Duo Hits the Mark for Roosevelt

Ask All-City baseball players Edgar Sedano and Andy Flores what position they play and their response is the same: “I’m an infielder.”

Except pitching is their forte this season for Los Angeles Roosevelt (26-3), and they refuse to admit it because they remain proud hitters.

Sedano is Roosevelt’s version of a dominating closer. He hasn’t given up an earned run in 48 innings. Teams have managed only 16 hits off of him. And yet, with an 0.00 earned-run average, he’s still more impressed with his .536 batting average.

“I really don’t consider myself a pitcher,” Sedano said. “It still hasn’t hit me that I’m doing pretty good. I kind of look at my batting average and take pride at that.”

Two weeks ago in an Eastern League game at USC’s Dedeaux Field, Sedano hit a three-run home run into the trees beyond the right-field fence.

Flores is 14-1 with an 0.97 ERA and 116 strikeouts in 72 1/3 innings. He’s the ace pitcher for a team that once had a 19-game winning streak and could challenge Chatsworth for the City Championship. He’s also batting .435 with 34 runs batted in. So guess what he wants to talk about.

“I love hitting,” he said. “I could hit for days. I’ve been playing since I was 4 and hitting has been my thing.”

Out of necessity, Sedano and Flores were asked to pitch by Coach Scott Pearson before the season because the Roughriders had few options.

“My whole worry was we had no pitchers,” Pearson said. “They’ve come out of the woodwork.”

Sedano is a 5-foot-9, 170-pound shortstop. Flores is a 5-7, 170-pound third baseman. Both hope to attend USC this fall if they fulfill their academic requirements. Trojan Coach Mike Gillespie might want to take a look at both on the mound. They’ve helped Roosevelt record 11 shutouts this season, including five in a row.

Sedano has been used primarily as a closer. He has a split-fingered fastball that’s giving batters fits. The only team to score off Sedano was South Gate, which won, 1-0, on an unearned run. Flores has a curveball and a slider that keeps improving. His best game was a 13-strikeout performance against Calabasas in which the Roughriders won, 2-0.

“I don’t think it’s hit us yet that we’re more known for pitching than hitting because it’s never happened before,” Flores said. “Who would have thought?”

Pearson was hopeful because he knew Sedano and Flores would do anything to help the team succeed. Sedano is the quiet perfectionist. Flores is Mr. Personality, always smiling, always looking for new challenges.

Sedano lost his mother to cancer three years ago and has been doing his best to fulfill her wishes to become a dependable, educated 18-year-old.

“I think she’d be proud,” he said. “I’ve come a long ways.”

Sedano has tried to help his father cope with the loss.

“I stood by my dad,” he said. “Baseball kind of keeps him busy. As long as he’s watching a game and I’m playing, he’s happy.”

Flores is a leader whose presence puts others at ease.

“I’m a people person,” Flores said. “I can deal with anybody. I can make friends with anybody.”

While some wonder whether Flores’ size will prove to be a roadblock to reaching higher levels in baseball, his mind is made up.

“I’m willing to work as hard as I need to,” he said. “Whatever it takes, and if one day it comes down to there’s absolutely no chance, I’ll face it. But until then, I’m going for it.”

That kind of vigor and spirit are what make Flores and Sedano so valuable for Roosevelt and provide a peek at what the future has in store for these two ambitious, driven seniors.

*

How good are junior guards Jordan Farmar of Woodland Hills Taft and Bryce Taylor of North Hollywood Harvard-Westlake? So good that they led their Pump N’ Run club team to the championship of a basketball tournament in Chapel Hill, N.C., this weekend, beating a team from Atlanta that has three potential NBA players on it.

Oregon is making a strong bid to sign Taylor. UCLA and Florida are in a photo finish to land Farmar, who was the tournament most valuable player. Also contributing was 6-8 All-City center Lorenzo Mata from South Gate. It’s a good sign that Southern California has lots of basketball talent for next season.

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