Chatsworth Gives Coach Glimpse of ’91 in 11-5 Win

Chatsworth High baseball Coach Tom Meusborn, still glowing over his team’s City Section 4-A Division championship last month, was all business Saturday afternoon as his “new” team opened play in the 23rd L.A. Games.

The summer version of the Chatsworth team is without the many seniors who helped defeat El Camino Real for the City title. Meusborn now must evaluate his returning and younger players to find which areas need the most work as the Chancellors prepare for next season.

The major concern is pitching, which was the shakiest aspect of a mostly solid performance Saturday in an 11-5 win over Chaminade at Grant High. The Chancellors, who committed just one error, will play Alemany in the second round at noon today at Grant.

There are 28 teams in the tournament. Play will continue next weekend, with the championship scheduled a week from today at El Camino College.

Saturday, Meusborn yelled and exhorted his players as if he were in the middle of West Valley League play. He did not take over at Chatsworth until last September, so he intends to make the most of his first summer with the team.

“We’ll have fun and play some games,” he said. “But when the players are out there I expect them to execute and be competitive. Jobs are up for grabs, and we need to find out where everybody belongs.”

Three of the Chancellors’ pitchers graduated, and finding replacements is a top priority. Up from the junior varsity are juniors Jason Smith and Eric Holiday. Smith gave up two runs against Chaminade before being replaced by Holiday in the third. Holiday was pulled in the sixth because of a sore back. The two surrendered seven hits.

A likely starter next spring will be returning All-City outfielder Mitch Root, who also compiled a 2-1 record with four saves last season. Root missed the Chaminade game because he was out of town. Other candidates for starter include junior reliever Frank Kaatz and senior infielder Doug Dean.

Dean and first baseman Mike Muir took batting practice against Chaminade pitchers Ryan Graves and Brent Lubig, who gave up 16 hits. Dean and Muir each went four for four and drove in two runs. Third baseman Bill McKnight went two for four and drove in three runs.

Infielder Nestor Martinez, another returning All-City player, was three for four, including a two-run homer in the first inning.

“It’s hard for me to say what level this team is at right now and how they compare to our last team,” Meusborn said. “This is my first summer with them and we’re just starting to evaluate all of the players. We’ve got some strengths, but we’ve got weaknesses as well.”

Chatsworth is playing three games a week in an intramural league, and many of the players spend the other days with area legion teams.