SOUTHERN SECTION BASEBALL PREVIEWS : MARMONTE LEAGUE

Agoura

COACH: Bart Morefield, 1st season

LAST SEASON: 15-10; 1st in Frontier, 10-0

PLAYERS TO WATCH: Returnees include senior second baseman Rich Jacobellis, senior Sean Fitzgerald as third baseman-pitcher, senior outfielder Aaron Yuhasz and sophomore pitcher-infielder Jason Warren. Junior shortstop Ed Gillis comes up from a strong junior-varsity team. Junior Matt Epstein will catch and senior Pat Fitzgerald will play first. Yuhasz also will pitch. Junior outfielder Sean Ryan is a transfer from Notre Dame. Sophomore Joe Smith and Sean Warren, Jason’s brother, will pitch.

OUTLOOK: Youth and inexperience could be a deadly combination for the Chargers, who join the Marmonte League after winning consecutive Frontier League titles. “We’ll be competitive,” said Morefield, who doubles as the boys’ soccer coach. “But it could take a while for them to learn the system.” Pitching could be the Chargers’ biggest weakness, even if they do have the league’s tallest duo in Warren and Sean Fitzgerald (both 6-foot-4). “We’ll try to be as aggressive as we can, and hopefully play good defense and get some pitching,” Morefield said.

Camarillo

COACH: Jack Willard, 2nd season

LAST SEASON: 11-13; 6th in league, 4-8

PLAYERS TO WATCH: Senior Corey Tucker hit .294 and was an all-league second baseman last season. Senior shortstop Mike Muncy has committed to play at Arizona State. Robert Sanchez, a second-team all-league third baseman last season, will move to catcher because John Freedman injured his back. Ralph Guillen, a backup third baseman last season, is competing with David Harbour for the starting nod at first base. Harbour also may lay left field, where he is competing with junior Garrick Moss. Nick Frank, the team’s leading hitter with a .410 average last season and a second-team all-league utility player, will start in right field. Frank also stole 10 bases last season. David Nathaniel, who played sparingly last season, will start in center field and bat leadoff. Senior right-hander Danny Haas, who enjoyed a successful American Legion season, will be the No. 1 starter. Other pitchers include left-hander Dan Hile, a first-team all-league football player, junior right-hander Chris Gregg, senior right-hander Fred Tepesano, sophomore right-hander Kenny Nielsen and junior right-hander Robby Lanouette. Tucker also will pitch.

OUTLOOK: Nathaniel, who has learned to switch-hit and has above-average speed, could be the key to Camarillo’s bid for the league title. “He had a great summer and did more than I ever thought he would,” Willard said. “If he’s hitting leadoff all year, we’re going to win some games.” Willard isn’t about to hand the league title to a talent-rich Thousand Oaks team. Camarillo has plenty of speed and defense, but Haas is the only pitcher who has proven his ability at the varsity level. “I think we can win this thing,” Willard said. “I know we’re a better team than last year.”

Channel Islands

COACH: Don Cardinal, 25th season

LAST SEASON: 15-12; tied for 4th in league, 5-7

PLAYERS TO WATCH: Senior center fielder Jacob Cruz, a four-year starter ranked among the top 25 high school prospects in the nation by Baseball America magazine, hit .494 last year and has committed to play at Arizona State. Junior catcher Jose Gastelum is a returning starter who drove in 23 runs as a sophomore. Senior left-hander Tajah Merrill, who transferred from Camarillo at midseason last year, has been slowed by a shoulder injury. Junior right-hander Angel Aragon (5-4, 1.67 earned-run average) returns. Freshman Johnny Olivares and junior Jorge Macias are competing at shortstop. Macias also is battling for the third base position with senior Mark Garcia. Junior Alex Zavala will start in left field. Seniors Jeff Palmer and Ray Rangel will play outfield and pitch. Zavala and Jose Gastelum will catch and also provide pitching help.

OUTLOOK: Last season, the Raiders were a strong offensive team but struggled on the mound. This season, their fortunes could reverse. Offensively, Jim Davis (.410, five home runs, 29 runs batted in) and Rich Tepesano (.422, seven homers, 37 RBIs) will be difficult to replace. But Channel Islands’ pitching could be stronger with Merrill and Aragon. “If we can pitch, we can play with anybody,” said Cardinal, who is seven career wins shy of 500. “But we might have to use seven pitchers every game.”

Newbury Park

COACH: Gary Fabricius, 5th season

LAST SEASON: 8-12; 7th in league, 3-9

PLAYERS TO WATCH: Senior center fielder Jason Smith, the Panthers’ top returnee, had his spleen removed after a collision Saturday and will be out three to five weeks. The only other returnees are senior second baseman-outfielder Jason Cash and senior left-hander Tighe Harrell, who threw a one-hitter against Saugus last season. Sophomores Ocean Campbell (second base) and David Lamb (shortstop) will form a young middle infield. Junior Robert Fick transferred from Thousand Oaks and is battling Mike Marsden at catcher. Junior Zach Sutton will start at third. Junior Jeff Hook will play right field and junior left fielder Joey Harris may move to center in place of the injured Smith. Seniors Chris Joyce, who sat out last year because of an injury, and Tim Lane will add depth to the outfield. Steve Acosta, who transferred to Thousand Oaks and back again, has been ruled ineligible by the Southern Section office but has appealed. Junior right-hander Jason Patterson and junior left-hander Bryant Fick, Robert Fick’s uncle, add depth to a young pitching staff.

OUTLOOK: Newbury Park is young and inexperienced. “We have a bunch of people with no experience at the varsity level,” Fabricius said. “We’re real young and in a tough league, and that’s not a good sign.” Last season, only one player hit better than .300, and the Panthers haven’t exactly torn the cover off the ball in practice. “We might be relying on good defense and pitching,” Fabricius said. “If we don’t get that, we could be in trouble.”

Royal

COACH: Dan Maye, 2nd season

LAST SEASON: 16-11; 2nd in league, 7-5

PLAYERS TO WATCH: Senior Richard Naranjo, a first-team all-league third baseman, led the team with a .402 average and 21 RBIs last season. Senior catcher Steve Talafuse was a second-team all-league selection who hit .397. Junior Dave Landaker, who started in left field, batted .396 and stole a team-leading 14 bases last season, will move to shortstop. Senior left-hander Tim Casagrande might be the team’s No. 1 starter. Senior center fielder Tony Liming, who stole 12 bases last year and was expected to bat leadoff, injured a rotator cuff during football season and might miss the entire season. Jason Ignacio will add pitching depth. Junior Shane Slayton will play first base and pitch and junior Paul Taylor is a hard-throwing right-hander. Senior right-hander Brian Johnson was academically ineligible last season but is the Highlanders’ hardest thrower. First-year pitcher Dave Harrington also throws hard. Junior Mike Schultz, the junior-varsity MVP last season, and sophomore David Brown will add speed and depth to the outfield.

OUTLOOK: Royal proved last season that it could compete in the league and the Highlanders have set their goals even higher. “Our pitching is unproven, but overall we are stronger and have potential to win the league title,” Maye said. Expect Royal to use its speed and play strong defense. “I think that the rest of the teams in the league will show us a little respect,” Maye said. “They know they aren’t going to get an automatic win against Royal. We’re no longer just trying to win, we’re striving to be one of top teams in league.”

Simi Valley

COACH: Mike Scyphers, 13th season

LAST SEASON: 13-12; tied for 4th in league, 5-7

PLAYERS TO WATCH: Senior third baseman Tyler Nelson hit .342 last season and has accepted a scholarship offer from Cal State Northridge. Look for him to fill the power void left by Joe Gordon, who hit 15 home runs as a senior last season. Shortstop Brian Vasey hit .345 and was an all-league selection last season. Junior first baseman Aaron Fischer was all-league and hit .340. Senior all-league center fielder James Manzi and senior right fielder Daryl Hernandez, who hit .342 last season, provide Simi Valley with a speedy outfield. Senior catcher Steve Bernstein transferred from Royal, where he hit .277 last season. Senior Mike Cardenas and sophomore Ryan Briggs, who played varsity as a freshman, are contending at second base. The starting position in left field is a battle between Kevin Nykoluk and Bryan Craft. Sophomore right-hander Bill Treadway has overcome arm problems and senior right-hander Derek Rushton throws in the 80-m.p.h range. Vasey (1-3, 1.69 ERA) will be the Pioneers’ No. 1 starter ahead of Rushton, Manzi, and Treadway. Freshman Ryan Hankins, the younger brother of former Pioneer Mike Hankins, could become the fourth freshman in two years to play at the varsity level.

OUTLOOK: Last season, Simi Valley was able to score runs but had difficulty preventing them and struggled to finish above .500. This season, the Pioneers no doubt will be able to hit the ball under Scyphers’ aggressive approach, but pitching again is a question mark. “Eight guys can pitch, but we’re not sure who can get anybody out,” Scyphers said. Scyphers said Simi Valley will have its fastest team ever, especially in the outfield, and will play good defense. “But it could be one of those 10-9 years,” Scyphers’ said of the Pioneers’ all-hit, no-pitching dilemma.

Thousand Oaks

COACH: Jim Hansen, 19th season

LAST SEASON: 11-9; 3rd in league, 6-6

PLAYERS TO WATCH: Senior second baseman Ryan Kritscher hit .452 last season and was an all-league selection. Senior David Skeels hit .397 last season and will play catcher. Senior Brian Sturges, one of the Lancers’ best players, sat out last season because of a shoulder injury but had a strong American Legion season and can play both shortstop and catcher. Senior Jason Goldstein, a left-handed hitter who batted .384 last season, will play third base. Senior Bryan Corey could win a position in the outfield or infield. Senior Brett Herman started in right field last season and batted .318. Junior Cory Bowen should start in the outfield. Junior Jim Chergey and sophomore Jamal Nichols are both fast and will compete for outfield positions. Senior Brian Capella batted .400 last season and can play infield or outfield. Junior infielder Jeff Olin led the junior varsity in hitting with a .421 average. Senior right-handers Tony Siegel (1-1, 4.09) and Jeff Naster (two saves) have improved dramatically and senior Mike Lee (2-3, 3.31) could be one of the league’s finest pitchers. Thousand Oaks also has strong left-handed pitching in Adam West and Chris Loll. Corey, senior Nick Brown and junior Craig Arnold will provide strong relief.

OUTLOOK: Fifteen players return from last year’s team, which lost in the quarterfinals of the 5-A Division playoffs, and the Lancers could have their most talented team ever. Thousand Oaks has the league’s finest pitching staff, good team speed, and strong hitting. But they must cure their fielding woes, which resulted in 78 errors last season. “I think some teams are aiming for us, which is a nice spot to be in, but we’re making no guarantees,” Hansen said. At times, the talent-laden Lancers will have all-league talent on their bench. “But that’s a welcome problem,” he said.

Westlake

COACH: Rich Herrera, 3rd season

LAST SEASON: 28-2; 1st in league, 12-0

PLAYERS TO WATCH: Senior center fielder Rob Neal, who batted .324 last season, will bat leadoff and is an NCAA Division I prospect. Senior Dave Monheim, who started at first base last season, will move to catcher. Senior Todd Preston moves from third base to right field. Talented senior James Jones, who played behind all-league shortstop Tim Falsken last season, will start. Senior Ryan Seidel will play second base and Andrew Degnan will start at third. Senior Frank Margolis will play outfield and designated-hitter. Senior Derek Stein will start at first base. Senior left-hander James Clark (7-1, 1.61 ERA) was a first-team All-Ventura County selection. Right-hander Donnie Hill (2-1, 2.69 ERA) has recovered from a broken ankle that sidelined him throughout most of last season. Junior right-hander John Snyder throws in the mid-80 m.p.h. range and junior right-hander Scott Singleton should add pitching depth.

OUTLOOK: Westlake set a school record for wins in a season last year and was ranked No. 1 in the nation by USA Today the day it lost to Marina in the 5-A semifinals. But the Warriors lost offensive punch with the graduation of Mike Lieberthal (.448, 13 homers, 43 RBIs), leadoff hitter Falksen (.365, 14 stolen bases), and designated-hitter Keith Hess (.341, seven homers, 22 RBIs). Mike Eby, who rewrote the school’s record book and finished 11-0 with a 1.61 ERA, pitches for UCLA. “If people are expecting last year to happen again, they’re going to be disappointed,” Herrera said. “It’s just not realistic.” Yet it is anything but a rebuilding year. Westlake brings up talent from a 16-5 junior-varsity team and is ranked fourth in the 5-A preseason poll. “We’ve got some guys coming in who could have started on some other ballclubs,” Herrera said.