1995 LOS ANGELES TIMES : All-Ventura Baseball Team

Dan Maye (coach)

ROYAL

In his sixth year at Royal, Maye led the team to the playoffs for the fourth time. Royal’s 2-0 victory over top-seeded Millikan in the playoffs ranked as the upset of the year by Cal-Hi Sports.

Manuel Chavira (RHP)

RIO MESA

Chavira, the Spartans’ junior ace, got hot early in the season and won nine games in a row between losing his first and last decisions. He finished 9-2 with a 2.32 earned-run average and batted .379.

Eric Flores (SS)

RIO MESA

Flores, a senior, led the Spartans with a .442 average, four home runs and 15 stolen bases. Coaches picked him co-player of the year in the county. Flores signed with the Dodgers.

Ryan Holmes (OF)

THOUSAND OAKS

Holmes, a junior who hit .441 with 23 runs batted in, doesn’t have the body of a base-stealer (at 5 feet 8, 210 pounds), but he stole 17 bases, missing the Marmonte League lead by one.

Bennie Lemos (C)

ROYAL

Lemos, a senior, started slowly but rallied to finish with a county-high 35 RBIs. He also led the Highlanders, who advanced to the Southern Section Division I quarterfinals, with a .405 average.

Adrian Mendoza (LHP)

ROYAL

Mendoza went 9-0 for the Highlanders, tying him for the most victories in the county. The junior had a 2.32 ERA and was the county’s only unbeaten pitcher with more than four decisions.

Monty Moritz (C)

VENTURA

The Cougars relied heavily on solid pitching and the timely hitting of Moritz. He hit .487 and had a slugging percentage of .859. A senior, he had eight doubles, three triples and five home runs.

Santos Mummey (RHP)

THOUSAND OAKS

In his first varsity season, Mummey led the Marmonte League’s starting pitchers in ERA by more than a run and a half. The junior was 7-2 with an 0.56 ERA for the league champs.

Jeremy Pierce (1B)

VENTURA

Pierce, a senior, was a major cog for the Channel League champion Cougars. Pierce showed power, batting .415 with a county-high 12 doubles. On the mound, he was 8-1 with an ERA of 2.22.

Kevin Pryor (SS)

OAK PARK

A four-year varsity player, Pryor batted a team-high .444, stole 20 bases and was selected the Tri-Valley League player of the year. He also led the Eagles to a league championship.

Matt Riordan (OF)

WESTLAKE

One of the county’s many impressive juniors, Riordan hit .560 with 11 doubles, five triples, four home runs and 27 RBIs, leading Westlake in each category. His 47 hits broke the school record.

Adam Springston (RHP)

SIMI VALLEY

Springston, a transfer from Channel Islands, went 8-1 with a 2.26 ERA, despite missing two weeks with an injury. The senior gave up 31 hits in 49 2/3 innings, mixing a fastball with a sharp curve.

Rob Verstraeten (RHP)

VENTURA

During the second half of the season, Verstraeten pitched the final three innings of nearly every game. A senior, Verstraeten had seven saves, a 1.19 ERA and struck out 82 in 59 innings.

Jack Wilson (2B)

THOUSAND OAKS

Wilson led the county with a .581 average. The junior broke Kurt Stillwell’s school record for hits in a season with 43, propelling the Lancers to the Marmonte League title.

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Second-Team Roster

Position: P Player: Nathan Kaup School: Camarillo Year: Jr. Comment: Was 6-2, 2.89 ERA. Batted .356 with 2 home runs, 26 RBIs. *Position: P Player: Rocky Frutos School: Santa Paula Year: Jr. Comment: Was 5-1, 3.23 ERA. Batted .375 with 3 home runs, 20 RBIs. *Position: P Player: Ryan Lane School: Thousand Oaks Year: Jr. Comment: Won game for league title. Curveball specialist was 6-2, 2.25. *Position: C Player: Brian Kavanagh School: Simi Valley Year: Sr. Comment: Hard-nosed catcher batted .382, 4 home runs, 22 RBIs. *Position: C Player: Steve Arneson School: Rio Mesa Year: Sr. Comment: Repeat second-team choice batted .432 with 24 RBIs. *Position: 1B Player: Matt Pitstick School: Royal Year: Jr. Comment: Batted .322 with 32 RBIs. Winning pitcher in upset of Millikan. *Position: 2B Player: Tim Nykoluk School: Simi Valley Year: Sr. Comment: Slick fielder batted .415 and scored 29 runs. *Position: SS Player: Jess Sanchez School: Hueneme Year: So. Comment: Led team with .416 average, 9 doubles, 25 RBIs. *Position: 3B Player: Tyler Holmes School: Thousand Oaks Year: Jr. Comment: Batted .391 with 4 homers, 27 RBIs. *Position: OF Player: Albert Ambriz School: Rio Mesa Year: Jr. Comment: Batted .429 with 20 RBIs. *Position: OF Player: Kevin Mellinger School: Royal Year: Jr. Comment: Batted .381, scored 34 runs, had 27 RBIs. *Position: OF Player: Matt Buttell School: Camarillo Year: Sr. Comment: Batted .326 with 3 home runs, 26 RBIs. *Position: UT Player: Jared Krehbiel School: Channel Islands Year: Fr. Comment: Batted .400 with 5 home runs, all in league play.

Area All-Stars Invited to The Times’ Awards Ceremony

Players selected to the All-Valley and All-Ventura County baseball and softball first teams are invited along with their parents and coaches to The Times’ awards breakfast Saturday at 9 a.m. at the Warner Center Marriott in Woodland Hills. The guest speaker is former major league slugger Reggie Smith, the hitting instructor for the Los Angeles Dodgers.