Youth Lights Up Edison’s Charge

Edison High’s Southern Section Division II title game today is the school’s most important baseball game in 10 years.

It’s the first appearance in a baseball title game since 1991 for Edison, which has a long history of success in other sports but has never won a section title in baseball.

If that pressure isn’t enough, add the stomach-churning environment of Dodger Stadium when the Chargers (21-8-1) face Riverside Poly (23-7) at 4:30 p.m.

What will Edison do to calm its nerves when game time rolls around?

The Chargers will send a sophomore to the mound.

And to the batter’s box, they’ll send up a lineup that includes only three seniors.

It’s not exactly the ideal mix in a title game, but Edison isn’t concerned. It’s a formula that has worked all year.

“These guys don’t play like juniors and sophomores,” said first baseman Joey Mozeleski, one of the three seniors. “They all play travel ball and they all have varsity experience. We’re not worried about that.”

Pitcher David Huff, the sophomore who will start, said there is no more pressure on him today than there was over the last two weeks. During that span, he has won two playoff games and saved a semifinal victory Tuesday against Mater Dei, escaping a two-on, no-out jam in the seventh.

“I’m not really feeling pressure,” said Huff, who is 8-2 with a 1.56 earned-run average. “I’ve been in big games all year. Especially that Mater Dei game. That was a big one.”

Edison Coach Dave Tallman said Huff has handled every tough situation he’s encountered. Like when Tallman brought Huff in to pitch with the bases loaded and no outs in a Sunset League game against rival Fountain Valley. Huff struck out the side.

Youth isn’t the only thing that stands out with Edison. This is not a team with a flashy superstar or big-time power hitter. The team has only nine home runs this season.

This team wins with pitching, defense and a team batting average of .314. It also wins with speed.

A.J. Martinez, who is hitting .424, set a school record with 29 stolen bases and the Chargers have 56 steals as a team. They also bunt for hits more than they bunt to sacrifice, Tallman said.

The team also has good chemistry with its mix of sophomores, juniors and seniors. It wasn’t always like that. The team started 7-5-1, but a trip to San Jose changed that.

Edison won the West Coast Invitational, defeating Clovis, Morgan Hill Live Oak, Mountain View St. Francis and Mater Dei, and has won 14 of its last 17.

Pitcher Jeff Gilmore, a junior, said the team bonded as the 20 players shared five hotel rooms on that trip.

“There [is] an abundant amount of personalities on this team that are awesome to play with and awesome to be friends with,” Gilmore said. “If there was any doubt about our team chemistry, it was gone after that trip.”

Division I

Five Capistrano Valley players who started in last season’s championship game, including left-handed pitcher Frank McLaughlin and catcher Brad Davis, will be in the lineup tonight when the Cougars (22-8) meet Long Beach Millikan (22-9) in the title game at 7:30 at Dodger Stadium.

McLaughlin (8-2, 1.76 ERA) and Millikan starting pitcher Matt Anderson (11-2, 0.85) went head-to-head this season in the first game of a doubleheader, with McLaughlin getting the victory, 3-2. The Cougars also won the second game of that doubleheader.

Davis is batting .458 with three home runs and 27 runs batted in and Kyle Mowery is batting .391 with five homers and 28 RBIs for the Cougars, who are seeking their second consecutive title.

Division III

Third-seeded El Dorado (25-5) has won eight consecutive games and has averaged 10 runs a game in its four playoff victories heading into today’s 1 p.m. final against top-seeded Westlake Village Westlake (25-6-1) at Dodger Stadium.

Westlake has a pitching staff with a 1.61 ERA, led by Tyler Adamczyk, a possible first-round selection in next week’s amateur draft. Adamczyk pitched six innings in Westlake’s 7-2 semifinal victory over Norte Vista and has only four innings of eligibility left for today’s game. Justin Blaine, 10-2 with a 1.41 ERA, will get the start for Westlake.

Blaine will be opposed by El Dorado’s Nick McMillan (8-1).

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Staff writer Ben Bolch contributed to this story.