HIGH SCHOOL BASEBALL ’92 : Montgomery’s the Choice for No. 1

Two-time defending champions Mira Mesa (3-A) and Grossmont (2-A) will again be among the elite baseball teams in San Diego County this season, but we guarantee at least one of them will not repeat and perhaps neither will.

The guarantee comes in the fact Grossmont has moved up to the 3-A, and the doubt stems from Montgomery being a near unanimous pick among county coaches as the top team in the county.

“I don’t think there is anyone that is totally loaded,” Mira Mesa Coach Mike Prosser said. “But Montgomery is the closest. They’ve got more than anybody else, and they’re going to be awfully tough.”

Prosser’s Marauder team beat Montgomery, 7-0, in the Section 3-A final last year, but Montgomery had only two senior starters on that club.

Grossmont, like Mira Mesa, lost a lot of production from a few key players, but figure to challenge for the 3-A crown along with Poway, Vista, Helix, and Granite Hills.

Grossmont’s move to the Grossmont 3-A League makes that league the toughest in the county, a distinction held by the Metro Conference last year.

And while the 2-A loses Grossmont, it gains El Capitan, which traded places with the Foothillers last fall. The Vaqueros were a sub-.500 team last year, but should have enough pitching to challenge perennial powers USDHS and Mission Bay, which lost, 3-0, to Grossmont in last year’s 2-A final. San Marcos, Kearny, Santana, Rancho Bernardo and St. Augustine also figure to challenge for the 2-A title, but San Marcos has been decimated by injuries and early discipline problems and is off to an 0-3 start.

1. MONTGOMERY

League: Metro

1991 Record: 22-6-1

Coach: Manny Hermosillo

Informed his team had been selected No. 1 to begin the 1992 season, this was Hermosillo’s sincere response: “Really? That’s nice. That’s nice for the kids. They’ll enjoy that. Thank you very much. We’ll try to stay there.” Though they will be pressured by a number of strong 3-A teams, the Aztecs could stay No. 1 all season. Home run power is about all they lack, but the Aztecs more than make up for that with a tremendous defense and fine young pitching staff. Already this year, they have won games, 15-1, 10-1, and 4-1. Top returning players--and there are many--include seniors Jose Lorenzana (shortstop), Julio Saldana (left-handed pitcher), David Silvas (right-handed pitcher), Armando Mendoza (center field/third base) and Jesus Gonzalez (outfield), and juniors Carlos Acuna (catcher) and Eduardo Duarte (right-handed pitcher/first base). In addition, two of its top pitchers are sophomores off a junior varsity team that has won 20 or more games three years in a row. They are Oscar Robles, who also plays second base, and Steve Quinteros, who also plays first base. “Probably our top three guns are all underclassmen,” Hermosillo said. “Defense is back, and that’s what kept us in most games last year, and the pitching is probably better than it’s ever been here. So is our depth. And our speed is improved.” Get the picture?

2. GROSSMONT

League: Grossmont 3-A

1991 Record: 29-1

Coach: Jeff Meredith

Catcher Todd Cady, the most prolific hitter in Section history, and Mike Spears, one of the most effective pitchers in the county the past two seasons, are gone. Concern? You bet, said Meredith, who entered his fourth season at Grossmont with a 77-12-1 record and back-to-back Section titles. “I’ve never had to coach a game without (Cady) behind the plate,” Meredith said. “It was always comforting having him back there.” Meredith will start junior Rob Caddington at catcher and said he is developing nicely in the position. Still, Meredith said: “We’re not a 29-1 team this year. We just don’t have that kind of pitching.” Jason Eskridge is the Foothillers’ top pitcher; the right-hander also plays outfield. Junior Matt Jones is another effective right-handed pitcher and he also plays third base. Center fielder Wynter Phoenix might be the Foothillers’ best overall player, and he has signed a letter of intent to play at UC Santa Barbara next year. Junior shortstop Jon Heinrichs was Grossmont’s second-leading hitter last season, but is coming off major knee surgery in November from a football-related injury. Junior first baseman Ben Craig was another big-hitting sophomore last year, and there are two sophomore starters again this year--second baseman Mike Landers and right fielder Shannon Monroe.

3. MIRA MESA

League: City Eastern

1991 Record: 28-4-1

Coach: Mike Prosser

Pitcher Mike Bovee, shortstop Marc Nielsen and catcher Drew Arnold--three standouts who graduated last June after leading Mira Mesa to two consecutive 3-A titles--will be tough to replace, but the Marauders are off to a 5-0 start. Brendan Hause, a 6-1 left-handed pitcher/first baseman is one of the top performers in the county and has signed a letter of intent to play at California next year. He’s already 2-0 and had a 16-strikeout performance Friday against Santana. Seniors Jason Payne (right field) and Karl Goins are two more key returners, though Goins will move to catcher with Arnold gone this year. A newcomer from the junior varsity, sophomore outfielder Chris Lilly, is hitting .500. Another sophomore, Daryle Owen, figures to contribute heavily. “I think this team could be pretty good,” Prosser said, “but we’re young in so many critical areas.”

4. USDHS

League: City Western

1991 Record: 20-10

Coach: Dick Serrano

If they aren’t again plagued by arm problems, and if the infield solidifies, the defending City Western League champion Dons (3-0) will be a force. Last year, it was pitcher Gavin Millay who damaged his pitching arm (separated shoulder) with a football injury. This year it’s right-hander Rob Floco. USDHS has a strong outfield and a solid top-six in the batting order, including catcher Mike Hall and right fielder Aaron Blair--two returning starters. Even if Floco can’t go, the Dons will still have the most experienced pitching staff in their league. All five return, including strikeout specialist Ian Hamilton and Bob Reiter, who threw a two-hit shutout against Hilltop last week.

5. VISTA

League: Palomar

1991 Record: 16-9-1

Coach: Butch Smith

Nine players return from last year’s league championship team. The defending league champions lost Rodney DeLeon (8-1, 2.26, .377 batting average), Blake Landis (0.85 ERA), and Jay Kjeldsen (.382, 18 RBIs), and catcher Tim Cowell, but nine holdovers from a young team should be able to pick up the slack. The big gun is strong-armed shortstop Aaron Rounsifer (.380, 5 HR, 23 RBIs), ranked among the top 50 high school prospects in the nation. Junior catcher Justin Kern played in just 13 games last year, but batted .395. Other key returnees are second baseman/center fielder Tommy Jaime and left fielder Jerry Butkiewicz. Vista’s pitching staff is banged up as sophomore Steve Chatham has a sore arm and junior Greg Edwards has a broken finger. Anchor Matt Stone is 4-2. The Panthers also will look at freshman Harlie Fletes.

6. POWAY

League: Palomar

1991 Record: 20-7

Coach: Rudy Casciato

Poway returns just two everyday starters, second baseman and leadoff batter Mike Sharp (.344, 10 RBIs) and Mark Phillips (.359, 13 RBIs), who moves to catcher from first base. The Titans (3-0) should be strong up the middle with Virginia transfer David Kelch at shortstop and senior John Grosely in center field. Both have shown a strong arm and good range, and Kelch has already been the talk of Poway opponents. Kelch will bat third, ahead of Phillips and junior first baseman Jeff Pattison. Casciato said they have the potential to match last year’s powerful 3-4-5 spots, which combined for 56 RBIs. Chris Wisdom, the only returning non-starter, is in left field. The final returning senior is left-handed pitcher Scott Tittrington (6-2, 2.15 ERA). Three juniors, Brandon Marks, Kevin Van Dommelen and Grant Harbert, make up the rest of the pitching staff.

7. HELIX

League: Grossmont 3-A

1991 Record: 16-10

Coach: Jerry Schniepp

Schniepp feels this year’s Highlander team is an improvement over last year’s, which finished second in league at 6-2. Hard-throwing senior left-hander Ryan Smith, senior right-hander Adam Bright and sophomore lefty Mario Sanchez give the Highlanders (2-1) three top pitchers, a must with the Grossmont Conference switching to a Monday-Wednesday-Friday scheduling format this season. Senior third baseman Bobby Miller made all-league last year, as did junior catcher Brad Werdick. Senior Gregg Wilbur returns after sitting out last season. Junior Josh Jonte is one of the top shortstops in the conference.

8. GRANITE HILLS

League: Grossmont 3-A

1991 Record: 17-10-1

Coach: Gordy Thompson

Defending league champion Granite Hills came within three innings of making the 3-A final last year, losing a 1-0 lead in the fifth inning of an eventual 5-1 loss to Mira Mesa. The Eagles (2-1) have most of that team returning. Senior left-hander Tom Fordham and junior right-hander Cory Waterhouse are the aces of the pitching staff. Senior Mike Smith (.348, 4 homers) was an all-league outfielder last year before breaking two bones in his hand in the semifinals. Other returning starters include senior catcher John Palmer, junior second baseman Chad Burchett and senior third baseman Charlie Smith.

9. MISSION BAY

League: City Western

1991 Record: 22-9

Coach: Dennis Pugh

The Buccaneers (1-2) came on strong at the end of the 1991 season, losing, 3-0, to Grossmont in the Section 2-A final. Many key players are back from that team, including right-handed pitcher Manny Castillo and second baseman J.J. Ibarra (.300). Castillo has been slowed by an ankle injury he suffered in the Section Master’s Wrestling Meet. Ibarra’s glove anchors an experienced infield that includes third baseman Jesus Munoz (3B) and University City transfer Adam Stuart (.400), a first baseman. Outfielders Ivan Espinoza (.350) and Chase Lowary, and designated hitter Danny Gil, should also provide offense.

10. EL CAPITAN

League: Grossmont 2-A

1991 Record: 11-14-1

Coach: Steve Vickery

A move from the Grossmont 3-A League should make things a little easier for El Capitan, which features tremendous pitching in junior left-hander Matt LaChappa, junior right-handers Pat McMillin and Ben Kindriech, and sophomore right-handers Mike Henderson and Cody Weis. “If not the best, I feel we have one of the top three pitching staffs in the county,” Vickery said. The Vaqueros (1-2) have only two senior starters, catcher Matt McFarlane and outfielder Dylan Smith, both of whom were second-team all-league. Junior shortstop Mike Lennon and sophomore second baseman Jason Phillips bat No. 1 and 2.