Expect a Surge in Power

Watch for flying baseballs today in the 24th Bernie Milligan game at Stengel Field in Glendale.

Before and during the game.

A home run-hitting contest will precede the 1 p.m. game and be used to determine the home team between East and West in the annual All-Star game of the region’s top high school seniors.

Firepower abounds in both dugouts, and both teams took part in slugfests during practice this week at College of the Canyons and El Camino Real High.

“We probably hit 200 home runs in the last few days,” said Armando Gomez of San Fernando, co-coach of the East. “The ball was flying out of there at COC. They were all hitting them. I was amazed.”

Chuck Berrington of Westlake, co-coach of the West, witnessed a similar home run derby at El Camino Real.

“You should have seen the way the ball was sailing out of there,” Berrington said. “I brought three dozen brand new balls and I only got back eight of them.”

Each team will enter five or six players in the two-round home run derby. Each team has plenty of power.

For the West, Brian Lipman of Royal led the Marmonte League with 12 home runs and batted .542. Spencer Wyman of Camarillo had eight home runs and Jonathan Higashi of Chaminade had five.

The East is led by John Santor and Daniel Champieux of Highland, who had 11 and eight home runs, respectively, and combined for 76 runs batted in. Fernando Valenzuela led St. Francis with five home runs and 17 RBIs.

Players will have the luxury of swinging at lobs from coaches during the home run derby. Lance Pierson of Palmdale, co-coach of the East, and Bob Ganssle of El Camino Real, co-coach of the West, will join Gomez and Berrington on the mound.

Making contact figures to be more difficult during the game. Both teams have plenty of good pitchers, most of whom will throw no more than an inning or two.

Jamie Shields of Hart, injured for most of the season, is expected to start for the East. Westlake’s Jesse Kozlowski, 7-1 with a 1.59 earned-run average, will start for the West.

Pitcher Matt Harrington of Palmdale, a first-round selection by the Colorado Rockies this week in baseball’s amateur draft, might not play, Gomez said.

East pitchers include Matt Parris of Highland and Jose Montes of San Fernando. The West features Chris Cordeiro of Thousand Oaks, Tim Thompson of Grace Brethren and Marshall Plouffe of Crespi.

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WHAT: Bernie Milligan All-Star high school baseball game

WHEN: 1 p.m. today

WHERE: Stengel Field in Glendale