Prep baseball: Mesa making its mark

Barry Faulkner

LA VERNE - Just as several of this year’s Costa Mesa High seniors

were in the dugout urging them on, the upper classmen from the Mustangs’

1999 CIF quarterfinalist have made their presence felt during this year’s

run through the CIF Southern Section Division IV baseball playoffs.

That run continues today with a 3:15 quarterfinal road date at Bonita

High.

“I’m glad those guys are around,” Mesa Coach Kirk Bauermeister said of

the former players, who are both proud and protective of the program’s

recent success. So, while Tuesday’s dramatic 6-3 second-round win over

Mayfair established a school single-season victory record (17-9-1), some

members of the ’99 team, which shared the previous mark with the 1962 CIF

3-A champions, weren’t willing to concede this year’s team has done more

than theirs.

“We won’t give it up until they win in the quarterfinals,” said P.J.

Stangl, a senior on the ’99 squad who coached the Mesa freshman team this

spring and now pumps up the varsity as an assistant coach.

Bauermeister is thankful to have his former players pushing this

year’s group, which, if successful against he 17-8-1 Bearcats, would

become only the second team in school history to win three playoff games.

At least five upperclassmen from the ’99 squad witnessed Tuesday’s

triumph, keyed by a three-run walk-off homer by senior catcher Daniel

Hunter with two outs in the seventh inning.

Mesa, third in the Pacific Coast League, but winner of eight of its

last 11, has gotten this far in the postseason without its ace pitcher

taking the mound.

Junior Nick Cabico, 3-1 with a 1.87 ERA and 43 strikeouts in 45

innings, has not pitched since he threw a complete-game shutout against

Northwood, April 27.

And while Bauermeister plans to start senior left-hander Jeremiah

Haubrick (4-2, 4.23 ERA), he said Cabico should be ready in relief.

Senior closer Carlos Franco will also be ready. Franco (5-2 with five

saves and a 1.55 ERA) earned the victory Tuesday and also saved

Haubrick’s first-round win at Gladstone. He has 10 strikeouts and no

walks in 9 2/3 playoff innings.

Offensively, the Mustangs have seven regulars hitting better than

.350. Senior leadoff man Josh Feldman is hitting .410 with 18 RBIs, 14

steals and 22 runs, while Hunter (.362) leads the team with 25 RBIs.

Senior second baseman Steven Shores (.360) has four homers to share the

team lead with Hunter and has 16 RBIs. He is 6 for 8 in the playoffs.

Franco (.310) has 22 RBIs, while juniors Michael McGuire (.351, 12

RBIs), Billy Halverson (.353, 10 RBIs) and Cabico (.367, 14 RBIs and nine steals) have all contributed. McGuire is 5 for 6 in the postseason.

Bonita, the Valle Vista League runner-up, will start senior ace Mike

Medlock (8-1, 3.37 ERA) in what Bearcats Coach Chris Romero described as

a pitcher’s park.

Romero said offense carried his team during the regular season, but

pitching and defense have spurred playoff wins over Banning, 6-3 in eight

innings, and No.3-seeded Monrovia, 6-1.

Medlock, bound for Cal State San Bernardino, will hope for offensive

support from senior right fielder Mike Moore (.397, 19 RBIs), senior catcher Eric Logan (.395, 19 RBIs) and junior third baseman Mike Nester

(.430, 18 RBIs).

Moore is being recruited by Loyola Marymount, according to Romero, who

is in his second year at the helm after three years as an assistant. The

Bearcats have made the playoffs each of the last three years, but are

making their first quarterfinal appearance during that streak.

Today’s winner advances to meet either No. 2-seeded La Quinta (25-2)

or Burroughs of Ridgecrest (19-5) in Tuesday’s semifinals.