Thousand Oaks Leads Arms Race

While rainouts and makeup games can create havoc with a pitching rotation, they don’t bother Thousand Oaks High baseball Coach Bill Sizemore.

“Who cares?” Sizemore said with a smile when told by Thousand Oaks Athletic Director Jim O’Brien that playing Agoura on Wednesday cut into a backlog of Marmonte League games. “We’ve got pitching. We’ll play five games in five days if they want.”

Sizemore’s statement rang true after the 10 1/2-inning game against the Chargers. Tracy Goebel, a sophomore and the No. 2 starter, allowed two hits and three earned runs in 4 1/3 innings. He was followed by classmate Chris Cordeiro, who allowed two hits and two runs, one earned, in 5 2/3 innings. Cordeiro struck out eight and walked none.

“[Cordeiro] kept us in the game,” Lancer catcher John Smith said. “He hits the corners with his curve and he keeps the ball low. With our pitching we’re going to be ready for the playoffs.”

Plus-minus: Al Tarazon, Channel Islands’ athletic director and baseball coach, has mixed emotions about the formation of the Pacific Coast League next season.

Tarazon’s Raiders and Camarillo will leave the Marmonte League and combine with Oxnard, Rio Mesa and Hueneme of the Channel League to form a new league comprised of Oxnard District schools.

A new high school is expected to open in the district in 2000.

“As a coach, I want to play the best and the Marmonte League is the best when it comes to baseball,” Tarazon said.

“But as the athletic director, I have to support what’s in the best interest for all the sports and that’s playing our local teams in a league format.”

Middle class: Simi Valley’s lineup has spouted a few surprises this season. Brandon Voorhees, a 6-foot-3 senior who played first base last season, has moved to shortstop and had no errors through March.

Playing second base is unheralded sophomore David Land, who was promoted to the varsity for his glove but has impressed with his bat. Land was leading the team with 13 runs batted in.

The biggest surprise, however, has been senior pitcher Tim Say, who had a 3-0 record starting the week.

“He was on the [junior varsity] last season and this year we didn’t know if he’d be up with us or out of the program,” Coach Tom D’Errico said of Say.

The howling: Calabasas, a mainstay in The Times’ regional top-10 poll the past three seasons, has hit the skids.

The Coyotes began the week 3-6 and had lost by the 10-run rule four times. The biggest wake-up call came when they were routed, 10-0, by Malibu in a Frontier League opener. It was Calabasas’ first loss in 48 league games.

Coach Rick Nathanson expected a rebuilding season. Marc Wilson is the only Coyote batting better than .300 and the team’s top run producer has two runs batted in.

“It’s turning out about the way I thought it would be,” Nathanson said. “But Malibu just torched us and I think if we rally to make the playoffs, that will have been a turning point. I think our guys thought if we showed up, [Malibu] was going to fold.”