Parque Pitches His Way to Chance in June Draft

Jim Parque was good enough to earn a baseball scholarship to UCLA next fall. But the Crescenta Valley High senior’s stock has risen considerably since he signed with the Bruins last November.

Major league scouts from nearly every team have been following Parque this season, and he is expected to be selected in June’s amateur draft.

Some are surprised at first glance that Parque is a major league prospect. At 5 feet 9 and 145 pounds, the left-handed pitcher could easily be mistaken for a cross-country runner.

“I know out on the field, I’m a little smaller than most of the guys,” Parque said. “But I consider myself pretty normal in other situations.”

Tony Zarrillo, Crescenta Valley’s coach, said size has always been an issue. He said Parque was 5-2, 110 pounds when he started high school and wasn’t much bigger until this past year.

“Jim has always had the attitude that his size would not be a hindrance,” Zarrillo said. “In fact, he has used it as a source of motivation to show what he could do. I’ve never discouraged him from pursuing his goal of being a pitcher.”

Parque, 18, said he has grown three inches since last summer and spent much of the off-season in the weight room.

Parque is 8-1 with an 0.55 earned-run average. He has struck out 94 in 51 innings. He has given up 21 hits and 12 walks and has pitched five complete games.

Parque’s fastball has been clocked at 84 m.p.h.

Crescenta Valley, which finished fourth in the Pacific League last season and missed the playoffs, is in first with a 12-3 record.

“The attention has been incredible, and I’m really enjoying it,” Parque said. “The main thing now is not to let any of it go to my head. I want to keep my feet on the ground.”

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Glenn Martinez realizes his school is best known for winning football teams, but the La Puente Bishop Amat baseball coach is trying to change that image.

“I hope people will look at Bishop Amat and comment that they have a pretty fair baseball program as well,” said Martinez, in his eighth season at the school.

The Lancers are receiving plenty of attention with their 20-0 record. They are ranked No. 1 in the Southland by The Times and No. 2 in the state by Cal-Hi Sports.

Martinez said going undefeated takes a lot of luck and is not a team goal. Last year, Bishop Amat was 27-0 before losing to Tustin in the quarterfinals of the Southern Section Division III playoffs.

“That undefeated streak put a lot of pressure on the players and coaches last year,” Martinez said. “After the Tustin game, I didn’t want people to look back on our season and only remember the loss. It’s tough not to lose a game, so we’ll just sit back and enjoy it and try not to talk about it.”

This season’s record is a bit of a surprise because the Lancers had only two returning starters, center fielder Mike Young and shortstop Steve Medrano. The pitching staff, led by Gabe Miranda (6-0) and Eric Valenzuela (7-0), is new.

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In an attempt to crack down on increased violence at athletic events, the Southern Section council is considering tough legislation for next year.

The council will vote Thursday on two rules that would penalize coaches and athletes who participate in fights. Any player, in the game or on the bench, who takes part in a fight would sit out the next game. Coaches would also skip a game for fighting.

“I expect some debate on the punishment for coaches,” said Dean Crowley, Southern Section commissioner. “But we need to address the sportsmanship issue.”

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An absurd rule was rescinded last week when Marmonte League officials dumped the ban on postgame handshakes.

In an attempt to curb violence that had plagued many Marmonte League games this year, league officials decided last month to do away with the handshakes, after which there were sometimes problems. The rule received widespread attention and was heavily criticized.

Many coaches were against the rule and did not follow it.

Jim Christianson, league president and the principal at Agoura High, attributed the turnaround to the media crush.

“We don’t think we did anything wrong,” he said. “We still think there’s a better way.”

Prep Notes

Alfonso Alfaro’s no-hitter lifted Compton to a 2-0 victory over Long Beach Jordan last Tuesday, the Tarbabes’ first Moore League victory in seven years. In his only other appearance this season, Alfaro tossed a no-hitter against Compton Centennial on March 4. He had been sidelined by an injury until Tuesday . . . Keith Smith, who set numerous state passing records as the quarterback at Newbury Park last season, is showing his versatility as a starting pitcher. The Arizona-bound senior to 4-1 last week after striking out nine in an 8-2 victory over Simi Valley Royal. . . . The Whittier Christian boys’ volleyball team saw its 47-match winning streak broken last Tuesday in a four-set loss to Santa Ana Calvary Chapel.

Times’ Top 20 Baseball Poll

The Times’ top 20 high school baseball teams, with schools from the City and Southern sections.

School Sect. Div. Rec. LW 1. Bishop Amat SS III 20-0 1 2. Fountain Valley SS I 18-2 6 3. Chatsworth City 4-A 17-3 3 4. Brea-Olinda SS II 17-2 4 5. Sylmar City 4-A 17-3 7 6. Nogales SS I 15-3 2 7. Cres. Valley SS I 12-3 11 8. Mater Dei SS I 13-5 13 9. Lakewood SS I 14-6 18 10. Hunt. Beach SS I 14-5 9 11. Hesperia SS I 15-3 10 12. Newbury Park SS I 15-4 NR 13. La Quinta SS III 17-3 NR 14. Simi Valley SS I 14-4 8 15. San Marino SS IV 14-0 16 16. El Segundo SS III 16-5 20 17. El Camino Real City 4-A 13-4 17 18. Redondo SS II 16-3 NR 19. Fontana SS I 12-4 19 20. Poly City 4-A 15-2 NR