Thinking-Man’s Approach Aids Taft’s Stewart

Pitcher-infielder Warren Stewart of Taft High is more equipped than the average guy to deal with the caprices of sport. He might be one of the few athletes who knows Sigmund Freud from Sleepy Floyd.

Stewart, a four-year starter, worked as a peer counselor at Taft for two years, helping his fellow students through problems such as suicide, sex, drugs and alcohol. He enjoyed the experience and became a star pupil.

Taft’s peer counseling program led to Stewart’s involvement in the Los Angeles Police Department’s Drug Abuse Resistance Education program. Stewart has accompanied officers to area grade schools to help lecture students on drug abuse. “I’ve always been interested in what makes people tick,” said Stewart, who plans to study psychology in college.

Stewart might have been his own best patient. After weak seasons with the bat his freshman and sophomore seasons, Stewart batted .277 last year.

After seven games, Stewart is 11 for 27 (.407) and is batting third for Taft, which won the Westside tournament Blue Division championship last weekend. Stewart recently opened his stance, and as a result, had a solid winter-league season playing with other area high school standouts on the Angels’ scout team.

“When I started to do well, it carried over into high school,” said Stewart, who also has won a spot in the starting rotation after playing mostly infield the past three years.

Stewart will never live or die on baseball alone. He seems to be taking the high points in stride.

“You might not want to call back in a couple of months,” he said, laughing. “Who knows where I’ll be (statistically) by then.”. . . .

NORTHWEST VALLEY

CONFERENCE

BASEBALL

The performance of pitchers Stewart and Stacy Kleiner in Taft’s 1-0, nine-inning victory over Hart in the semifinals of the Westside tournament last week ushered a flood of memories for some. It has been a while since Taft pitchers took charge in similar fashion.

“It was like Nathan Voytek,” said Taft catcher Adam Shotland, referring to the wiry sophomore who threw a series of shutout innings two years ago. “That was the last time we had a guy pitch like this.” Voytek is a senior living in Pennsylvania. . . .

El Camino Real has scored 94 runs in its first seven games, and the heart of the batting order was at the heart of the problem for opposing pitchers. No. 3 hitter Dan Cey is 12 for 23 (.522) with six extra-base hits and 12 RBIs, No. 4 hitter Randy Wolf is eight for 17 (.471), and No. 5 hitter Justin Balser is nine for 25 (.360) with 12 RBIs. . . .

Kennedy might have won the San Fernando tournament title by knocking off Birmingham, 9-3, Saturday, but the team lost a starter. Pitcher and designated hitter Billy Murray, who entered the game with a team-high six RBIs, sustained a dislocated left kneecap when his spikes stuck in the dirt while swinging in the fifth inning.

“It just locked on him,” said Coach Manny Alvarado, who estimated that Murray will be sidelined for a month or more. “It definitely wasn’t pretty.” . . .

Kennedy’s batting average was .427 through five games, but the Golden Cougars were limited to eight hits in two losses to El Camino Real this week. Cleanup hitter Jeff Nadeau, a senior outfielder, went hitless in five at-bats this week after an 11-for-16 start. . . .

Junior shortstop Bryan LaCour has become a poster boy for the walking wounded at Chatsworth. Last season, LaCour suffered a broken left ankle. Last summer, he started sliding headfirst because the ankle remained sore.

LaCour slid headfirst into a base two weeks ago and suffered a hairline fracture of the middle finger of his left (glove) hand. He missed two games before returning in the outfield Saturday in the Westside tournament final against Taft.

LaCour, eight for 17 with six doubles, isn’t the lone injury victim on the team. While squaring to bunt in the season opener, Rod Daryabigi was hit in the mouth by a foul ball, an injury that required surgery and several stitches. What’s more, pitcher Harry Kenoi was hit in the elbow by a line drive in the first inning against Taft and had to leave the game.

VALLEY PAC-8

CONFERENCE

BASEBALL

Van Nuys Coach Bill Gordon, unhappy with the Wolves’ inconsistent play in the first two weeks of the season, decided it was time to get back to basics. After Van Nuys (2-2) suffered a 7-2 loss to Hollywood last week, Gordon went back to training.

“We went back to boot camp for 2 1/2 hours of grueling physical punishment,” Gordon said.

What exactly does that involve?

“No bats, no balls, no gloves,” Gordon said. “Strictly conditioning. The Marine Corps would have been proud of us.” . . .

GOLF

Grant, two-time defending City Section champion, has two girls among its top five, and is considered a title contender.

One girl on a golf team is rare enough. Grant has Elise Kim and Allison Wilson.

MARMONTE LEAGUE

TRACK AND FIELD

Agoura sophomore Amy Skieresz moved to 10th on the region’s all-time performer list in the girls’ 1,500 meters when she timed 4 minutes 36.23 seconds in the Alemany Relays at Cal State Northridge on Saturday. . . .

Agoura has had the fastest time in the nation in the girls’ four-mile relay the previous two years, but Coach Bill Duley expects the Chargers to focus on the distance medley relay this season.

“That’s the event I think we can run best in,” Duley said. “We’ve concentrated so much on the four-mile relay for the past two years that we haven’t run as fast as we were capable of in the distance medley.”

An Agoura foursome of junior Kay Nekota, junior Carrie Malnekoff, senior Kristie Camp and Skieresz timed 12 minutes 22.73 seconds to win the distance medley relay in the Alemany Relays on Saturday.

GOLDEN LEAGUE

TRACK AND FIELD

Add Ryan Lauterio of Palmdale to the list of talented junior high jumpers in the region.

Lauterio had a personal best of 6-2 entering the Alemany Relays at Cal State Northridge last weekend, but cleared 6-4 on his first attempt and 6-6 on his second to place second behind Martin Hilke (6-7) of Crescenta Valley.

Lauterio is one of four area juniors to have cleared at least 6-6 this season.

The others are Jeremy Fischer (7-0) of Camarillo, Jim Romero (6-10 1/4) of L.A. Baptist, and James Lincoln (6-9) of Birmingham.

FOOTHILL LEAGUE

BASEBALL

Hart Coach Bud Murray expected Luis Sanchez to be among the Indians’ leaders this season after a standout freshman season.

He has not been disappointed.

The right-handed sophomore starter is 1-0 with 13 strikeouts, five behind team-leader Gary Stephenson. Last season, Sanchez was 7-0 with a 3.64 earned-run average. Sanchez, also an infielder, is batting .429 with a team-leading 12 RBIs in only 14 at-bats.

Staff writers Steve Elling, Paige A. Leech, John Ortega and Jason H. Reid contributed to this notebook.