THE TEAM AT A GLANCE : COACH OF THE YEAR

Steve Marden, 45, has done some remarkable coaching jobs in his 16-year tenure at San Fernando High, but this season ranks as his finest. In the City Section 4-A Division playoffs, unseeded San Fernando defeated the first-, second- and third-seeded teams en route to the first baseball title in the school’s 96-year history. The Tigers, who this season placed third in the North Valley League and finished 17-11, have advanced to the semifinal round of the playoffs or beyond in three of the past four years. How much has the San Fernando program blossomed under Marden, a 1963 Cleveland High graduate? In the three seasons before Marden took over the program in 1976, the Tigers were 3-42.

PLAYER OF THE YEAR

For the second consecutive year, Sylmar outfielder Dereck Ornelas enjoyed one of the best all-around seasons among area players. He has ranked in the top 10 among City players in nearly every significant category for two years running and this spring led the Spartans to the East Valley league title and a berth in the City 4-A semifinals. After a junior season in which he batted .457 and had 12 doubles, four triples, four home runs and 28 runs batted in, he posted similar numbers as a senior. Ornelas, a repeat All-Valley selection, batted .447 and had seven doubles, five triples and six home runs. He also led area players with 39 RBIs and had 12 stolen bases, giving him 23 in two years. He was drafted by the Dodgers somewhere after the 50th round but plans to attend Mission College.

PITCHER OF THE YEAR

For perhaps the first and only time, The Times’ Valley pitcher-of-the-year award has been presented to a player who failed to break .500 not once but twice in his varsity career. Mike Rossiter of Burroughs had a 3-6 record in 1990 as a junior and did not fare much better as a senior. He posted a 3-5 record but professional scouts were not deterred. Rossiter, a 6-foot-6, 200-pound right-hander, was the 38th player selected overall in baseball’s amateur draft and he is negotiating a contract with the Oakland Athletics. Rossiter posted a 1.62 earned-run average this spring and allowed 44 hits in 60 2/3 innings. He led area pitchers in strikeouts with 103 and walked only 31. As the Indians’ top offensive player, he batted .439 and had four home runs and 25 RBIs.

FIRST TEAM

Burbank’s surprising drive for a Foothill League title was fueled by senior left-hander Jason Chandler, who posted a 6-2 record and a stingy 0.90 ERA. He also struck out 80 in 69 2/3 innings and pitched a one-hitter in the first round of the Southern Section 5-A Division playoffs. Chandler, who is being recruited by Cal State Fullerton, was selected in the 49th round in the amateur draft by the Kansas City Royals.

It might have been a disappointing year for Hart, which failed to win the Foothill League title for the first time in four years, but no one can fault senior pitcher R.J. Simone, who shouldered the load after last year’s ace, Andrew Lorraine, left for Stanford. Simone (6-2, 195) posted a 9-1 record with a 2.17 ERA and had 95 strikeouts in 80 2/3 innings.

Montclair Prep breezed to its second consecutive Southern Section 1-A title behind the all-around play of Russell Ortiz. The junior pitcher-first baseman posted an 11-1 record and a 1.10 ERA and had almost five strikeouts (96 total) for every walk (20) in 70 innings. He also paced the Mounties with a .479 batting average.

Chatsworth flopped in the City 4-A playoffs after sweeping to the West Valley League title, but the Chancellors still fielded the top senior talent in the area among City teams. Anchoring Chatsworth was senior catcher Adam Pearlman, one of four Chancellors selected to the first team. Pearlman batted .368 and had 13 doubles, three home runs, 32 RBIs and 24 runs.

Sylmar’s Robert Garcia joined teammate Dereck Ornelas on the All-City 4-A team after posting a .453 batting average and scoring 39 runs. The senior also showed surprising power with seven triples, two home runs and 24 RBIs. A third baseman, Garcia possesses great quickness and a strong arm.

One of three returning All-Valley players from last year is Chatsworth second baseman Nestor Martinez, a senior. Martinez, who has signed to play at Cal State Northridge, slipped at the plate, batting .359 after a .423 performance in 1990, but he still proved productive with three triples, two home runs, 25 runs and 33 RBIs.

Poly’s Marlon McKinney has the lowest batting average of any member of the All-Valley team, but he wielded one of the most productive bats. Despite his .315 average, the senior third baseman drove home 35 runs and scored 26. He also hit two home runs, stole 10 bases and was selected in the 49th round of the amateur draft by the Philadelphia Phillies.

Don’t let the nickname fool you. San Fernando’s Jose Nunez is no “dog.” The junior outfielder and part-time first baseman tied the school single-season home run record of four. He also batted .425 and had a team-high 25 RBIs in helping the Tigers win the City 4-A championship.

San Fernando second baseman David Rojas collected 35 hits en route to a .376 average this year, and his last base hit was one for the books. Rojas blooped a single off Banning’s Mike Busby with two out in the bottom of the seventh inning at Dodger Stadium to give the Tigers a 3-2 win and their first City baseball championship.

El Camino Real’s Gregg Sheren established himself as the area’s top defensive shortstop last year but could not crack the batting lineup because of his weak bat. The Conquistadores did not need a designated-hitter for Sheren in 1991--he batted a team-high .430 and led the team in RBIs with 34. The senior added six doubles, three triples and two home runs and scored 22 runs.

Joining Ornelas and Martinez as returning All-Valley selections is Mitch Root, a Chatsworth outfielder. Root struggled as a pitcher in his senior season but exploded offensively. He led area City players in batting average (.506), runs (41) and home runs (seven). Root, drafted in the 16th round by the Chicago Cubs, also had five doubles, three triples and 30 RBIs.

Fourteen proved to be a recurring number for talented, versatile Palmdale outfielder-pitcher Chris Tampoya. The Golden League most valuable player scored 14 runs and had 14 doubles and 14 RBIs. He also batted .403 and posted a 4-4 record with a 3.31 ERA.

Poly packed productive players throughout the lineup, including Jesus Perez, a junior outfielder. Perez contributed his share in one of the most memorable offensive displays of the season: a 17-1 victory over defending champion Chatsworth in the quarterfinals of the City 4-A playoffs. Perez finished the season with a .438 batting average, 22 runs and 26 RBIs.

One of the biggest surprises of the season was the play of Thurman Williams, who transferred to Chatsworth from Anaheim Magnolia. Williams gave the Chancellors another potent bat in the lineup: He had a .453 average, scored 27 runs and drove in 28. Williams, who also stole 12 bases, was drafted in the 40th round by the San Francisco Giants.

ALL-VALLEY SECOND TEAM

Player School Position Yr. Jorge Dorado Monroe Pitcher Soph. Bryan Martin Granada Hills Pitcher Sr. Willie Rivera Burbank Pitcher Sr. Louie Tapia Notre Dame Catcher Sr. Andy Dominique Alemany Infielder Soph. Jakob Jensen Highland Hall Infielder Sr. Josh Nolan Saugus Infielder Sr. Vinnie Orlando Notre Dame Infielder Sr. Victor Seper Crespi Infielder Jr. Alex Armacost Calabasas Outfielder Sr. Adam Braun Harvard Outfielder Sr. Jonathan Campbell Poly Outfielder Sr. Mike Malkin Birmingham Outfielder Sr. Brent Polacheck Montclair Prep Outfielder Sr. Jeff Tagliaferri Kennedy Outfielder Soph. Art Tarin San Fernando Outfielder Sr. Raul Torres Poly Utility Sr.

ALL-VENTURA COUNTY FIRST TEAM

Name School Position Yr. Mike Scyphers Simi Valley Coach 13 yrs. Dmitri Young Rio Mesa Player of the Year Sr. Brian Vasey Simi Valley Pitcher of the Year Sr. Frank Adame Hueneme Pitcher Jr. Angel Aragon Channel Islands Pitcher Sr. Mike Lee Thousand Oaks Pitcher Sr. Steve Bernstein Simi Valley Catcher Sr. Robert Fick Newbury Park Catcher Jr. Brian Sturges Thousand Oaks Catcher Sr. Aaron Fischer Simi Valley Infielder Jr. Ryan Kritscher Thousand Oaks Infielder Sr. Dave Landaker Royal Infielder Jr. Mike Mitchell Rio Mesa Infielder Sr. Jacob Cruz Channel Islands Outfielder Sr. Rob Neal Westlake Outfielder Sr. Kevin Nykoluk Simi Valley Outfielder So. Todd Preston Westlake Outfielder Sr.