Agoura Enjoying the Dawn of a New Era Under Miller

It started with 5:30 a.m. wake-up calls for sunrise lifting, swimming and, inevitably, complaining.

Why are we up this early? Who does the new coach think he is?

The madness has finally become methodical for Agoura High baseball players. Doubters when Coach Zach Miller came aboard this season, the Chargers are closing in on a worst-to-first journey in the Marmonte League.

The Chargers drubbed Westlake, 11-4, Wednesday at Agoura in a game that could ultimately upset the league’s balance of power while giving Agoura its first title since joining the league in 1991.

Agoura (15-5, 7-2 in league play), which finished last the last two seasons with 2-10 records, pulled into a first-place tie with Westlake by gambling at the right times on squeeze bunts and making artistic bare-handed plays on slow infield rollers.

The Chargers nearly ended the game in the fifth inning via the 10-run rule, but Adam Hersh was thrown out at the plate with Agoura owning an 11-2 lead.

Westlake (19-5-1, 7-2-1) had won 16 of 17 but faltered after taking a 1-0 lead in the first inning.

“We’re doing things we haven’t done in 20 games,” Westlake Coach Chuck Berrington said. “I think my guys thought they were playing the Agoura of last year.”

After a seven-run third inning, highlighted by Brian Grant’s squeeze bunt with the bases loaded, it became evident Agoura was no longer a patsy. All seven runs were scored with two out.

“We knew we could give them a run for their money, but beating them 11-4, that’s probably a stretch,” said first baseman Paul Farinacci, who had two singles.

It’s easy to trace the Chargers’ rise to the top.

Four days a week, they meet at school before class, half the team swimming laps in the pool and the other half lifting weights.

The conditioning extends to the field, where the Chargers run a little bit.

“I’m going to run the guys to death tomorrow and the day after that,” Miller said. “I guarantee there’s nobody around here who works this hard.”

Hard work that the Chargers weren’t used to when Miller showed up.

“We run and run and run and we go, ‘Why is he making us do it?’ ” Farinacci said. “But the bickering’s going down now. We understand what he’s doing.”

Miller’s father, Larry, is the football coach at Hueneme, partially explaining why the baseball coach yells like a defensive coordinator during games, missing only a headset and a football.

Miller, a 1989 graduate of Agoura, was the Frontier League most valuable player his senior season. He knew he would have to make a few changes when he returned to his alma mater.

“I was told from day one, ‘You can’t win here,’ ” he said. “Nobody in this area thought we could do it. It’s been us against the world.”

Agoura has three games remaining--at Thousand Oaks on Friday, home against Moorpark next Wednesday and at Newbury Park next Friday.

Westlake plays only two more league games--at home against Simi Valley on Friday and at Royal next Friday--but could be short-handed.

Pitcher-first baseman Tyler Adamczyk, who has signed with California, injured a toe on his right foot while sliding into second base with two out in the seventh inning. He might not play against Simi Valley.