Diamonds in the Rough : Arlington, Redondo, Fontana Take Success to New Territory

The baseball field at Arlington High in Riverside is next to the school’s agricultural center, separated by a narrow dirt road.

The sign for the center is actually on the baseball side of the road, making it seem as if the slogan “Future Farmers” somehow applies to the baseball team. As if the close-cut grass in the infield were one of the center’s projects, instead of the home of one of the Southland’s best teams.

“It seems like Orange County and the [San Fernando] Valley, year after year, have the best teams,” Arlington Coach Gary Rungo said last week. “So it’s not surprising that we may get overlooked.”

But that is not the case this season, as the traditional powers in Orange County and the Valley are riding shotgun in Arlington’s tractor.

Along with Arlington, Redondo and Fontana are surprise contenders who have combined to steal attention usually reserved for the likes of Granada Hills Kennedy and Santa Ana Mater Dei.

“I think maybe we have snuck up on a few people,” Rungo said.

Arlington probably did the least amount of sneaking, but sheer distance (it is 60 miles east of downtown Los Angeles) has kept it a secret longer than expected. After being eliminated by Chino in the second round of the Southern Section Division II playoffs last season, the Lions (19-2) opened this year as The Times’ No. 1 team and are currently ranked No. 5 in the nation by Baseball America.

Rungo starts seven seniors, including pitcher Julian Leyva, projected as an early-round pick in June’s amateur draft. Also, pitcher Steve Madril and first baseman George Tavaglione have received scholarships to UC Riverside.

“It seems like it has been a 10-year relationship,” Rungo said. “All of them have come up the system together. They are all friends who hang out together off the field, who spend the night at each other’s houses, and that chemistry shows on the field.”

A few of those sleepovers have been at Rungo’s house since his son, Art, is a senior outfielder on the team.

“I remember watching these players play when they were just little kids,” the elder Rungo said.

As is usually the case, though, any good team must have a little luck. And for the Lions this season it came in the form of freshmen Anthony Lunetta and Ryan Christianson. They have filled holes in the infield, and along with senior outfielder Adam Collopy, who went from a reserve last season to a .400 hitter, have made Arlington a complete team.

Students and fans in Riverside are taking notice. In a recent tournament game against Temecula Valley, nearly a 1,000 showed up, and most had to stand.

Said Rungo: “The school and the community has been so supportive. I feel like if I asked them to build me a domed stadium it would get done.”

After starting the season by winning its first 18 games, Arlington has lost twice in its last three games, but it is still expected to begin the playoffs as the top-seeded team in the division.

“All the attention is nice, the rankings and everything,” Leyva said. “I know some schools may not know us, but they’ve just never seen us play. But we’ll get their attention.”

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The answering machine at the home of Redondo Coach Tim Ammentorp begins, “Hi, it’s baseball season again, which means we’re probably out at the field. . . .”

The greeting is a yearly joke between Ammentorp and his wife, Sandy, but one that demonstrates the effort they put into each season.

“From about the middle of February to the end of the season, we are out there six days a week,” Ammentorp said.

This year, in particular, the work has paid off well as the Seahawks are 20-1 and ranked No. 10 in the state by Cal-Hi Sports. They suffered their first loss last Saturday to West Torrance in the finals of their own tournament. Despite the loss, there is a buzz in the South Bay over Redondo baseball. Saturday’s game drew 800.

Success is nothing new to Redondo, which will be making its 20th consecutive trip to the playoffs this season. But the team’s run of 20 consecutive victories has exceeded expectations.

“Winning that many in a row gets people interested,” Ammentorp said.

Six of Redondo’s starters were top players in other sports, and after starting only one senior last year, this year’s squad is loaded with veterans.

Ammentorp has been able to work in a pair of talented juniors.

Chad Peshke leads the team with 34 runs batted in, and R.J. Smith leads the team in batting from the No. 9 spot with a .349 average.

Also, junior pitcher Jared Moon is 6-O, including back-to-back no-hitters against Culver City and Morningside. He struck out 20 against the Monarchs.

“Some people were saying after the loss to West Torrance that the pressure was off, now we didn’t have to worry about winning them all,” said Ammentorp, who played at UCLA. “But I know the kids wanted to win them all. This is a group that has played together for a long time and who know this is their time.”

The Seahawks earned points toward a national ranking the week before losing to West Torrance.

“Recognition in Southern California is hard to come by,” Ammentorp said. “I don’t think baseball in the South Bay is exceptional, but there are some good players.”

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Rankings are nothing new to Fontana. The baseball team is ranked No. 1 in the state and No. 3 in the nation by Baseball America, but with a football team often in the national polls, and a basketball team that has gained recent recognition, there is less bliss over such numbers than at other schools.

“I think it is easier for us to handle because the community has gotten used to it,” Coach Steve Hernandez said. “They have gotten used to reading Fontana in the paper. And because we have such an outstanding football program, the players have grown up with rankings.”

Last season was the Steelers’ breakthrough year. They went 25-3 and were eliminated by Fountain Valley in the Southern Section Division I playoffs. This season they have an 18-1 record.

The record is not a big surprise, however, since Fontana has pitcher Kris Stevens, one of the nation’s most highly regarded senior prospects. Stevens is joined by other seniors such as Gabe Martinez, David Sanders and Mike Torres.

The roster was completed with the transfer of Brett Bowring, who played at San Bernardino High in 1995. He plugged a hole at catcher and allowed Hernandez to leave Martinez in the field, where he earned all-league honors last season.

Sophomore second baseman Ricky Lurma has also pleased Hernandez, who wondered if the youngster would be overpowered by varsity pitching. Lurma has hit .326 with 14 home runs and nine RBIs, while committing only one error.

“I would be lying if I said they didn’t look at [the rankings] and get excited about it,” Hernandez said. “It’s good for our program and our league.”

Still, Hernandez knows that because of where the school is located (50 miles east of downtown Los Angeles), as is the case with Redondo and Arlington, people are always going to wonder if it is for real.

“I think people automatically feel they play a little better baseball [in Orange County or in the Valley],” he said. “But we’ll just try to go down there and hold our own.”