luis Arroyo (.400) and Mauricio Martinez (.350), juniors Saul Rodriguez (.372) and Luis Contreras (.353) and sophomore Jose Laranzana (.342).

10 POWAY 1989 record: 6-3-1

League: Palomar

Coach: Rudy Casciato

Poway returns three infielders and a catcher and should be among the favorites to win league. Matt Schwenke, who has already signed a letter of intent to UCLA, Greg Sorrell, and Brock Marsh all batted over .300 last year. Since returning from a broken wrist before the season started, Schwenke has played in two full games and hit two three-run home runs. Danny Miller is 3-1 and has 41 strikeouts in 32 innings.