1996 Baseball Preview : Sea View League

Corona del Mar: 13-10-1, 6-9 in 1995. Coach: Joe Koh (second year, 13-10-1). Prospects: Two excellent players do not always make a program. Last year Koh had all-league standouts Myles Davis (.423) and Mike Knecht (.281), who have gone on to the University of San Diego and Notre Dame, respectively, but the Sea Kings only managed a fourth-place finish. This season, with six returning senior starters, including first-team all-league left-hander Chad Johnson (4-3, 1.46), right-hander Chris Wills (eight saves), and outfielder Kevin Stuart (.394, six homers), their sights are higher.

El Toro: 13-14, 7-8 in 1995. Coach: Tom McCaffrey (eighth year, 117-92). Prospects: The Chargers want to get off that win-one, lose-one see-saw of last season. To do so, McCaffrey will need big years from catcher Matt Steinau (.333) and shortstop Travis Vessells (.358), in part to offset the departure of first-team all-league infielder Ryan Ruiz (.425). Also returning are pitcher-third baseman Joe Smith (4-6, 41 strikeouts) and Brett Vessells (3-1) and Darrin MacLeod (3-1), who will fill out the rotation.

Irvine: 20-8, 12-3 in 1995. Coach: Bob Flint (17th year, 265-140). Prospects: There will be no sneaking up on opponents this year, unlike last season when a bunch of sophomores and juniors--and one great pitcher, league player of the year and Times’ first-team all-county right-hander Matt Ward (13-3, 1.80)--dueled Santa Margarita all year for the Sea View championship. In fact, most league coaches gleefully picked the Vaqueros to win the title this season, just to put more pressure on Flint, the Times’ county coach of the year in 1995. But if Irvine has some pitching to go with the expected hitting of first-team all-leaguer Shaun Wooley and second-team all-leaguer Joe O’Toole, the Vaqueros just might pull it off.

Newport Harbor: 9-15, 2-13 in 1995. Coach: Jim Kiefer (first year). Prospects: Kiefer’s season is already off to a bad start. Junior right-handed pitcher-outfielder Dan Pulido, expected to be a top starter, is out with a left rotator cuff injured during basketball season. He required surgery in January. Pulido could return to action in May. Kiefer will initially lean on Joe Urban, a three-year varsity starter, and Garret Nuzum , a transfer from Corona del Mar, to help with the Sailors’ recovery.

Santa Margarita: 22-8, 13-2 in 1995. Coach: Tip Lefebvre (sixth year, 61-59). Prospects: The Eagles overtook Irvine in the final week for their first league championship, stormed the playoffs, and came within a botched double play of unseating La Quinta as the Division III champion. There is much to replace from last year’s senior-dominated team, including first-team all-leaguers Brian Griffin (.394), right-hander Ryan Reightley (10-1, 0.93), Chris Tessman (.413) and Fritz Maskrey (.414, nine homers). But Lefebvre has the next senior group installed, led by excellent right-hander Justin Parker (7-1, 1.45 ERA) and second baseman Jimmy Luster (.311, 11 runs batted in).

Woodbridge: 10-14, 5-10 in 1995. Coach: Sam Favata (second year, 10-14). Prospects: After a fifth-place league finish, Woodbridge will be without first-team all-leaguers Kevin Duck (.474), who graduated, and Kenny LaPoint, who transferred to Marina. Catcher Darren Cohan (.360, 13 RBIs) and shortstop John Whitely (.306) both seniors, will have to pick up the slack as well as carry an inexperienced pitching staff. Last season, Favata was boldly talking about challenging for the league title; this season, he would be happy to finish fourth.