Rosato, Paul and Avila Give Harbor College Three Reasons to Smile

Must of the success of the Harbor College baseball team can be attributed to second baseman David Rosato, third baseman Tristan Paul and center fielder Rolando Avila.

The Seahawks are 18-3-2 and lead the six-member South Coast Conference with a 9-2-1 record.

“I can tell you without a doubt that without those three guys we wouldn’t be where we are,” Coach Tony Bloomfield said.

Rosato, Paul and Avila are the Seahawks’ leading batters and each will compete at a Division I college next year. Rosato, a South Torrance High graduate, will attend Pepperdine, Paul, a Rolling Hills grad, and Avila, who attended Paramount, will play at Cal State Long Beach.

The 5-foot-11, 165-pound Rosato is batting .425 and has 37 hits and nine doubles. He also has 17 runs batted in. Last season Rosato batted .338 and was named to the All-Southern California Athletic Conference team.

Rosato was considered one of the South Bay’s best prep shortstops. He was named a Times’ South Bay All-Star as a senior after batting .434 with 19 RBIs and 24 stolen bases in 25 attempts.

“He’s a scrappy guy that usually always makes contact and puts the ball in play,” Bloomfield said. “He’s not a power guy, but he always comes through.”

Paul ranks second on the team in hits with 38. He has 29 RBIs and five home runs. The 6-3, 195-pound Paul was a shortstop at Rolling Hills. He earned All-SCAC honors as a freshman.

“I feel a lot more confidence this year,” Paul said. “I’m very confident at that plate because I know the strike zone well.”

Said Bloomfield: “Tristan is the best pure hitter I’ve been around. He has a talent of hand-eye coordination that most kids at this level don’t have.”

Scouts regularly watch Paul and the sophomore is eager to turn pro if the money is right. The Cleveland Indians, Toronto Blue Jays, Houston Astros and Pittsburgh Pirates are some of the clubs that have talked to Paul.

“He could be a real high draft pick,” Bloomfield said. “There’s no doubt he’ll go in the top 10 rounds, but he could go in the top four or five.”

The 5-8, 170-pound Avila has a powerful arm and a muscular physique that is the result of countless workouts.

At Paramount, he was an All-Southern Section selection. He also was a fullback and strong safety on the football team.

Avila, who earned all-league honors last season, is batting .383. He has a team-high 41 hits, 28 runs and three home runs. Avila leads the team in steals with 15.

“He is the best defensive center fielder at the junior college level,” Bloomfield said. “He has the best arm. He’s the strongest kid on our team even though he’s not tall.”

Avila, 19, says it would take a big-money pro contract to pass up college. He has a 2-year-old daughter, Reo, and lives with his parents, daughter and girlfriend in Paramount.

“The best thing that happened to me is my little girl,” he said. “My life used to be baseball, baseball baseball and it really changed my priorities. I’m going to do everything I can to have something to fall back on because I want her to have a good life.”

Helping raise Reo keeps Avila busy and last summer he gave up an opportunity to compete in a summer league in New York because he didn’t want to leave his family.

“Being a father keeps you out of a lot of trouble,” he said, laughing.

Despite the responsibilities, Avila is one of Harbor’s most dedicated players. He usually arrives to practice early and stays late.

“He’s a perfectionist,” Bloomfield said. “He could go three for four and be upset because he didn’t get the last hit.”

Bloomfield is hopeful that Avila, Rosato and Paul can lead Harbor to the state tournament in May in Sacramento.

“Those kids have carried the Harbor tradition very well,” Bloomfield said. “They are what Harbor baseball is all about.”