Ocean View Sees Star in Hughey

As a sophomore, Miles Hughey couldn’t hack it.

“He wasn’t ready physically,” Ocean View Coach Steve Barrett said.

“I started off good and had a game-winning hit in my first game,” Hughey said. “But I played shaky defense and I got sent down to the JVs.”

But after spending the rest of the 1992 season with the junior varsity and then working all summer to improve, Hughey won the starting shortstop job last season.

And he started producing. He hit .410 with 29 runs batted in last season, helping the Seahawks reach the Southern Section Division I quarterfinals.

And now Hughey has drawn the attention of professional baseball scouts.

Barrett said there are plenty of reasons the scouts like Hughey.

They like the senior’s 6-foot, broad-shouldered, 185-pound frame and the speed that comes with it.

“He’s unbelievable from home to first,” Barrett said. “He can flat out run.”

And he can hit. Hughey batted .410 with 29 RBIs last season. “He has a little bit of power, too,” Barrett said.

And his defense has improved dramatically since his sophomore season. “Miles has good hands and feet, a strong arm, and he’s a smart player who plays real hard. He has some intangibles,” Barrett said.

“He’s one of the best players in the county right now. Shortstops like Miles, with a little pop in their bat, are always in high demand.”

But last season, Hughey was just another bat in the Seahawks’ potent lineup that featured five players who hit .400 or better.

Steve Rivera hit .518, scored 30 runs, drove in 22 runs and stole 32 bases in the regular season. Mike Bellovich hit .468 and drove in 37 runs; Justin Brunette hit .440 with 24 RBIs, and Jeff Buchanan hit .414 in the regular season.

Now, Hughey is the lone returner and he might be a marked man.

“Sometimes I try too hard and swing at the pitcher’s pitch,” Hughey said. “I put pressure on myself to produce for the team, but I know there are other sticks in the lineup. I’ll take that free base any day.”

Barrett hopes he can find someone to produce behind Hughey.

“We’re still looking for a guy to protect Miles so they won’t pitch around him,” Barrett said. “The guys hitting behind Miles will have to keep the pitchers honest.”

Hughey hopes his Seahawks will be able to knock off preseason favorites Fountain Valley, Edison, and Marina.

And he knows the early-season rankings--Marina is listed 11th in the nation by USA Today, Edison sixth in the county, and Fountain Valley ninth in the county--don’t amount to much.

“We were No. 1 after we won the Loara tournament last season,” Hughey said. “Then we finished third in league.

“We won’t be intimidated when we play them,” he said. “We’ll be competitive, and they’ll have to come and beat us.”

1993 / IN REVIEW

Standings

League Overall School W L W L Fountain Valley 13 1 23 5 Edison 12 2 21 6 Ocean View 8 6 21 9 Huntington Beach 6 8 13 15 Marina 6 8 14 13 Servite 6 8 9 15 Westminster 5 9 12 13 Santa Ana 0 14 3 22

Highlights

Pitcher Brian Ponchak, now with USC, won league co-MVP honors after leading Fountain Valley to the league championship. The Barons advanced to the second round of the Southern Section Division I playoffs, but were eliminated by Sherman Oaks Notre Dame, 6-5. . . . Pitcher Todd Belitz of Edison, who shared league MVP honors with Ponchak, helped the Chargers reach the second round of the playoffs, where they lost to eventual Division I champion Esperanza, 2-0. . . . Ocean View, the third-place team, defeated Glendale Hoover, 9-7, in the second round. But the Seahawks lost in the quarterfinals to Encino Crespi, 4-2.