1996 Baseball Preview : South Coast League

Capistrano Valley: 17-11, 9-6 in 1995. Coach: Bob Zamora (19th year, 302-156-2). Prospects: The Cougars have six returning starters and are favored to win the league championship. Junior pitcher Rik Currier returns. As a sophomore, Currier finished 8-3 with a county-best earned-run average of 0.49. In 71 2/3 innings he struck out 98 (second best in the county) and walked only 34. He also pitched three shutouts and two one-hitters. Center fielder Todd Miller hit .435 last season and committed no errors, and John DiCorpo also returns after hitting .321 with 18 runs batted in.

Dana Hills : 10-16, 5-10 in 1995. Coach: Donn Munsell (first year). Prospects: Munsell, who has spent 11 years as a head coach at Westminster, Trabuco Hills and Laguna Beach, inherits a young team. Center fielder John Morgan returns after hitting .347 with 15 RBIs, as does shortstop Jeff Grant. Sophomore Adam Green, a 6-foot-3, 185-pound left-handed pitcher, will lead the staff, and the Dolphins also will get help from junior Jason Medina, a catcher who transferred from Santa Margarita.

Mater Dei: 20-6, 12-3 in 1995. Coach: Bob Ickes (22nd year, 360-162-9). Prospects: The Monarchs have two of the league’s best players--senior Mike Hessman and junior Mike Kolbach--and have the best shot at dashing Capistrano Valley’s league title hopes. Last season, Hessman hit .424 and led the county with 12 home runs. His 37 RBIs were fourth-best in the county. Kolbach hit .329 with 13 RBIs. Both are also standout pitchers. Kolbach finished 9-2 with a 1.19 ERA last season. A shoulder injury limited Hessman’s pitching duties last season, but he was 7-3 with a 1.15 ERA as a sophomore. Catcher Ryan Blackman and pitcher Kevin Bice also figure to contribute, but Ickes said his team will need to improve its defense.

Mission Viejo: 9-14-1, 4-11 in 1995. Coach: Jeff Cecil (second year, 9-14-1). Prospects: The Diablos will most likely be fighting for third place and the league’s final automatic playoff berth. “We have a good combo of speed and power, but our pitching is suspect,” Cecil said. Junior Brian Sepulveda, who hit three home runs last season, and senior shortstop Greg Carr, the quarterback of the football team, will provide the leadership. Returning starter Steve Gugel anchors the pitching staff.

San Clemente: 12-13, 6-9 in 1995. Coach: Dave Gellatly (second year, 12-13). Prospects: The Tritons hope to contend for a playoff spot with the help of five returning starters. Senior outfielder Jason Hyland (.322 batting average, 15 RBIs), junior catcher James Anderson (.280) and junior Corey Tolmasoff (.319, 12 runs scored) should lead an offense that doesn’t possess a lot of power. Gellatly said the team has better defense and speed this season, but the Tritons need pitchers Mike Leinen (4-3, 3.06 ERA), Reagan West (2-1, 3.43) and the rest of the staff to improve to make the playoffs.

Trabuco Hills: 13-11-1, 9-6 in 1995. Coach: Randy Brouwer (fifth year, 54-40-2). Prospects: After Trabuco Hills finished tied for second in the league race and lost in the first round of the playoffs last season, Brouwer hopes the Mustangs are ready to challenge for the league title. Trabuco Hills doesn’t feature any dominant players such as Currier, Hessman or Kolbach, but there is a good corps of returning starters. Pitcher Ryan Poe (6-4, 2.04 ERA), shortstop Nick Punto (.311, 17 RBIs), center fielder Tom Kilby (.291, 19 runs, 13 RBIs) and second baseman Josh Gause (.292) need to produce again if the Mustangs expect to take the next step.