1996 Baseball Preview : Century League

Canyon: 21-5, 13-2 in 1995. Coach: Mike Najera (third year, 59-21). Prospects: Among the losses to graduation are all-county outfielder and league co-MVP Eric Valent (.506, nine home runs, 32 RBIs), now at UCLA, and Scott Redfox (.434, 35 RBIs), now at Long Beach State. But the Comanches still have their ace, junior pitcher Jeff Leuenberger. He finished his sophomore season 10-1 with a 0.88 earned-run average, second-best in the county. Najera said shortstop Bobby Fry, catcher Josh Fraser, outfielder Doo-Jin Baek and third baseman Shane Gandy also will make key contributions. Inexperience could be the biggest barrier for Canyon, which hopes to repeat as league champion and improve upon its first-round exit from the playoffs last season.

El Modena: 8-15, 5-10 in 1995. Coach: Tom Kostic (first year). Prospects: Kostic wants to begin the season with a commitment to winning and he has some key components. Starters shortstop Bobby Calderon, a first-team all-league selection, and second baseman Frank Rubalcaba, return to anchor a strong infield defense. Both also spark the offense. Rubalcaba hit .403 last season with 19 runs and 21 stolen bases and Calderon hit a team-best .433. Pitcher-first baseman Jude Chavez also returns. He hit .288 last season and was second on the team with 15 RBIs. Chavez and Derrick Muska will lead an inexperienced group of pitchers.

Foothill: 8-16-1, 4-11 in 1995. Coach: Vince Brown (first year). Prospects: During nine seasons at Tustin and Woodbridge, Brown compiled a 173-73 record. Now he inherits a team that hit only .238 in 1995 and has only one proven pitcher, junior Tyler Lang. But there are bright spots, beginning with three-year starting catcher Ryan Zeber, a 6-foot-1, 190-pound senior who hit .347 last season with 12 RBIs. Starting third baseman Shaw Scovel and Lang each had a team-high 16 RBIs last season. Brown also hopes to get big contributions from members of the junior varsity, which finished 19-2 last season.

Orange: 13-13, 10-5 in 1995. Coach: Ed Howard (eighth year, 96-89).

Prospects: League co-MVP Dave Matranga (.494, 35 runs, 24 RBIs) has moved on to Pepperdine and last season’s RBI leader, Erich Roden, has also graduated. Although four first-team all-league selections have graduated, first-team catcher Tony Damiano returns. He had 18 RBIs last season. Starting infielder Nick Herrera and outfielder Eric Mendoza also return with starting pitchers James Starr and Andy Huber.

Santa Ana Valley: 12-13, 6-9 in 1995. Coach: Leon Smith (second year, 12-13). Prospects: Smith said the Falcons should compete for the league’s final playoff spot with the other three schools behind Canyon and Foothill. Catcher Ricky Chavez is one of the county’s top receivers. He hit .348 with 22 runs and 12 RBIs last season. Other top returners are Wayne Restrepo, who hit .385, and junior Jesse Gomez, who will move from center field to shortstop. Ten of Santa Ana Valley’s 16 players are sophomores or juniors.

Villa Park: 15-13, 7-8 in 1995. Coach: Brian Corntassel (first year). Prospects: Corntassel joins the Spartans after spending last season as an assistant coach at Esperanza. Although Villa Park lost starting outfielder Joey Zine to a season-ending knee injury suffered during football season, Corntassel remains optimistic. Catcher Ian White, who hit .351 with 21 RBIs, and starting center fielder Brandon Carter return and Kansas City Royals manager Bob Boone’s youngest son, junior Matt Boone, should also contribute. The pitching should be solid with left-hander Brian Ferguson and right-hander Jason Spainhower leading the staff.