HIGH SCHOOL BASEBALL / SEASON PREVIEW : DEL REY LEAGUE
St. Francis
‘93 RECORD OVERALL LEAGUE 8-15 6-6
COACH YEAR Tim O’Neil 1st
TOP RETURNEES YR POS Dan Bir Sr. 1B Corby Foster Sr. CF Matt DeCristo Sr. LF Sean Martin Sr. P
TOP NEWCOMERS YR POS Steve Marotta Jr. C Luis Valenzuela Sr. P
OUTLOOK
St. Francis lost in the first round of the Division III playoffs last season after receiving a wild-card berth and the Golden Knights struggled defensively. St. Francis gave up 78 runs and O’Neil vows to change that this year. Martin, who sat out most of ’93 because of injuries, will be the team’s top pitcher. Senior Joe Balbino (3-3 last season) and Valenzuela, a left-hander, will each see lots of action. Bir and Foster should lead the Golden Knights at the plate. Neither player hit very well in ‘93, but both had good summer performances. Bir batted .470 for Verdugo Hills and Foster hit .380 for Glendale. DeCristo also should have a good season. He hit .340 last season and O’Neil expects him to do better in ’94.
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