PREP BASEBALL 1994 / ORANGE LEAGUE : Garcia Has Valencia’s Vote of Confidence

Luis Garcia tossed his glove to the ground and leaned forward on the dugout bench at Valencia High as he eagerly awaited the Tigers’ voting results.

As Coach Mike Scheetz prepared to announce the team’s co-captains last March for the 1993 season, Garcia scanned the length of the bench and wondered who would lead.

He believed there were many good candidates; the Tigers couldn’t go wrong with any selection. The junior first baseman/pitcher pictured several of his teammates fulfilling the roles well and guiding Valencia to a successful season.

Garcia, however, did not imagine he would comprise half of the Tigers’ leadership duo. He was elected along with then-senior Mike Mebane.

“I couldn’t believe they voted for me,” Garcia said. “I was really surprised because we had some seniors on the team . . . a lot of other guys who would have done a great job.

“It made me feel good that I gained their respect. I just wanted to prove it wasn’t a mistake.”

Seldom has the democratic process worked so well.

Garcia and Mebane handled their responsibilities with ease and Valencia won its second consecutive league championship. Garcia, whom Scheetz expects to lead the Tigers again, believes his final go-around should yield similar results.

“We lost some good guys from last year, and we have a lot of underclassmen, but I think we’re going to have a good team again,” Garcia said. “We just have to keep helping the young guys.”

Extending a hand is no problem for Garcia. He derives pleasure from making others better.

“It makes me feel good when the younger guys ask me if they’re doing things right . . . when they ask me for my opinion about how they’re playing,” Garcia said. “It’s cool when you tell a younger player something, or you show them something, and they get better.”

Garcia’s relationship with his teammates pleases Scheetz.

“He’s one of those kids all coaches love to have,” Scheetz said. “The others kids listen when he says something, because they respect him for his work ethic. He’s not so much a vocal guy. I guess you would say he is a quiet leader, but he always makes his point.”

Garcia’s focus is on focus .

He works relentlessly on every aspect of his game from the first minute of practice--and after--until darkness forces him from the field. His intensity actually increases during games, something his teammates initially thought an impossibility.

“I think that when a leader plays hard, then other people tend to follow,” Garcia said. “I always play hard because I have to have people respect me to follow me.

“If they see I’m working hard, then that might give then incentive to work a little harder.”

Teammate Chris Draft is impressed by his friend’s approach.

“He’s always real serious,” Draft said. “He never goes out on the field joking around and playing because he’s real competitive.

“Everybody knows not to do that stuff around him because he’s respected.”

Individual success on the field also helps to engender respect, and Garcia is a leader in that department, too.

A left-hander with a smooth swing, Garcia batted .333 with three home runs, eight doubles and 28 runs batted in. Also a defensive standout at first base, he was selected All-Orange League second team.

Garcia might start as a pitcher this season in addition to playing first base. He relies on control and was used in relief as a junior.

“He makes everyone in the infield better,” Scheetz said. “He gets to a lot of balls and he always knows what he’s supposed to do.”

Garcia is equally prepared in the classroom. He has a 3.3 grade-point average and has been accepted by Arizona. He will try to walk on at Arizona, but is open to playing elsewhere.