HIGH SCHOOL BASEBALL / City Section Previews : VALLEY PAC-8 CONFERENCE : MID-VALLEY LEAGUE (4-A)

Birmingham

COACH: Dave Contreras, 3rd season

LAST SEASON: 6-18; 3rd in league, 5-12

PLAYERS TO WATCH: Birmingham is one of three league teams with seven returning starters. Seniors Brett Ermilio (.400 batting average, five doubles), Casey Doherty (.380, six doubles) and junior Don Wingo (.316, seven doubles, 23 runs batted in) headline the returnees. Ermilio, who missed the first half of last season because of elbow surgery, returns at catcher. Doherty is in center field and Wingo is back at first base. Junior shortstop Todd Challgren (.279) and senior third baseman Brent Rosenzweig also return, along with pitchers Steve Brown, a junior right-hander, and senior left-hander Keith Reed. Senior Marc Kasaboski, the Braves’ starting second baseman toward the end of the season, returns at second. Surrounding Doherty in the outfield will be Rosenzweig in left (when he’s not at third base) and sophomore Pedro Rodriguez. Rodriguez, a right-hander, is also a starting pitcher, and junior right-handers Jamie Darnell and Sal Duran will be used in relief.

OUTLOOK: A year ago Contreras started the season with one returning starter and a “bunch of kids that had never played high school baseball.” Contreras said the Braves have improved rapidly through summer and winter leagues but that there is still room for improvement. “I don’t know how we’ll do, but we can at least make Monroe sweat,” he said.

Canoga Park

COACH: Jim Smith, 5th season

LAST SEASON: 3-18; 4th in league, 2-15

PLAYERS TO WATCH: Canoga Park also has seven returning starters, four of whom hit better than .300. Senior David Kreider (.373), the school’s all-league quarterback, is the team’s top returning pitcher. He also will play either shortstop or in the outfield. Senior Jeff Perea (.343), a right fielder last season, moves to catcher. Senior outfielders Louis Meza (.308) and Glenn Davis (.306) return in left and center. Three returning infielders include seniors Nakia Porter at second, Fernando Guzman at third and junior Javier Vasquez at shortstop. First base and right field are up for grabs. Victor Oliveras and Tom Dome are first-base candidates and right field probably will be filled by a pitcher not in use. Smith said greater depth in the pitching staff make the Hunters stronger. Kreider and Meza are Smith’s top pitchers, followed by junior Gus Lomelli, senior Adan Magama and sophomore John Carlson. All are right-handers. “I don’t even know what a left-hander looks like,” Smith said.

OUTLOOK: Canoga Park has improved its pitching depth and should stay in many more games. But, the Hunters still lack depth at several positions and will have to stay healthy to be competitive. An improved record seems probable. “I told (the team) we’re going to make the playoffs,” Smith said.

Monroe

COACH: Kevin Campbell, 8th season

LAST SEASON: 17-4-1; 1st in league, 15-2

PLAYERS TO WATCH: Monroe boasts the pitching staff to fear in league play, as well as in the Valley Pac-8 Conference. Two returning starters have considerable talent and experience, and another has huge potential. Senior right-handers Robert Ballester (5-0) and Jorge Dorado (7-1) were virtually unbeatable last season. Ballester, who gave up five earned runs in 38 innings, finished with the lowest earned-run average (0.92) among area City Section pitchers. Dorado, who had 65 strikeouts in 60 1/3 innings, finished with the fourth-lowest ERA (1.51). Junior right-hander Joel Zamudio, the pitcher with great potential, makes the Vikings “a tick better than last year,” according to Campbell. Rounding out the pitching staff are seniors Phil Lugo and left-hander Juan Pacheco, who were named the junior varsity’s co-most valuable players. In addition to Ballester and Dorado, the team’s returning starters include senior catcher John Shellabarger (.370) and senior left fielder Juan Navarro (.270), a three-year starter who will bat leadoff. When they are not pitching, Zamudio will play first, Ballester third and Dorado shortstop. Their backups are senior Darrell Folck at first, Lugo at third and senior Danny Gatica at shortstop. Senior Jose Chavez, a reserve last season, will start at second. Junior Jaime Dorado, Jorge’s brother, will start in center field, and either Folck or senior Jose Scordel will play in right.

OUTLOOK: Opponents are picking the Vikings to win the league title and Campbell concedes he “would be very disappointed” if they didn’t. The pitching staff will be tough to beat, but there are five position players (three infielders, two outfielders) with only junior varsity experience.

Van Nuys

COACH: Bill Gordon, 4th season

LAST SEASON: 11-11; 2nd in league, 8-9

PLAYERS TO WATCH: Van Nuys has seven returning starters, including four three-year starters, all of whom are infielders. Senior catcher Alex Alvarenga anchors the group. Alvarenga (.361, 14 RBIs) is a contact hitter who hit a team-high nine doubles in 1992. Senior Victor Gonzalez, who also will pitch, returns at third. Seniors Voltaire Baltazar, the cleanup batter, and Refugio Pulido are switching positions; Baltazar moves to second base, Pulido to shortstop. Junior Juan Pelayo returns at first. Senior Juan Colon, a full-time designated hitter last season, will play left field and sophomore Larry Reed will patrol center field. Junior Enrique De La Cueva, an occasional starter in 1992, will probably play in the outfield. Van Nuys, like most every other team in the conference, has greater pitching depth. Senior right-hander Benjamin Navarrete (5-3, 2.94 ERA), an off-speed pitcher, is the ace and junior right-hander Jesus Bolivar is No. 2. Gonzalez will be used as needed and sophomores Reed, a left-hander, and Steven Kang are relief pitchers.

OUTLOOK: Van Nuys finished .500 for the first time in at least six years and played City finalist Poly in the first round of the playoffs last season. Van Nuys was beating Poly, 4-2, after six innings, but Poly scored three runs in the seventh to win. The experienced Wolves would like to start where they left off last season. “I think Monroe will be tough to beat. I see us second,” Gordon said.