ORANGE LEAGUE

* Anaheim: 10-16, 5-10 in 1998. Coach: Dave Torres (12th year, 132-158). Prospects: Torres and staff won’t miss last season. They believed the Colonists were ready to grab their first playoff berth since 1990. Instead, Anaheim retreated into the lower half of league. But Torres has new hopes. All-league senior infielder-pitcher Iain Keleher (.459, five home runs, 40 RBIs), senior Tim Koenig (.367, 22 hits) and senior outfielder Waldo Sauceda (.360, 27 hits) give Torres a foundation to build on. Unfortunately, the top newcomers are sophomores.

* Brea Olinda: 20-9-1, 11-3-1 in 1998. Coach: Steve Hiskey (20th year, 243-221-8). Prospects: Another league title for Brea Olinda in 1998, the seventh under Hiskey. The real reason for the excitement in Wildcat country was Brea Olinda reaching the Division III semifinal. Scott Davis (10-1, 1.17), a big reason for Brea’s success, has graduated. Hiskey has two candidates to replace him: senior Don Bendt (3-0, 4.30) and second-team all-league junior Mike Davean (3-3, 4.07). Other key returners include second-team all-league senior outfielder Travis Blood (.355, 24 RBIs) and senior outfielder Andy Drapkowski (.344, 20 RBIs).

* Magnolia: 9-11, 5-9 in 1998. Coach: Larry Stephenson (first year). Prospects: Maybe Manny Rodriguez knew something when he abruptly resigned a week into last season. Whatever, the Sentinels, who had won three consecutive league titles, floundered in 1998. There are five returning starters, including second team all-league senior pitcher-outfielder Wes Strader, senior shortstop Joey Gutierrez and junior pitcher Jason Gallo. There will also be interest in the development of 6-6 junior pitcher Scott Henry. But Rodriguez’s departure leaves Stephenson with some big shoes to fill.

* Savanna: 12-14, 9-6 in 1998. Coach: Hack Mitchell (seventh year, 75-85). Prospects: No league opponent paid attention to the Rebels because they had won only two of their first eight games. By the time league play ended, however, Savanna finished a surprising third. Six players return from that team, led by all-league senior outfielder-pitcher John Curry (.416, five home runs, 21 RBIs) and second-teamers senior catcher Jason Meadows (.402, three home runs, 24 RBIs) and senior third baseman Ricky Alvarado (.376). This season, Savanna wants to do more than sneak up on people. The Rebels want to challenge for the league title.

* Valencia: 9-16-1, 3-12 in 1998. Coach: Mike Scheetz (10th year, 104-92-1). Prospects: Last season had to be one of the toughest for Scheetz. The Tigers were picked to compete for the league championship, and instead flopped into the cellar. Don’t expect Valencia to be last again. Two of the six returning starters, senior infielder-pitcher Jason Annis (.359, 33 hits, 17 RBIs) and junior outfielder-pitcher Chris Van Camp (.319, 30 hits, 19 steals) are all-leaguers. Senior third baseman David Johnson (.315, 12 RBIs) was a second-team pick. The question is whether Valencia has pitching this season. If they do, the Tigers will get back some bite.

* Western: 19-8-1, 10-3-1 in 1998. Coach: Robert Harrison (sixth year, 69-64-1). Prospects: Brandon Herbert was not a once-in-a-lifetime player. But the hard-throwing league MVP and second-team all-county pick went 8-1 with a 1.23 ERA and led Western to the section Division III quarterfinals. Even though Herbert graduated, the Pioneers, with seven returning starters, are a confident group. Harrison expects second-team all-league senior catcher Alex Taylor (.474, 15 RBIs, 32 steals), sophomore third baseman Mike Coletto and senior pitcher Bryan Clark to be better. The bench is inexperienced, but Harrison has no complaints with the starters’ hitting and fielding.