HIGH SCHOOL BASEBALL / SOUTHERN SECTION PREVIEWS : DELPHIC LEAGUE

Buckley

COACH: Rick Weber, 3rd season

LAST SEASON: 11-10; tied for 3rd in league, 5-5

PLAYERS TO WATCH: Six starters return, including two four-year starters--senior battery Taryll Jackson and Steve Moon. Jackson, a three-time all-league pitcher, is one the league’s best. Jackson (1.91 ERA), a left-hander, struck out 85 batters in 59 innings. Moon batted .360 in league play and will catch for perhaps the Southern Section’s only double-brother pitching combinations. Taryll Jackson’s brother, freshman right-hander T.J., and Keith (3.90 ERA) and Kevin Armstrong are the Griffins’ projected starters. Junior right-hander Mitch Brim, a returning letterman who didn’t pitch last season, will be used in relief. All of the pitchers have position assignments when they aren’t on the mound. Taryll Jackson, who batted .471 in league play, will be at first base or left field. Brother T.J. will be at second base. Kevin Armstrong will be at third base, brother Keith will be in left field and Brim will play shortstop. Senior David Streja will split time with Taryll Jackson at first base. Senior Pat Field (.333) is a returning center fielder and sophomore John Hanish, also a returning starter, will move from second to right field. Senior Harold Goodman (.340) is a returning designated hitter.

OUTLOOK: Buckley was young last season and struggled to finish with a winning record. Still, the Griffins were the only team to defeat champion Crossroads in league play. This time around, Weber is hoping to challenge Crossroads for the title. He said a lot depends on Taryll Jackson. “If Taryll is on, we can beat anybody,” Weber said. “It’s no secret. He will be our ace.”

*Campbell Hall

COACH: George White, 2nd season

LAST SEASON: 2-18; 6th in league, 0-10

PLAYERS TO WATCH: The Vikings should fare much better than a year ago when there were no seniors on the team. But the Vikings are still young: Seven starters return, only two of whom are seniors. “The team’s still young, but very experienced,” White said. Returning pitchers include senior Sam Park, junior Ben Arnold, and sophomores Tom Rainey and John Pollak. Park (center field), Rainey (shortstop, second base) and Pollak (second base) will play elsewhere when they are not pitching. Arnold will be used strictly in relief. Sophomore returning starter James Clark will catch. Senior Joe Rainey, Tom’s brother, is at first and sophomore Andreas Fehrle returns at shortstop. Newcomers who will start include junior third baseman Danny Strick, a transfer from St. Monica, and outfielders C.J. Thompkins (senior), Tim Johnson (sophomore) and Mike Appel (freshman).

OUTLOOK: Before the start of last season--because of the team’s overall youth and inexperience--White predicted that it would be two years before Campbell Hall was a valid contender. Halfway there, White is pleased with the progress. “I really think we’re headed in the right direction. Another year and we’ll be there,” White said.

*Faith Baptist

COACH: Les Estrada and Greg Weiss, 9th and 3rd seasons

LAST SEASON: 13-11; 2nd in league, 6-4

PLAYERS TO WATCH: Seven returning starters will help Faith Baptist make a run at defending league champion Crossroads. Five projected starters are still competing on the basketball team: Judd Granzow, Matt Cooper, Leonard Colon, Tony Hoggatts and Rani Zahr. Pitching is the Contenders’ strength. Senior left-hander David Tibor (1-1, 3.86 earned-run average), who struck out 34 batters in 29 innings, looks like the ace. Granzow, a sophomore three-sport athlete, is a right-hander who will also be used at third and shortstop. Granzow (.500) finished with 34 runs batted in, 10 doubles, four home runs and 20 stolen bases. Junior right-hander Chad Evanson (5-1) was the Contenders’ most effective pitcher, finishing with a team-low 1.97 ERA. Ambidextrous left-hander Clint Marcus, a junior, also plays shortstop, throwing with his right arm. Depending on the pitching, the infield positions are up for grabs. Evanson and senior Javier Gutierrez will handle catching duties. Tibor will be used at first and Cooper at third. Junior Mike Jimenez (.507, 25 runs, 20 stolen bases) is a returning second baseman. Outfielders include Hoggatts, Colon, and sophomores Zahr, Keewan Irving and Colby Carpenter, who batted .446 last season.

OUTLOOK: Faith Baptist finished three games out of first place behind Crossroads in league play last season. Despite overall improvement among league teams, Weiss is hoping to close the gap in 1993. “I think we’ll be right in the thick of things,” Weiss said.