New Playoff Format Gets a Thumbs Up

Southern Section baseball coaches breathed a sigh of relief when the regional playoff format used last season was scrapped in favor of a more typical seeding process.

That should help eliminate early round matchups between strong teams concentrated in one area and produce finals that feature the two best teams in each of six divisions.

In the City Section, the top 16 teams at the end of the regular season will be selected for the City championship playoffs. Teams rated 17-32 will compete for the Division championship.

Here are 11 teams to watch:

* ANAHEIM SERVITE (1998 record: 20-7-1)

Servite features 13 seniors, among them pitcher Brian Wolfe, who was 11-2 with a 1.37 earned-run average last season, and catcher Ryan Garko, who batted .426 with eight home runs. Outfielder Ben Francisco and shortstop Joe Schaefer are other top position players.

* SANTA ANA MATER DEI (22-5)

The Monarchs have not won a section championship since 1980, but this is Bob Ickes’ 25th and final year as coach and the Monarchs have the talent to send him out with a title. Senior infielders Pat Manning and John McKinney and senior pitcher Nick Lovato are the top players.

* LONG BEACH WILSON (21-5-1)

No team has the pitching depth Wilson does with seniors Jeremy Hess, Kevin Miller and Jeff Papazian and junior Joey Pace. Edwin Gutierrez moves from catcher to shortstop. Billy Gwinn, who batted .449 with 26 runs batted in, returns at first base for a program that lost in the Division semifinals to Esperanza.

* ANAHEIM ESPERANZA (21-8-1)

With only four returning starters, most other teams would be rebuilding. The Aztecs, however, are considered a contender to return to the Division I final for the third year in a row. Pitcher Bo Ashabraner and 6-foot-7 first baseman Nick Gor are the top returning players.

* RIVERSIDE ARLINGTON (21-8)

The Lions feature three players that have already signed with Division I colleges. Catcher Ryan Christenson (UCLA), shortstop Anthony Lunetta (USC) and left-hander Bill Murphy (Cal State Northridge) give Arlington plenty of talent to compete as the Lions move up to Division I.

* ENCINO CRESPI (22-6)

Right-hander Tim Leveque, who was 9-1 with a 2.40 ERA, has signed with Michigan. Left-hander Michael Jackson (7-2, 2.57) has signed with Gonzaga. Junior Brian Horwitz moves from center field to shortstop after batting .481 for the U.S. team that won a gold medal at the World Youth Championships in Illinois last summer.

* CHATSWORTH (29-4)

The Chancellors lost to Woodland Hills El Camino Real in last year’s City Section final, but they are regarded as the favorite this season. Pitcher Mike Kunes, the the City player of the year in 1998, is back along with junior outfielder Matt Cassel and junior shortstop Matt Fisher.

* CRESCENTA VALLEY (25-3)

The Falcons are the defending Southern Section Division I champion, with senior right-hander Jordan Olson going 11-1 with a 0.92 ERA. Second baseman Marl McCauley, shortstop Bruce McReynolds and third baseman John Barbaro give Crescenta Valley an experienced nucleus.

* EL SEGUNDO (25-5)

Coach John Stevenson begins his 40th season with a strong team led by senior catcher Alberto Concepcion, who had a state-record 70 RBIs last season. Through Tuesday, Concepcion had seven home runs and 20 RBIs in three games. He had homered in six consecutive at-bats. Senior center fielder Travis McAndrews and senior pitcher Charles Talanoa are other top returning players.

* LONG BEACH MILLIKAN (21-6)

Senior center fielder Tim Coltey and senior pitcher Andrew Tisdale are the top returning players for the Rams, who lost to rival Long Beach Wilson in the Division I quarterfinals. Millikan features several outstanding juniors, including shortstop Preston Griffin, left fielder Bill Saul and first baseman pitcher Sam Fernley.

* LOCKE (6-16)

Locke is not a contender for the City Section championship, but keep an eye on second-year Coach Shannon Williams and a program that is showing signs of reestablishing the inner-city as a resource for baseball talent. Locke has 13 returning players, including eight starting position players. Left-hander Tony Razo, shortstop Daniel Briceno and sophomore infielder Harold Holbert are some of the top players for a team that hopes to compete with South Gate and Huntington Park for the Southeastern Conference title.

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Staff writers Gary Klein, Mike Terry and Eric Sondheimer contributed to this story.