SEA VIEW LEAGUE

* Corona del Mar: 12-13, 5-10 in 1998. Coach: John Emme (second year, 12-13). Prospects: Despite winning only one more league game in 1998 than they did the year before, the Sea Kings made strides. This year, Corona del Mar expects to end an eight-year playoff drought. The source of the optimism is three seniors: all-league third baseman Ty Harper (.532, five home runs, 33 RBIs,), catcher Eric Wiethorn (.333), and first baseman Mark Hatfield (.418, six home runs, 28 RBIs). Emme hopes senior Matt Larson can give Corona del Mar the dominant pitching it has lacked in the past.

* El Toro: 18-10, 9-6 in 1998. Coach: Tom McCaffrey (10th year, 250-162-2). Prospects: With six starters graduated, including all-county designated hitter Blair Lucas (.562), it’s difficult to get an early, accurate read on the Chargers. Among the four returning starters, senior first baseman Jose Lopez (.422) and senior catcher Deven Lightner (.368) can swing the bat. Senior Brian Hughes (6-0) is effective on the mound. The intrigue grows with the addition of senior outfielder Jeff Poeppel, who was injured the last two years but was the freshman team’s MVP. But El Toro has no speed and its bench players are inexperienced.

* Irvine: 10-16, 7-8 in 1998. Coach: Bob Flint (21st year, 325-221-2). Prospects: Flint will retire at the end of this season. Irvine and the county are losing one of the area’s smartest coaches. But smarts alone could not lift the Vaqueros to the league’s elite. Irvine was young last year, and figures to be young again. There are no seniors among the four returning starters--sophomore catcher Jon DeVries, junior first baseman Evan Little, and junior outfielders James Whitted and Chris Sinner. The pitching, according to Flint, is a question mark and that’s not a good sign in this league. One wishes Flint would stick around because it does not seem this team can give him the send-off he deserves.

* Newport Harbor: 6-18, 1-14 in 1998. Coach: Jim Kiefer (fourth year, 22-50). Prospects: The Sailors endured a painful 1998 season. Expect some improvement. The seven returning starters, featuring senior catcher Charlie Waite (.365, five home runs), senior outfielder Shawn O’Donnell (.341) and junior first baseman Nick Langsdorf (.344), have matured. Junior Scott Beerer (3-5, 51 strikeouts), must show Kiefer and staff he can be a No. 1 pitcher. But after winning only one league game in 1998, Newport Harbor could compete for a playoff spot in 1999.

* Santa Margarita: 21-7, 12-3 in 1998. Coach: Tip Lefebvre (ninth year, 116-85). Prospects: The 1998 Eagles’ starting lineup, with all-county infielder Randall Shelley (.530), had a collective .458 on-base percentage, so there were always runners to drive in. That made the second-round Division III playoff loss to Western hard to take. This season, the Eagles start over. Senior shortstop Jeff LaRue (.392, five home runs) and senior outfielder Mike O’Gorman (.310, two home runs) are returning starters. Senior pitcher Frank Bruno (2-1, 3.11), a reliever last year, will start. But Lefebvre still has much to sort out.

* Woodbridge: 17-9, 11-4 in 1998. Coach: Dave Madrid (third year, 30-21). Prospects: It has been a while--1993 to be exact--since Woodbridge won a league title. And that, it shared with Irvine. The Warriors might not have to share anything this season. They took eventual champion Santa Margarita to the final week of the regular season before finishing second, and 13 players--six of them starters--are back. Included in the lineup are three second-team all-leaguers: senior infielder Steve Terwiske (.348, four home runs, 12 RBIs), senior pitcher Zack Foster (4-3, 2.61, 40 strikeouts) and senior catcher Chad Okuna (.367, two home runs, 20 RBIs). Tustin transfer Eric Flagel should bolster the pitching staff.