Burbank Buoyed by Milestones

Last year, Burbank High’s baseball team finished in a fifth-place tie in Foothill League play with a 3-12 record (6-13-1 overall), in Dave Johnson’s first season as coach.

Last week, Burbank (16-5, 12-3) clinched its first Foothill League title since 1981 with two wins over Schurr. Burbank, which had not beaten Hart since 1984, defeated the second-place Indians (16-6, 11-4) in two of three meetings this season.

The turnaround took even Johnson by surprise.

“I don’t think any of the coaches around the league thought that we could (win the title) either,” Johnson said. “I think they look over at the scoreboard in the seventh inning and think, ‘Who are these guys? How did they do this?’ ”

Pitcher Jason Chandler (5-1), used primarily as a first baseman as a junior last season, played a big part. The left-hander has allowed only seven hits in his past two outings, one of which was a three-hit shutout against Schurr last week.

Chandler said he is considering a scholarship offer from Cal State Fullerton and will take a recruiting trip to the Big West Conference school Saturday. He has allowed only nine earned runs in 59 2/3 inning (1.06 earned-run average) and has 67 strikeouts.

First-round jinx: If it can get past the first round of the City Section 4-A Division baseball playoffs today against Palisades, Poly (22-3) might be able to erase the bittersweet memories of 1990. The Parrots, who went 17-0 in Valley Pac-8 Conference play last season, were upset by Taft in the first round last year.

Coincidentally, Poly finished this season with the same regular-season record as last year’s team.

“They don’t want to fold again,” Coach Jerry Cord said. “We hit the ball right at them (last year). This time we’re going to hit it all around them.”

Second effort: Jesus Enciso, a senior outfielder for Van Nuys, hit his first career home run against Canoga Park on May 3 at Lanark Park, but it went down in the score book as an out.

Reason: He never touched first base and was called out as soon as he crossed home plate.

But that didn’t break Enciso’s spirit. Six days later, he hit his first “official” home run against Birmingham with two out in the bottom of the seventh to cut the Braves’ lead to 11-9.

“My biggest concern was that he touched all the bases,” Coach Bill Gordon said. “I was watching him from the third-base line to make sure that he did.”

Strong return: Tony Gonzalez, a senior pitcher-first baseman for Van Nuys who was kicked off the team for disciplinary reasons in mid-April, has been on a tear since his return from what Gordon calls an “involuntary vacation.”

Gonzalez was batting .350 before leaving the team. Since his return, he has vaulted to a team-high .462. Gonzalez has five doubles, four triples and one home run this season.

“Anybody else would have had five home runs, but Gonzalez can’t get around the bases fast enough,” Gordon said. At 6-foot, 233 pounds, Gonzalez is anything but fleet.

“He stole a base against Canoga Park the other day,” Gordon said. “He was going on the pitch and I think the catcher was so shocked (to see him steal) that he didn’t even throw it.”

Add Van Nuys: Gonzalez, who endured a 12-hit attack by Westchester, pitched Van Nuys to a 9-6 victory Monday in a City 4-A wild-card game. The victory was the school’s first postseason baseball win in 28 years, according to Gordon. Van Nuys last went to postseason play in 1989 and lost in the first round.

Freshman helper: Hart’s swim team received a boost from a member of its ninth-grade class in last week’s Southern Section 3-A Division championships at the Belmont Plaza pool. Lindsay Gassner, 14, won two freestyle dashes, clocking 23.65 seconds for 50 yards and 50.77 for the 100. Gassner defeated defending champions in both events--teammate Evy Wild in the 50 and Meredith Booker of Beverly Hills.

Gassner (6-foot-2), who swims for Coach Bruce Patmos at Canyons Aquatic Club, was selected for the Olympic Festival. She will swim for the West team.

With Gassner’s two wins Saturday, the Hart girls finished fifth in the team standings.

The girls might have finished higher but lost a member of their second-seeded 200-yard medley relay team to prom night.

On the boys’ side, freshman Andre Salles-Cunha placed fourth in the 100-yard breaststroke final in 1:00.02.

Staff writers Kirby Lee, Paige A. Leech and Brian Murphy contributed to this notebook.