Preseason All-County Team

FIRST BASE

Kyle Evans, Katella, senior--He hit .462 with four home runs and had 27 runs batted in. Don’t be fooled by the fact that he had only four home runs, Evans has great power. The problem is Katella plays at Boysen Park, a place slightly larger than the Ponderosa. “He put one out of there last year, and it was an amazing shot,” Coach Tim McMenamin said. “I’ve had other coaches tell me that if Kyle played in a regular high school park, there would be no telling how many home runs he would hit.”

SECOND BASE

Marc Patterson, La Habra, senior--He batted .386 and is one of the best defensive players in the county. In a scrimmage last week, Patterson broke to cover second base on a steal, then had to put on the brakes when the batter hit a ground ball behind him. “He took two steps back, then dived to stop the ball and threw the runner out at first,” Coach Paul Thomas said. “He loves doing things like diving for ground balls.” Patterson is equally aggressive at the plate.

SHORTSTOP

Zach Elliott, Tustin, senior--He batted .415 with two home runs and had 29 RBIs. The key member of one of the top teams in the county, Elliott’s fielding and hitting will be counted on as the Tillers make another run at a Southern Section championship. “He is one of the finest shortstops I’ve seen play,” Coach Vince Brown said. Elliott has good power at the plate, too. He had 12 doubles and five triples last season.

THIRD BASE

Tyson DowDell, El Dorado, senior--He batted .400 with five home runs and 25 RBIs. He was also 8-1 with a 2.10 earned-run average. The top player from the county’s top team, he can play outfield and first base, too. DowDell was one of the top players in the Olympic Festival last summer. Said Coach Steve Gullotti: “The other day we were breaking up the pitchers, half were to go to the varsity field and half to the JV field. Tyson yelled, ‘I’m not pitching on the JV field.’ Then he looked at me and said, ‘Coach, may I please not pitch on the JV field?’ Tyson is real aggressive, but he’s a real nice kid, too.”

OUTFIELD

Cale Carter, Mater Dei, senior--He hit .370 with two home runs and 12 stolen bases, despite missing three weeks with a dislocated thumb. The top player on a team loaded with good players, Carter is as intelligent as he is talented. He has a 4.5 grade-point average and already has signed to play at Stanford. Carter should improve his numbers this season, and has set a goal of 20 stolen bases. He is also a fine defensive player.

Brent Coon, Troy, senior--He batted .362 with four home runs and 19 RBIs. He’s a great defensive outfielder who has improved his hitting, He already has signed with Cal State Fullerton. Two years ago, he made a game-saving catch, sliding into the center-field fence, in the playoffs against El Toro. “If there is a better outfielder in Orange County, I haven’t seen him,” Troy Coach Dana Ilertsen said.

Ryan Roskelly, Valencia, senior--He hit .447 with 26 stolen bases. He has improved defensively, and Coach Mike Scheetz said Roskelly has a stronger arm, his one weakness last season. Roskelly’s best asset is his competitiveness. “Last summer, he was chasing after a fly ball at Glover Stadium and ran full speed into the center-field fence,” Scheetz said. “He chipped two teeth, lost a third, cut his chin and banged up his knee. Two days later, he told me he was ready to play again.”

CATCHER

Ken Granger, La Quinta, junior--He hit .311 with 15 RBIs and is also a strong defensive catcher. Granger, who has been a starter on the varsity since he was a freshman, worked during the summer honing his catching skills with Kansas City Royals’ catcher Brent Mayne. “Most high school catchers worry about their hitting,” Coach Dave Demarest said, “but Ken realizes it’s what you do as a receiver that makes you a good catcher.”

PITCHER

Marc Ver Wayne, El Toro, junior--He was 9-3 with a 2.53 ERA. He is a control pitcher who gets a lot of groundball outs. He started last season on the junior varsity, but was called up when the Chargers had a shortage of pitchers. “I went to his English class and asked to speak to him,” Coach Dan DeLeon said. “I said, ‘Do you think you can help out and throw a couple innings against Villa Park?’ He said, ‘Sure.’ Well, he went seven innings, gave up only four hits and won, 1-0.”

UTILITY

Scott Patton, Capistrano Valley, senior--He hit .398 with four home runs and 21 RBIs. He also was 7-4 with a 2.48 ERA. As a pitcher, Patton is competitive and wants the ball in big games. “We needed to win a game against Irvine to get into the playoffs last season, and I was trying to decide who to pitch, Scott or Travis (Burges),” Coach Bob Zamora said. “Scott said that he wanted to start because then he would be the pitcher at Anaheim Stadium in the championship game. We hadn’t even made the playoffs yet and he had worked out the rotation that far in advance.” Patton won that game and later beat Canyon in the 4-A title game.

DESIGNATED HITTER

Rich Crowe, Ocean View, senior--He hit .420 with 10 home runs, 25 RBIs and 14 stolen bases. He hits for average and power, steals bases and signs. “It’s amazing, Rich will be on second base relaying signs to one of our batters,” Coach Steve Barrett said. “The catcher will come out to the mound and change the sequence. It takes Rich all of two pitches to decipher the new sequence.” With that sort of mental capacity (a 4.4 grade-point average), is it any wonder Crowe has signed with Stanford?

OTHERS TO WATCH

Pitchers--Shawn Albee (Edison), Adam Anderson (Servite), Rick Crosby (Santa Ana Valley), Aron Garcia (Irvine), Derek Glascoe (Huntington Beach), Matt Palaferri (Newport Harbor), Louis Perez (Santiago), Angel Rivera (Anaheim), Jon Ward (Huntington Beach), Kyle Wilson (Estancia), Matt Wood (Canyon).

Infielders--Saul Archuleta (Orange), Derek Baker (Tustin), Dave Cosgrove (Laguna Hills), Dan Flanagan (Cypress), Shawn Holcomb (El Dorado), David Knuff (Mater Dei), Mike Messinger (Laguna Hills), Vince Mitchell (Bolsa Grande), Brian Ponchak (Fountain Valley), Enele Scanlan (Santiago), John Schumacher (Canyon).

Outfielders--Ray Basurto (Servite), Luis Estrella (Saddleback), Keith Frankel (Mater Dei), Brett Hardy (Tustin), Chad Henderson (El Modena), Steve Rivera (Ocean View), Jason Santoro (El Toro), Eric Stevens (Pacifica).

Catchers--Mike Allen (Laguna Beach), Tim Curren (Woodbridge), Jay Foust (Sonora), Michael Mebane (Valencia), Jason Minici (Irvine).