PREP BASEBALL 1992 / SMALL SCHOOLS : Garden Grove Claremont

1991 RECORDS OVERALL LEAGUE 6-8 1-5

COACH RECORD AT SCHOOL Mike Smith 0-0

RETURNING STARTERS YR. POS. B-T Mike Gumm Jr. SS R-R Garrett Martinez Sr. C R-R Tony Smuck Jr. OF R-R

OTHER TOP RETURNERS YR. POS. B-T None

TOP NEWCOMERS YR. POS. B-T Bryan Gammell Sr. P-1B R-R

OUTLOOK

A new coach unfamiliar with his young and inexperienced personnel doesn’t sound promising, but Smith and the Cougars head into the four-team Express League hoping to make some noise. “We look OK,” Smith said. “I have a lot of freshmen who look pretty good.” Several key players graduated or transferred, but Smith is optimistic because Gammell is among those who remained and decided to play baseball. The 6-foot-6 1/4, 300-pound right-hander will do the bulk of the pitching, and Smith believes he can give the Cougars a few victories. “He can really throw the ball and seems to have good control,” Smith said. At the other end of Gammell’s deliveries will be Martinez, who batted .275 last season. Smith said Martinez is a “smart catcher with a real strong arm.” Gumm, a .255 hitter last year, should help on offense and in the field at shortstop. Smuck (.205) also adds some stability to the outfield. But Smith said the team’s batting is a mystery to him. “It’s the batting I don’t have a clue about right now,” he said. “I’ve got some kids who have not played that much baseball.” Still, Smith says the team’s defensive skills will be strong enough to keep it in games. “They (players) have the mechanics down. We’ll do fine,” Smith said.