Chargers, Dons Rise to Usual Level

Cypress and Rancho Santiago--members of the Orange Empire Conference--continue the teams’ long-running one-upmanship in baseball this weekend at the state tournament at Fresno College.

Coach Don Sneddon’s Rancho Santiago team has looked upon the state tournament as a birthright in recent years. The Dons are making their fourth consecutive appearance in the four-team, double-elimination field. Rancho Santiago won the title last year and in 1993.

The same confidence surrounds the Cypress program, coached by Scott Pickler. The Chargers are making their third trip to the state tournament since 1991. Cypress won titles in 1991 and 1994.

It’s no shock that two Orange Empire Conference teams have advanced this far. Nine of the last 12 Southern California representatives have been from the conference, which is made up of the six Orange County teams and Riverside.

“There is no doubt,” Sneddon said, “that playing in our conference prepares us for the state playoffs. We get tested on a day-to-day basis, which I don’t believe other teams in other conferences get.”

Pickler: “The competition is amazing. You can’t get that anywhere else and it gives your team a chance to improve. The kids in Orange County are very lucky.”

Here’s a look at each team:

Cypress (39-12): Pickler is proud his team has gotten this far because the Chargers usually start seven freshmen. The team gets tremendous stability from the pitching staff, anchored by sophomore right-handers Michael Cosgrove (10-1, 3.11 earned-run average) and Ara Petrosian (8-4, 2.71 ERA). Cosgrove is the college’s all-time victory leader with 19.

It was the second half of the staff that enabled Cypress to survive the regional round, as Rick Claggett (6-2), Graham Mazur (3-0) and Tony Palazzolo (1-0) got victories.

Keith Ginter (6-2, six saves) doubles as the second baseman and hit .375 with an on-base percentage of .491.

Besides Ginter, the other sophomores in the lineup are first baseman Jeremy Booth and catcher Kenny Granger. Booth is hitting .374 with 13 home runs and 51 runs batted in and Granger, who was a member of Cypress’ 1994 title team, is hitting .257 with 26 RBIs.

Shortstop Junior Rodriguez led the talented group of freshmen by hitting .327 with six homers, 30 RBIs and a team-high 46 runs scored. Randy Case, who plays third base, is hitting .332 with five home runs and 46 RBIs and designated hitter Brian Flanagan has seven home runs and 27 RBIs.

Scott Daeley, who moved into right field in the second half of the season, is hitting .313 and batting leadoff. Greg Jacobs, the left fielder, is hitting .287 with 24 RBIs and Matt Roman, who covers as much ground as any center fielder in Southern California, is hitting .260.

Reserve outfielders Brian Norris, who is batting .325, and Craig Kuzmic, who has five homers and 22 RBIs, also have contributed at key moments.

Rancho Santiago (36-12): The Dons blasted their way through the season, hitting a team-record 70 home runs. But the emergence of center fielder Brent Howes has made the biggest difference lately.

Howes, a sophomore, took over in center field after Bryan LeFevers broke his wrist and has helped stabilize the Dons, who struggled at times because of pitching and defensive breakdowns. Howes is 20 for 32 in six postseason games and is hitting a team-high .462 overall.

Derek Baker, a sophomore third baseman, leads with 15 home runs and also has 49 RBIs. Mike Brambilla, the catcher, has 11 home runs and 51 RBIs and shortstop Tony Zuniga has nine home runs and 50 RBIs. Zuniga was the most valuable player in the state tournament last season.

Erik Sobek, who plays outfield and designated hitter, has eight home runs and first baseman Kevin Duck and left fielder Ryan Fullerton each have seven. Scott Glasser, who plays second, is hitting .346.

The pitching staff is led by sophomore right-hander Brandon Hendrikx (9-0, 3.43 ERA) and freshman left-hander Matt Ward (7-2, 1.92 ERA). Ward has two of the Dons’ three complete games, both in the playoffs. Jeff Bowman (7-2, 4.67 ERA) has performed well out of the bullpen.

Notes

Rancho Santiago opens with Lassen at 2 p.m. and Cypress takes on host Fresno (34-15) at 7 p.m. today. The tournament continues Sunday and the title game is at 11 a.m. Monday.