COMMUNITY COLLEGE BASEBALL : Rancho Santiago Is Best Bet . . . For Now

The question this time of year in community college baseball is simple: What team will win the Orange Empire Conference, which starts play today?

Rancho Santiago is always a safe pick. The Dons, the choice of the conference’s sports information directors, have won the title five of the last seven years and took the state title in 1993.

Cypress is another possibility. The Chargers are the defending conference and state champion and appear to have another talented team.

Fullerton should be considered because the Hornets have the best record so far. Here is a brief look at each team:

Cypress (13-2-1): Israel Gonzalez returns at third base and Augie Ojeda, the most valuable player in the state tournament, is back at shortstop. Jeff Pickler, son of Coach Scott Pickler, starts at second and Brooks Morris, a transfer from Cerritos College, is at first. Catcher David Trentine also returns.

Mark Selway and Mario Opipari return in the outfield and are joined by Keith Ginter, a freshman from Fullerton High, who hit an Orange County high-school career record 28 home runs. Ginter is hitting .391, Trentine .386 and Pickler .368.

Mike Cosgrove, a freshman right-hander from Cerritos High, is expected to start the conference opener. Ten pitchers have at least one victory.

Fullerton (14-1): The Hornets are hitting .343. Poncho Ruiz, back at shortstop, is batting .385 with 14 runs batted in. Fullerton leads the conference with 12 home runs, including five from freshman outfielder Andy Tellez (Santa Fe Springs St. Paul High). He also has 13 RBIs.

The Hornets are deepest in the outfield with Tellez, Brian Dewispelaere and James Jekums, all in their first season. Sophomore outfielder Chad Smith has a team-high five doubles. Matt Simpson, a freshman catcher, has five triples.

Brian Tokarse, a reliever last season, is 3-0 as a starter. Freshman Scott Parsonage is also 3-0 and Dan Bergmann, a sophomore reliever and designated hitter, has a 2-1 record. Matt Wood, who pitched at Rancho Santiago in 1993, is 2-0.

Golden West (6-7): Tom Fill and Garrett Vitale return in the outfield and have been the offensive leaders so far for the Rustlers. Fill is hitting .409 with 18 hits and eight RBIs. Vitale is at .385, with 12 of his 20 hits for extra bases. He has two home runs and 17 RBIs.

Golden West’s pitching staff is dominated by such freshmen as Art Frances, from Valencia High, who has 23 strikeouts in 19 innings. Pete Cuellar (Long Beach Poly) and Brian Sailor (Marina) have also pitched well.

Dustin Martin returns at shortstop and Bryan Feathers is back to catch. Ken Miles, a freshman from Ocean View High, is at third.

Rancho Santiago (12-2): The Dons have the most experienced starting staff with sophomores Brian Martineau, Kirk Irvine and Luis Estrella. Irvine pitched a no-hitter this season. Randy Wilson will be a key reliever. Keith Cowley, who also starts at third, will also work in relief.

Cowley and freshman shortstop Tony Zuniga give Rancho Santiago a strong left side of the infield. Kyle Evans, a sophomore from Katella High and Cal State Fullerton, is at first base.

Toby Sanchez, whose 15 home runs last season included four in a game, is in right field. Ryan Fullerton, a freshman who spent the fall at Fresno State, is in left.

The players have dedicated the season to Ryan Lemon, who was expected to play at Rancho Santiago but was killed in an automobile accident. Their caps have “RL” stitched on the back as a tribute.

Riverside (8-4): Brian Downs returns at catcher and is off to an impressive start, hitting .451 with two home runs and 20 RBIs. Tracy Edmondson returns to second base and is batting .366, has scored 16 runs and driven in 18.

Riverside’s concern is its lack of experienced pitchers. Only Travis Hartford and Jason Dolbin have college experience. Kevin Olson, who is 2-0, has been the best among the freshman pitchers.

Orange Coast (8-7): Mark Gardner, who was 1-5 with a 7.66 earned-run average as a freshman, has found his control. This season, Gardner, a left-hander, is 3-0.

The Pirates return three all-conference players--third baseman Nick Valencia, middle infielder Chris Yakura and outfielder Mondo Fonseca, who was slowed by a leg injury earlier this season. Valencia has an injured finger and has yet to play.

Forrest Long, who is hitting .361, is at second base and sophomore Robert Caton, who has 13 RBIs, is at third. Deric Yanagisawa, a freshman from Fountain Valley, is catching.

Saddleback (7-5): Three solid position players return in shortstop Pat Antrim, center fielder Lorne Rosas and utility player Sam Voita. Voita is hitting .386 with three home runs and 16 RBIs. Rosas is at .417 with 10 RBIs and Antrim is batting .367 with three home runs and 10 RBIs.

Ryan Johnson, a freshman transfer from UC Davis, is starting at third and hitting .343 with five doubles. Ace Bedich, a freshman second baseman from Las Vegas, is hitting .314 with five doubles. Dominick Lombardi, a freshman from Capistrano Valley, has done most of the catching.

The Gauchos are pitching by committee so far this season. Seven pitchers have one victory and 12 have appeared in at least three games.