Prep baseball: Off the bench

Barry Faulkner

While some of their classmates spend the spring recess riding

waves, those who normally ride the pine for their prep baseball teams,

look forward to Easter tournament time as an opportunity to show their

stuff on the diamond.

With a typical schedule of four games in five days -- and nothing at

stake in the league standings -- coaches typically dole out playing time

more liberally during spring break.

This figures to be the case for the next three days for the three

Newport-Mesa contingents doing battle in the consolation bracket of the

Pride of the Coast Tournament.

Estancia, which takes on L.A. Baptist today in the first round of the

Templeton Tournament, near San Luis Obispo, doesn’t need to keep its

reserves sharp, since the Eagles typically dress only 10 players.

But, for Corona del Mar, Costa Mesa and Newport Harbor, for which

coaches are also known to call up players from the junior varsity to

audition this week, there figure to be a few regulars surrendering time

to their less-experienced teammates.

Costa Mesa used 16 players in Saturday’s first-round loss to Newbury

Park and CdM’s lineup card Saturday included two atypical starters.

“We gave some guys a shot to play (in an 8-3 loss to Skyline High from

Salt Lake City) and they weren’t necessarily the guys who were flat for

us,” CdM Coach John Emme said.

Costa Mesa plans to give Ryan Costelloe, a senior reliever, his first

varsity start on the mound today against Santa Ana, in a 2 p.m.

consolation quarterfinal at Mesa.

And, Emme said Saturday, he was leaning toward giving Griffin Dunzer,

a junior varsity player, the starting pitching assignment for today’s 2

p.m. consolation quarterfinal against Saddleback.

Newport Harbor Coach Jim Kiefer, whose Sailors host Santa Ana Valley

in today’s 11 a.m. consolation quarterfinal, said Saturday he had not

decided on today’s starter.

With an increased amount of innings available, pitching coaches also

typically summon relievers who have not logged much time on the bump.

Emme brought Dave Knecht on in relief Saturday. Knecht, a senior who

was 3-2 with a 3.73 ERA as a junior, had not pitched at all this season,

until Saturday.

Regardless of who is doing the pitching or playing the field, all four

Newport-Mesa schools are hoping to halt losing streaks today.

Harbor has dropped three straight and eight of its last nine, while

Mesa has dropped two in a row and five of its last six.

Estancia has lost two in a row, after winning two straight and CdM saw

a six-game winning streak end Saturday. The Sea Kings had also won 11 of

their last 12, before faltering against Skyline.

Should Mesa and Newport win, they would collide in Tuesday’s

consolation semifinals.

Should Newport and CdM reach the consolation final, it would be the

only time the Back Bay and former Sea View League rivals would play this

season.