Freshman starter at shortstop is a first for veteran Lakewood baseball coach

The big revelation about Lakewood’s 11-0 start in high school baseball is that Coach Spud O’Neil had the audacity to hand over the starting shortstop position to a 15-year-old freshman, J.P. Crawford.

“He’s a can’t-miss guy,” O’Neil said.

Never in his 27 years of coaching had O’Neil started a freshman, but Crawford showed in Wednesday’s Moore League opener what all the fuss is about. He started four double plays in support of pitcher Jeff Yamaguchi, who threw a five-hitter to beat Long Beach Millikan, 3-0, at Lakewood.

Crawford must be good because the rest of the Lakewood infield is made up of former shortstops when Yamaguchi isn’t pitching, and for a freshman to earn the right to start speaks plenty.

“It’s a great defense,” O’Neil said.

The starting pitchers Wednesday — Yamaguchi and Millikan’s Josh Frye — have both signed with Long Beach State, and they had fun facing each other. Frye, the Moore League player of the year last season, limited the hot-hitting Lancers to five hits. Jimmy Gosao’s single in the second inning drove in the only run Frye surrendered until Lakewood scored two unearned runs in the sixth.

Yamaguchi (3-0) contributed his 22nd run batted in of the season, but it probably will be his pitching that decides if No. 1-ranked Lakewood wins a Southern Section Division I title.

The Lancers appear to have lots of hitting and solid defense. The question is whether they will have an elite pitcher come playoff time to match up with the likes of Henry Owens of Huntington Beach Edison, Cody Buckel of Simi Valley Royal and Peter Tago of Dana Hills. Sophomore Shane Watson is unbeaten and is scheduled to start Friday against Long Beach Wilson.

O’Neil seems confident in his team, especially with players such as Crawford, who played on the under-14 national team that won the gold medal last year at the Pan Am Championships in Ecuador.

Crawford’s sister, Eliza, has been a standout softball player for the Lancers, so there’s plenty of competition in the family for top hitter. And he says that being the youngest player on the varsity team “is hard.”

But he’s batting in the leadoff spot, and all signs point toward him being a four-year standout for the Lancers.

“We’re having so much fun,” O’Neil said.

eric.sondheimer@latimes.com

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