The Team Everybody Wants to Beat : Diamond Bar, Ranked No. 2 in the Nation, Boasts a Wealth of Talent

Diamond Bar baseball players gathered in the school cafeteria last month for a private pancake breakfast to kick off the start of workouts.

The players ate heartily, talked among themselves about the upcoming season, then turned their attention to fourth-year Coach Kent Neil for some preseason words of wisdom.

Neil held up a copy of USA Today and gave his team the news: The Brahmas were ranked No. 2 in the nation.

“When he said that, our eyes kind of popped out,” senior pitcher Jared Janke said.

After the initial wave of shock subsided, Neil gave his team some advice.

“I told them that it’s great that people think we have a good program, and we appreciate the recognition,” Neil said, “but you still have to go out and play the games.”

Diamond Bar, which is ranked No. 3 in the nation by Baseball America magazine, got off to a winning start with a 7-3 victory over Kennedy in the first round of the Loara tournament Saturday.

Although the season is only a game old, Brahma players are aware that other teams are aiming to knock them back to reality. But this is not a Diamond Bar team that expects to lose many games.

The Brahmas return seven starters, including their top two pitchers and entire infield, from a 20-9 team that lost in the semifinals of the Southern Section 5-A Division playoffs.

“We have a lot of kids who have had a lot of success for two and three years on the varsity,” Neil said. “They’re not cocky or arrogant about the success.

“You never know what is going to happen with injuries or whether kids are going to have the kinds of years they have had in the past. But this is a pretty solid group.”

Right-hander Janke and senior left-hander Mike Corominas give Diamond Bar one of the Southern Section’s most talented pitching and first base combinations.

The 6-foot-5 Janke has won 21 games in two years. He batted .344 with five home runs and 32 runs batted in last season and will attend to UC Santa Barbara in the fall.

“He may not always have a great day, but he goes out and gives you a performance every time,” Neil said. “He’s the kind of guy you always know will keep you close.”

Said Janke: “As a sophomore, I was basically just a fastball-curve pitcher. At the end of last year I developed a new split-finger pitch that I use as a changeup. I’m throwing it well now, so it gives me three pitches.”

Corominas was 8-3 with a 2.69 earned-run average last season. His reliability allows Neil to refrain from identifying one pitcher as the staff ace. “We have two No. 1s,” he said.

Junior right-handers Jim Garrison, John Heaton and Richard Torres will be used as relievers and spot starters, particularly if the Brahmas are forced to play several back-to-back games in the Loara or Santa Ana tournaments before Sierra League play begins.

Diamond Bar’s infield is anchored by senior catcher Karl Thompson, a four-year varsity starter who batted .500 last season and will attend Santa Clara in the fall.

“Karl is the leader on this team,” junior second baseman Chris Grosskopf said. “He’s the main guy that every catcher should be. He knows the hitters, moves us around the infield and does little things that help out tremendously.”

Grosskopf batted .359 with 10 RBIs last season. He and senior shortstop Issac Garcia, a three-year starter, give the Brahmas solid defense up the middle.

Junior third baseman Tom Fry completes an experienced infield.

“Because we’ve played together, we know what each player can and can’t do,” Grosskopf said. “We help each other out, and we’re never negative when someone makes a mistake.”

Senior David Mallas, a three-year starter, will play center field and bat leadoff. Seniors Danny Cooper and Bill Jackson will share time in left field. Senior Aaron Armstrong and sophomore Thomas Simmons will alternate in right field.

“We’re not a big, physical team other than our two pitchers,” Neil said. “We’re not a powerhouse ballclub, but we swing the bat pretty well.”

Despite its success in the playoffs the past two seasons, Diamond Bar has not won a Sierra League championship under Neil. The Brahmas will be challenged once again by competitive teams from Baldwin Park, Nogales, Charter Oak, West Covina, Rowland and Wilson.

And though Diamond Bar players are proud of their preseason ranking, they intend to make it stand up at the end.

“We’re conscious of the ranking, and we know other teams are thinking about it when they play us,” Janke said. “As long as we don’t worry about it and just play the way we know how, we should be right there.”