The Hits Just Keep Coming for Consentino

Perhaps this week, Tony Consentino of West Torrance High will set the Southern Section baseball record for hits in a career. Within a couple weeks, he should break the state record as well.

What’s so impressive about the feat is that Consentino, a catcher, has done it at a school that plays one of the area’s toughest schedules.

The Southern Section record of 168 hits was established by Jakob Jensen of Northridge Highland Hall from 1988 through ’91. Highland Hall has an enrollment of 60 students and competes in the section’s lowest division.

As of Tuesday, Consentino had 161 hits, most of which have come against schools in the section’s larger divisions. The Warriors, which moved from Division I to Division II this season, are host to Torrance on Friday and play Westchester in the Redondo tournament Saturday.

Consentino has 16 regular-season games remaining to break the state record of 180 hits set by Eric Chavez of San Diego Mt. Carmel from 1993 through ’96.

“I’ve been coaching baseball for 26 years, and I’ve never seen a better natural hitter,” said Harry Jenkins, who coached at nearby Redondo for 19 years before taking over at West Torrance in 1991. “I’ve had many players get drafted but none hit the ball better than Tony.”

Consentino, 18, is 5 feet 11 and 195 pounds, about average size for a top player. His batting stance is unusual in that he stands straight up.

What makes him so special, opponents say, is that he can hit any kind of pitch.

“You can’t pitch him the same way because he’ll hit off you one way or another,” Redondo Coach Tim Ammentorp said. “Let’s just say we’ve added to his record the past few years.”

Although baseball doesn’t usually generate as much fan interest as football or basketball, faculty and students at West Torrance are well aware of Consentino’s numbers. The school newspaper has been running a countdown box, chronicling his assault on the hitting records.

“People come up to me all of the time and ask if I’ve broken the record yet,” said Consentino, who hits right-handed. “I hadn’t really paid attention much to my numbers until they were pointed out to me this year. I didn’t even know they kept high school baseball records.”

Consentino has been a four-year starter. He had 38 hits and batted .438 as a freshman in 1994 when West Torrance reached the Division I final. He batted .535 and had 52 hits his sophomore season, and as a junior batted .545 with 58 hits. He was the Bay League’s most valuable player and an All-Southern Section selection as a sophomore and junior.

In 26 at-bats this season, Consentino has 13 hits with three homers and 11 runs batted in. He also has drawn a base on balls at least once in each game. West Torrance is 10-2.

The senior has been injury free in high school and has started at catcher in nearly every game, including several doubleheaders.

When the season ends in two months, Consentino hopes to go directly to a career in professional baseball. More than 50 scouts attended a recent doubleheader against Redondo, and Consentino hopes to be drafted in the first few rounds.

If he isn’t offered an attractive enough financial package, Consentino said he plans to attend Harbor College for two years and try the draft again in 1999.

“I’m starting to feel a little more pressure because you never really know what the scouts are thinking,” he said. “The next two months obviously are very important for me.”

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El Segundo baseball Coach John Stevenson recorded another milestone Friday when he got his 800th victory. The Eagles defeated San Luis Obispo, 6-5, in the semifinals of the San Luis Obispo tournament. They defeated Hueneme, 3-2, in the final on Saturday.

In 39 seasons at El Segundo, Stevenson’s teams are 801-291-1. He is the state leader for wins and is fifth in the nation. The national record is 1,083 victories established by Gene Schultz of Lansing Kee, Iowa, from 1969 through ’95.

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Brent Newcomb, who has coached Antelope Valley to three Southern Section football championships, suffered a heart attack last Thursday. He’s expected to be released from a local hospital this week, according to his wife, Pat.

An angiogram performed Saturday revealed a blocked artery, his wife said. He has been listed in stable condition.

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The Eddie Jones Southern California All-Star Basketball Classic will be held Tuesday evening at the Long Beach State Pyramid. The event will feature many of the top high school and junior college players from around the nation in three games, beginning at 5 p.m.

Local high school players schedule to participate include Kenny Brunner of Compton Dominguez, Kevin Bradley of Crenshaw and Jeff Trepagnier of Compton.

The event also will include a slam dunk contest that will feature Schea Cotton of Bellflower St. John Bosco and Baron Davis of Santa Monica Crossroads, among others.