PREP WEDNESDAY: SOUTHERN SECTION BASEBALL PLAYOFF PREVIEW : Canyon’s Lineup Is Packed With Power : Division II: Comanches have overcome their weaknesses in pitching and defense by averaging 8.6 runs.

OK, ‘fess up. Just who is the best hitter on the Canyon baseball team?

“Oh, it’s Eric Valent,” Comanche first baseman Josh Gutierrez said.

“Darren Chandler, without a doubt,” left fielder Casey Wilson said.

An easy question. A difficult answer.

“Face it, it’s all of us,” third baseman Gunnar Strunz said.

Yes, so many names, so few outs in that Canyon batting order.

The Comanches have lumbered their way to the Century League championship. They maul the ball, as their lofty numbers attest.

Pitching and defense win championships? Hah, around Canyon those are mere luxuries. Oh, the Comanches’ pitching has been adequate and their defense has improved, but face it, when you average 8.6 runs, you can make a mistake or two in the field.

“There’s a point in every game where we just explode,” Gutierrez said. “We don’t wait for it to happen. We make it happen. But we know that it’s going to come.”

The lineup is so potent, that it survived the loss of infielder Todd Wyatt, who broke his hand midway through league play. Wyatt was leading the team in hitting (.489), runs (22) and runs batted in (23) at the time.

Canyon won nine of 10 games after Wyatt was injured. Such hitting depth makes opposing coaches nervous.

“They put pressure on you and wait for mistakes,” said Villa Park Coach Scott Wilson after an 11-1 loss to Canyon last week.

And those mistakes have added up.

--The Comanches have hit 24 home runs this season, including nine in one game--a Southern Section record.

--Eight players are hitting .387 or better. Six have at least 20 runs batted in and six have at least 20 runs scored.

--Canyon has scored in double figures 11 times, including 26 against Pasadena.

Want some more numbers?

The Comanches have given up almost as many unearned runs (46) as earned runs (59). The pitcher with the best record has an earned-run average of 3.13. Still, they have won 14 of 15 heading into Friday’s game against the winner of Perris/Riverside Arlington in the first round of the Southern Section Division II playoffs.

Hitting can make up for a lot.

“We always feel we’re in the game, no matter how many runs we get down,” said Strunz, who is hitting .397 with five home runs and 28 RBIs.

The Comanches can get you at either end.

Against Orange, they were down, 14-6, after three innings, then scored eight in the fourth. Against Foothill, Canyon had a 10-0 lead, fell behind 13-10, then rallied for a 15-14 victory.

“Every game, every one of us wants to get three or four hits,” said Greg Jacobs, who is hitting .431 with three home runs and 22 RBIs. “We take it personally when a pitcher gets us out.”

Such intensity comes from hours of hitting in practice, that the Comanches take very seriously. There is little fun and games during batting practice, just hard work.

“We keep on each other,” said Gutierrez, who is hitting .389 with three home runs and 20 RBIs. “I want to do better than one guy and he wants to do better than me.”

Said Jacobs: “It gets very competitive.”

It has been that way since this group of seniors were freshmen, according to Jacobs. That team lost only one league game. They have worked their way up to the varsity level.

Last season, Canyon finished third in league play but reached the Division II quarterfinals before losing to Temecula Valley, 3-2.

“That’s not where we wanted our season to end,” Gutierrez said. “I think that focused us.”

That was apparent early on.

In the second round of the Glendora tournament, the Comanches hit nine home runs in a 26-2 victory over Pasadena. Strunz and Jacobs each hit two.

“It seemed like every other minute we had to go congratulate someone for hitting a home run,” Strunz said. “It didn’t seem real.”

Reality was their record. The Comanches hit and hit, but they struggled. Shoddy fielding and inexperienced pitchers had them lurching along.

The low point was a 1-0 loss to Mira Mesa in the Las Vegas Durango tournament, the only game Canyon has been shut out this season. After returning from Las Vegas, things began to work out.

“The pitching and defense got better as the season went along,” Coach Mike Nareja said. “The way we hit the ball allowed us time to get everything right. We can swing the bat when we need to and do it with power.”

The Comanches have 92 extra-base hits this season. In a 17-3 victory over El Modena, Wilson, Valent and Gutierrez hit back-to-back-to-back home runs.

“When I hit mine, it was like it was meant to be,” Gutierrez said. “The hard work was paying off.”