COMMUNITY COLLEGE BASEBALL PREVIEWS : Ready to Make a State(ment) : Harbor: The Seahawks haven’t been to the state tournament since 1990, but Coach Tony Bloomfield is optimistic about his team’s chances.

The Harbor College baseball team has only three returning starters, but third-year Coach Tony Bloomfield appears to have recruited several talented players who can help the Seahawks get back into the state tournament.

In Bloomfield’s first two seasons as coach, the Seahawks didn’t make it past the regional playoffs. In 1992, Harbor finished 39-12 after losing to Cuesta, 9-7, in the regional final at Cerritos College.

“This is the best recruiting year I’ve had since I’ve been here,” said Bloomfield, an all-state shortstop at Harbor in 1983 and assistant under longtime Coach Jim O’Brien. “If everybody stays healthy, this could be the best Harbor team since 1990.”

Harbor won the state title that year in O’Brien’s last season as coach. O’Brien is now the school’s athletic director.

The three returning starters are center fielder Rolando Avila, third baseman Tristan Paul (Rolling Hills High) and shortstop David Rosato (South Torrance). Avila, one of the team’s most powerful batters, has already signed a letter of intent to attend Cal State Long Beach. Paul will also attend Long Beach, and Rosato will attend Pepperdine. Rosato will split time at shortstop with freshman Jay Uhlman (Redondo).

“This team started off kind of slow,” Rosato said. “But as soon as we come together, this team can go far. We have a lot of freshmen that can swing real well and can put more runs on the board.”

One of those is freshman catcher Jeff Poor, an All-Valley League player at El Segundo High, who will bat cleanup.

Poor batted .452 with 10 doubles, six home runs and 38 runs batted in last year. He was drafted in the 47th round by the Dodgers and signed a letter to play at the University of Texas.

But Poor left Texas and joined the Seahawks during winter workouts.

The rest of the infield includes freshmen Tracy McAndrews (El Segundo) at first and Grant Hohman (St. Bernard) at second. Hohman was a 15th-round draft pick of the expansion Florida Marlins. He batted .394, scored 26 runs, hit six home runs and drove in 23 runs last year.

Freshmen Anthony Mack (Inglewood) will start in right field and David Mauney (Carson) and Ryan Berry (West Torrance) will share time in left field.

“We got a lot more talent this year,” Avila said. “I still think we lack experience, but we’re more motivated.”

Starting pitchers Brian Wise (El Segundo) and Martin Meza are hurt, but the Seahawks’ staff should be able to rebound. Wise, a freshman left-hander, is expected to return from an elbow injury by the end of the month. Meza, a sophomore right-hander, was helping his dad move a dresser drawer and dislocated his right shoulder. He may have to sit out the season.

Sophomore right-hander Clint Lynch and freshman right-hander Javier Mejia will earn the bulk of the starts. Lynch saw considerable action in last year’s playoffs, and Mejia was the 1992 City 4-A Division player of the year at University High.

Freshmen Mike Miller and Mark Chavez will battle for the third starting job. Miller, a lefty, was an All-Bay League selection at Santa Monica last year. Chavez, a graduate of Banning, sat out last year.

Sophomores Andy Diver (St. Bernard), Mark Ponce De Leon (Mary Star) and Marco Martinez (Carson) will be the first pitchers out of the bullpen.

“Our strength is normally pitching and defense,” Bloomfield said. “But lately it’s been offense. We’ve been putting up a lot of runs, eight or nine a game. I still think our overall strength will be pitching.”

Harbor, which won seven consecutive Southern California Athletic Conference titles, will move to the more competitive South Coast Conference this year. The Seahawks will play host Pasadena City College in their SCC opener on Tuesday.