Prep baseball: Eagle has landed at leadoff

Barry Faulkner

CORONA DEL MAR - Since Billy Eagle cracked the Corona del Mar High

baseball team’s lineup as a freshman, the Sea Kings have won a pair of

league titles and a CIF Southern Section Division IV crown.

During that time, the sweet-swinging center fielder has also been

named All-CIF twice, either won or shared Newport-Mesa District Player of

the Year laurels the last two springs and been named Pacific Coast League

Player of the Year as a junior.

Now a senior, the UCLA-bound Eagle will once again provide Coach John

Emme the pleasure of writing him into the lineup. And, fittingly, Eagle’s

name will appear at the top.

“He’s going to bat leadoff,” said Emme, who watched Eagle amass most

of his 83 career hits (a .435 average), 14 homers, 41 RBIs, 50 runs and

28 stolen bases from the middle of the order the last two years. “We have

some pretty good RBI guys behind him, so he should get some pitches to

hit. And, if they want to walk him, he’ll steal 30 bases and score a lot

of runs.”

Eagle approaches Friday’s Newport Elks Tournament opener at Mater Dei

49 hits shy of tying the school career record set in three seasons by Ty

Harper (1997-99).

To get a chance at the hit record, however, the Sea Kings will likely

need to make the postseason, something Emme has little reservation about.

“We’ve been fortunate to have been in the playoffs every one of my

four years and I’d be a fool to set our goals at anything less this

year,” Emme said. CdM was eliminated in the Division IV first round last

year, when Ocean View claimed a 4-3 victory in 12 innings.

Eagle is the foremost of four returners who contributed to last year’s

outright PCL championship, the school’s first outright league title in at

least 19 seasons. CdM finished 17-9.

Junior Nick Rhodes returns as the No. 1 pitcher, after posting a 5-2

record with two saves and a 3.18 ERA en route to all-district recognition

as a sophomore. He struck out 43 and walked only 10 in 56 innings and has

command of a fastball, curve and change-up.

“He has done everything a high school kid could do, as far as

improving himself,” Emme said of Rhodes. “He has been in the weight room

consistently and he’s bigger and stronger than he was last year. I

foresee a great season for him.”

Junior shortstop Keith Long, entering his third varsity season, hit

.295 with one home run, 13 RBIs and seven steals as a sophomore. He was

second-team all-league in 2001.

Emme expects him to anchor a vastly improved defense.

“Defensively, we’re going to be the best we’ve ever been, by far,”

Emme said.

Sophomore outfielder Danny Whitaker hit .400 (14 for 35) in limited

opportunities last spring and is the front-runner in left field.

Josh Bradbury, one of six underclassmen, is scheduled to start at

third base, where Emme is excited about his defensive potential, as well

as his offensive promise.

“He’s one of our must fundamentally sound players, a very nice pure

hitter and he could easily be our starting shortstop, so I love him at

third,” Emme said. “He’ll hit third.”

Bradbury is also among seven guys Emme will count upon on the mound.

“We’ve never had much more than three pitchers before, but I wouldn’t

hesitate to put any of our seven guys this year on the hill,” Emme said.

Juniors Griffin Dunzer and Beau Stockstill, senior Taylor Pham, as

well as sophomores Blake Contant and Todd Macklin, are the other

pitchers, who will all battle for the No. 2 starting job behind Rhodes.

Emme said Bradbury could be a closer, while he likes Stockstill’s

mental makeup the best of the pitching newcomers.

Nick Karpe, a junior transfer from Mater Dei, will catch, bat cleanup

and display leadership.

“(Karpe) is a hard-nosed, intense player and a really really nice,

pure left-handed hitter,” Emme said.

Senior Brandon Lewis, whose junior season was hindered by injuries,

will battle Contant for playing time at first, while second base is a

battle between sophomore Jerrit Thayer and senior Matt Gugliuzza, who can

also play third or the outfield.

Also in the outfield mix are freshman Wess Presson and junior Ryan

Rhodes.

“We have five excellent outfielders,” Emme said. “I’m waiting to see

what ball is going to drop.”

Junior Matt Warsaw will back up Karpe behind the plate for the Sea

Kings, whom Emme said must go through consensus favorite Northwood to

repeat as PCL champions.

“If we play solid defense and only give them three outs per inning

like we can, we’re going to be tough,” said Emme, who also likes his

team’s balance of power and speed.

Corona del Mar baseball roster

1 Blake Contant So.

2 Jeritt Thayer So.

3 Nick Karpe Jr.

4 Griffin Dunzer Jr.

5 Danny Whitaker So.

6 Ryan Rhodes Jr.

7 Keith Long Jr.

8 Nick Rhodes Jr.

9 Matt Warsaw Jr.

10 Josh Bradbury So.

12 Matt Gugliuzza Sr.

13 Beau Stockstill Jr.

15 Todd Macklin So.

17 Brandon Lewis Sr.

21 Taylor Pham Sr.

23 Billy Eagle Sr.

44 Wess Presson Fr.

Coach: John Emme