HIGH SCHOOL BASEBALL / SOUTHERN SECTION PREVIEWS : PACIFIC LEAGUE

Crescenta Valley

COACH: Tony Zarrillo, 5th season

LAST SEASON: 14-10, 2nd in league, 9-6

PLAYERS TO WATCH: Crescenta Valley has only five seniors. Last year, the Falcons had 10. “We can’t check the waiver wire,” Zarrillo cracked. “We’re going to have to play the hand we’re dealt.” Almost all hands will be on deck for pitching duty. The staff’s best is senior right-hander Josh Canale (5-4, 2.97 earned-run average last season), who returns as the No. 1 starter. Canale’s breaking ball is good and his location is better. Junior right-hander Brendon Cowsill will be the No. 2 starter between shifts at third base. Cowsill batted .310 last season. Junior Brett Miller, who was 3-0 in relief, returns. Senior first baseman Josh Willis, an all-league guard in basketball, and hard-throwing senior Andy Settle (6-foot-4, 220 pounds), who sat out last season, also will pitch. Sophomore David Fielder, who batted .308, moves from third base to catcher. Senior Aaron Schaefer, who did not play last season, is the probable starting shortstop. Many positions are still up for grabs, particularly in the outfield. The top three candidates are senior Hector Sarinana and juniors Eric Cadena and John Gabrielson. Sarinana is up from the junior varsity; Cadena, a left-hander, is another pitching candidate, and Gabrielson is a transfer from L.A. Baptist.

OUTLOOK: “Every team in our league is better than they were last year,” Zarrillo said. If that includes Arcadia, which finished five games ahead of second-place Crescenta Valley, it could be a long season for everyone. Continuity will be difficult for the Falcons to achieve with many players shifting positions.

Glendale

COACH: Chris Axelgard, 5th season

LAST SEASON: 12-10; 2nd in league, 9-6

PLAYERS TO WATCH: The Dynamiters could be dynamite at the plate. Junior Brenden Barrett, who returns at second base, batted .340 in the leadoff slot. “He’s got a shot at going somewhere,” Axelgard said. Senior first baseman Mark Haft and senior shortstop Frank Taormina, an off-season transfer, are left-handed batters and “pure hitters,” Axelgard said. Senior catcher Keith McCullouch moves into a starting role and also will be used as a reliever. Senior right-hander Jason Greenberg (3-1 last season), whose best pitch is a curve, is the No. 1 starter. No. 2 will be either junior right-hander David Sofro or sophomore right-hander David Gant, whoever is most healthy. Gant, Axelgard boasts, has surrendered “only one home run in his life.” However, he is troubled by a sore knee that might require surgery. Sofro has been bothered by a sore arm. Junior right-hander Keith Hopkins will catch, play third and be used as a reliever. Senior Mike Pfaff is the swiftest of a young group of outfielders and will start in center. Others include senior Chris Chacon, who did not play last season, and juniors John Lister and Juan Chavez, who started for the junior varsity.

OUTLOOK: New faces appear at almost every position and there are a few question marks. If Sofro or Gant cannot pitch, Axelgard will need to find a replacement in a hurry. “We’re going to have to come together quickly,” Axelgard said. “We’re filling a lot of spots, but I think we’ll do OK.”

Hoover

COACH: Bob Cooper, 16th season

LAST SEASON: 3-11-1, 5th in league, 5-13-1

PLAYERS TO WATCH: There is no shortage of pitchers on this club. The Tornadoes are loaded with arms and all will be used. Senior right-handers Kevin Deitch and Young Park (2-1, 2.19 ERA) are entering their third varsity seasons and will form the starting rotation. The bullpen is crowded with juniors Andrew Spencer and David Martinez and senior Rex Lee--all left-handers--and senior right-handers Don Kinney and Manuel Lopez. Cooper hopes one will emerge as the stopper. Kinney batted .360 last season, so he probably will see action elsewhere. “All these guys have pitched their way through our program,” Cooper said. “They’re not overpowering, but we’re not hurting with them.” Three-year varsity member Nate Dishington, the school’s quarterback, plays first base and is the on-field chief. Gabriel Enriquez moves from catcher to second base. Senior Joby Lewis, the team’s fastest runner, will play right field and bat leadoff. Players will platoon in many positions. Sophomore Ron Pirayoff will alternate with Deitch at third. Sophomore Chris Butler will share center field with Spencer. Seniors Art Lopez and Dan King will divide catching duties.

OUTLOOK: The Tornadoes seem poised to move up. And Cooper, back from a one-year hiatus spent watching his son play college baseball, is eager to make the ascent. “It feels good to be back,” he said. “I don’t know how good we’re going to be, but we have a lot of seniors. We’ll wait and see.”