Baseball: Hart gets boost from young players to reach championship game
Hart made it to the Southern Section Division 1 championship baseball game in June, losing to Huntington Beach. The Indians lost most of their pitching staff, but they have reached the championship game of the Valley Invitational Baseball League thanks to a group of top young players off a championship junior varsity team.
Hart will play Woodland Hills West, made up of players from City Section Division I title favorite El Camino Real, on Monday at 7 p.m. at Birmingham (weather permitting). The game was postponed on Saturday because of rain and the delay will allow both teams to use their best pitchers.
Pitching is the big question for Hart, because Jack Ralston (UCLA) and Paul Richan (San Diego) have moved on to college. The Indians are in the process of finding some new starters.
But the summer has shown there’s plenty of talent coming up from JVs. Cole Roederer, a sophomore outfielder who already has a scholarship waiting for him at UCLA, has become a promising bat in the lineup after playing JVs. Sophomore Cody Jefferis is another promising infielder, along with Brooks Stately.
The Indians return top hitters in catcher Robert Reeves, infielder Nick Plaia and first baseman Jake Lewis.
The pitcher Hart is looking forward to seeing develop is 6-foot-2 sophomore Bryce Collins, moving up from JVs.
El Camino Real will be a tough challenge, with eight starters back from last year’s championship team, though several players are busy with club competition.
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