Simi Valley Erases Doubts With League Title : Prep baseball: Pioneers beat Thousand Oaks, 8-4, to win their fifth Marmonte League championship in six seasons.

Mike Scyphers was not supposed to be in this situation Wednesday, but there he stood, wearing a white victory cap and a grin that would have been difficult to squeeze between the foul lines.

The Simi Valley High baseball team, a one-time powerhouse that struggled to finish with a winning record last season, was considered too young to seriously contend for a league title this season. Some said the Pioneers were a longshot to earn a playoff berth.

Instead, Simi Valley (20-4 overall, 11-2 in Marmonte League play) led the league race from the start en route to its fifth championship in the past six seasons. The Pioneers wrapped up the title Wednesday with an 8-4 win over host Thousand Oaks (16-6-1, 9-3-1).

And there was Scyphers again, hands tucked into his back pockets, replaying a May day that has become familiar since he became head coach at Simi Valley in 1979. Under Scyphers, the Pioneers have won seven league titles.

“This year’s title is a lot nicer than some of the ones in the past because we were picked to finish third,” Scyphers said. “Thousand Oaks was favored to win it, and the fact we won it on their field made it that much sweeter.”

Not much went sour for the Pioneers as they pounded five Thousand Oaks pitchers for 14 hits. Kevin Nykoluk led the way with four hits and Brian Vasey, Steve Bernstein, Aaron Fischer and Tyler Nelson each had two.

Nykoluk, a sophomore right fielder, was four for four and hit his seventh home run, a two-run shot in the third that gave Simi Valley a 2-0 lead it never relinquished.

Nykoluk, who increased his batting average 30 points to .425, so frustrated the Lancers that he was walked intentionally in his fifth at-bat.

“I keep saying that he is going to be a great player,” Scyphers said. “But he’s a great player now. “

Another sophomore, shortstop Ryan Briggs, came up with perhaps the finest defensive play of the day when Thousand Oaks threatened to trim its three-run deficit in the sixth. The Lancers had runners at second and third when Briggs fielded Cory Bowen’s slow roller and threw the speedy Bowen out at first on a close play to end the inning.

Vasey (9-1) took care of the pitching, going the distance for the seventh time and limiting Thousand Oaks to seven hits.

Jason Goldstein and Trent Martin homered for Thousand Oaks.