HIGH SCHOOL BASEBALL / SOUTHERN SECTION PREVIEWS : GOLDEN LEAGUE

Antelope Valley

COACH: Ed t’Sas, 2nd season

LAST SEASON: 16-10; 1st in league, 10-5

PLAYERS TO WATCH: Twelve seniors are on the roster and most will figure prominently. The offensive catalyst is leadoff hitter Freddie Edwards, who might be the fastest player on any area diamond. Trouble is that Edwards, who returns in center field, batted only .242 last season while striking out 19 times with only three walks. But his hitting has improved, t’Sas said, and so should his average and stolen-base total (11 last season). “Fred hits the ball on the ground, and if it bounces three times, he’s on,” t’Sas said. Senior Peter Holt, who batted .389 last season, moves from third base to left field and also will pitch. Senior second baseman Ryan Branch, a part-time player who hit .250 last season, will start. Senior catcher Todd Barnes batted .296 with 21 runs batted in as a designated-hitter last season. Junior first baseman Eric Cole, ineligible last season, could be a surprise, t’Sas said. Third base is up for grabs between sophomore Marcus Armstrong and senior Bryan Peters, who held the position with last season’s junior varsity. Junior shortstop Jason Kresser, a varsity reserve last season, moves into a starting role. Senior Seth Hansen and sophomore James Juneau are battling for the right-field job. Senior left-hander Raul McNaughton (3-2; 5.25 earned-run average in 42 2/3 innings) returns as the most experienced pitcher. Holt is the probable No. 2 starter. A reliable reliever has yet to step forward.

OUTLOOK: The Antelopes are an “old team,” t’Sas said. Experience will have to carry the defending league champions in the early going. Pitching will have to pick up the slack at some point. “The talent is there, if we find somebody to be a stopper, we can go somewhere,” he said.

Canyon

COACH: Scott Willis, 1st season

LAST SEASON: 11-11-1; fifth in league, 6-9

PLAYERS TO WATCH: If several players display the power at the plate Willis says they have, Canyon will be difficult to outscore. Seniors Bill Sivley (first base), Andy Cleland (shortstop) Dave Bildner (catcher) and Josh Malneck (center field) all can go deep. Sivley (6-foot-2, 230 pounds), who batted .367 with 16 RBIs last season, played tight end on the school’s football team. Cleland, a transfer from San Diego, played running back, and senior second baseman Chad Engbrecht was the starting quarterback. Junior third baseman Steve Bench was the leading power hitter on last season’s junior varsity. Bildner and junior Chuck Schuster are battling for the starting catching job. “They’ll platoon depending on who’s hitting the ball,” Willis said. “Right now, it’s a coin toss.” Senior right-hander Brian Avasian, who did not play last season, has a good fastball and will be the No. 1 starter. The second starting job will go to either junior right-hander Brad Coukos, who throws a split-finger pitch, or senior left-hander Ernesto Vasquez, who had control problems last season but has improved. Junior left-hander Ray Avalos, up from the junior varsity, will be used in spot relief. Senior outfielders Mike Swinford and David Escalante did not play last season.

OUTLOOK: Willis, a former assistant at Moorpark College and Cal State Northridge, will attempt to blend a strong batting order with aggressive baserunning. A variety of pitchers will do the rest. Canyon has three left-handers. “I don’t see us lacking in speed or power or defensive or offensive speed,” Willis said.

Palmdale

COACH: Kent Bothwell, 2nd season

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

PLAYERS TO WATCH: The Falcons have as many key returnees as any team in the league. Junior right-hander Joe Garcia (5-3, 4.10 earned-run average) led the Falcons in innings pitched last season with 56 1/3. Senior catcher Ryan Herman (.357 last season), junior shortstop Luis Alcaraz (.289, 12 RBIs) and senior left fielder Jay Mapson all are returning starters. “Our experience will help us,” Bothwell said. Junior right-hander Todd Berry, a varsity starter last season, and sophomore Bobby Harmon, who was 6-2 for the Falcons’ league-champion freshman team, round out what should be a solid pitching staff. Newcomers are promising, Bothwell said. Senior Brian Doke, an All-De Anza League transfer from Yucca Valley, will start at third base. Senior first baseman Mike Parker, a good hitter, did not play last year because of injuries. Sophomore center fielder Jerome Payton can hit, run and throw. “He’ll be someone to watch over the next three years,” Bothwell said. Competition for remaining positions is strong and spirited. Freshman Chris Paxton, a catcher-first baseman, and senior outfielders Steve Lowe and Phil Maldonado, up from the junior varsity, will play often.

OUTLOOK: A good blend of experience and youth should keep the Falcons in the thick of things. “I think we’ll be able to challenge for the league title,” Bothwell said. That’s not too lofty a goal because Palmdale usually contends every year.

Quartz Hill

COACH: Mike Nielson, 1st season

LAST SEASON: 12-9; 4th in league, 8-7

PLAYERS TO WATCH: The starting rotation of senior Travis Bowser and sophomore Javier Salinas, both 6-2 right-handers, will make the Rebels competitive. Bowser shuffles a fastball, curve and change and Salinas, in his first varsity season, might be among the hardest throwers in the area, Nielson said. Senior right-hander Ryan Wilson, MVP of last season’s junior varsity, is the top reliever. Youth abounds on the field. Second baseman Mike Kenney, an outstanding fielder, and third baseman Mike Caudillo, the team’s best hitter, are switch-hitting juniors who will bat second and third. Junior shortstop Brian Willey has speed and a good glove. Junior center fielder Jeff Bowne covers a lot of ground and will bat leadoff. Senior Chad Goodwin, who started in center field last season, moves to left. Utility infielder Scott Stringer, who batted .370 last season as a junior, is recovering from a knee injury suffered while skiing. Stringer started at third base last year. Catcher Chris Grado, also a junior, will catch.

OUTLOOK: Nielson, who coached at Mojave High the past five years, concedes that the Rebels lack a power hitter--but not much else. “I feel really good about this club,” he said. “They play really hard. I don’t see any glaring weaknesses.”

Saugus

COACH: Doug Worley, 17th season

LAST SEASON: 15-10; tied for 2nd in league, 9-6

PLAYERS TO WATCH: Saugus always seems to have good pitching and this year is no exception. Junior right-hander Bobby Cowan (6-1, 175 pounds), who was 5-2 with a 2.93 ERA last season, is stronger physically. “He’s throwing harder,” Worley said. Senior left-hander Chris Hernandez (1-1, 5.48 ERA) forms the other half of what should be a solid rotation. Others ready to pitch include sophomores Steve Rogers, a left-hander, and John Maggiora, a right-hander. Rogers pitched for the junior varsity last season, Maggiora for the freshman team. Worley insists that senior catcher Mike Hogen, a returning starter, is as good as any area backstop. “He’ll throw people out and he blocks the ball very well,” Worley said. Other key returnees include senior all-league shortstop Jayme Riggio (.291), who will move to third, and shortstop Danny Cato, who moves from second base and will bat leadoff. Senior Brian O’Leary, a varsity reserve last year and a good fielder, will start at second. The outfield is minus talented Kyle Lonsberry, who batted .324 last season but no longer attends Saugus. Senior Brian Worley (.322), the coach’s son, will start in center field and will bat second. Seniors Jeff Smith, Scott Ribbons, Todd Martin and junior Scott Himes are vying for outfield positions. Designated hitter Justin Miller will bat cleanup and fill in at first base.

OUTLOOK: What the Centurions lack in depth they make up for in chemistry, Worley said. “We’re extremely together,” Worley said. “If our pitching comes through, we should be fine.”