These Coaches Were at the Top of Their Game

Turning hurt into happiness, disillusionment into triumph. That’s what a group of high school baseball coaches has accomplished this season, and the success wasn’t based solely on game strategy.

Mark Gubicza, the former Kansas City Royal pitcher and current Fox Sports baseball analyst, really knows what he’s talking about.

He guided West Hills Chaminade to the Mission League championship in his rookie season because he made the right call in handling promising freshman Casey Haerther.

Haerther was Chaminade’s best pitcher a month into the season, but Gubicza kept him No. 2 in the rotation because he didn’t want to subject the 15-year-old to the pressures and physical wear an ace pitcher usually assumes.

“He was a freshman,” Gubicza said. “I think I know how to protect pitchers. I know how that arm is. I know you can abuse a kid if you get caught up in win, win, win.

“At all costs, I’m protecting all of them.”

Gubicza closely monitored Haerther’s pitch count and let him develop at his own pace. Three times Haerther faced must-win situations at the end of a week to prevent Chaminade from being swept in two-game series. He won each time. He finished the regular season with a 7-2 record and 2.00 earned-run average.

“He’s had a couple games he was flat-out unhittable,” Gubicza said.

It was an unconventional decision to keep Haerther the Eagles’ No. 2 pitcher, but Chaminade won the league title because of it.

Another coach who used sound judgment was Rick Sorrentino of North Hollywood. He started the spring as the junior varsity coach at North Hills Monroe. On the day of North Hollywood’s season opener, Sorrentino was hired.

The Huskies’ previous coach, George Vranau, had been fired. The interim coach lasted only a couple of days. Sorrentino arrived and found a team in rebellion.

“It was a chaotic time,” he said.

North Hollywood’s season had to be put on hold for several days just so Sorrentino could re-organize.

Last week, North Hollywood won the Sunset Six League championship. Sorrentino got the players to perform by earning their trust. He united the parents and proved that leadership matters.

“I have to hand it to him, he kept them on course,” Sun Valley Poly Coach Chuck Schwal said. “It could have really fallen apart.”

Josh Eby of Westlake Village Westlake is another first-year coach who overcame adversity by never accepting excuses for failure.

All Westlake did was lose its Nos. 1, 2 and 3 pitchers to elbow or shoulder injuries, plus its closer to a knee injury. But the Warriors still won the Marmonte League championship.

“Other guys stepped up and took their roles,” Eby said.

He wisely used the summer to let many players gain experience instead of relying on a couple of standouts. When the star pitchers went down this spring, the backups, such as juniors Garrett Cuneo and Kyle Griffith, were ready.

Whether Westlake will advance very far in the Southern Section Division II playoffs without a top pitcher remains to be seen.

“Tradition in the playoffs has shown you need one or two guys to get you through, but maybe someone will step up,” Eby said.

Then there’s Matt Mosiello of Huntington Beach Edison. The Chargers were huge underachievers last season after winning the Division II championship the previous season. They were expected to challenge for league and section titles but didn’t even make the playoffs.

“It left a bad taste in our mouths,” Mosiello said.

From the first game this season, the Chargers have been charging. They won the Sunset League title and are seeded No. 1 in the Division I playoffs.

“Our chemistry is incredible,” Mosiello said.

Edison has an outstanding senior pitcher in UC Irvine-bound David Huff, but it was Mosiello’s confidence in sophomore pitcher Tommy Palica that proved decisive. Palica went 6-1 during the regular season and was the winning pitcher in a 1-0 victory over Los Alamitos last week that clinched the Sunset League title.

Everyone should admire the wisdom and leadership provided by Gubicza, Sorrentino, Eby and Mosiello this season.

Eric Sondheimer can be reached at eric.sondheimer@latimes.com.