Prep baseball: Mustangs hope to make up ground

Barry Faulkner

COSTA MESA - With what Coach Kirk Bauermeister said was the best

makeup of any group in his 20 years of coaching, the Costa Mesa High

baseball team will attempt to make up deficiencies in skill and

experience to reach the CIF Southern Section playoffs for the second

straight year, the third in the last four.

“This is the best group of kids I’ve had in 20 years,” Bauermeister

said. “Maybe not skill-wise, but we have good, hard-working kids who do

what we ask. As a result, we’re making improvement a lot faster than

expected.”

That improvement will need to produce a second starting pitcher,

behind senior four-year varsity performer Nick Cabico.

Bauermeister also said this year’s group will have to manufacture runs

and live up to his expectation that it is a better defensive unit than

the one that went 17-10-1 and advanced to the CIF Division IV

quarterfinals last spring.

The quality of character of which Bauermeister speaks begins with

Cabico and fellow senior veteran Michael McGuire.

“We’re young, but to have those two guys back and to see the way

they’ve matured, is really a plus,” Bauermeister said. “Nick has always

played with older guys, so, to see him take some younger guys under his

wing has really been fun. He works so hard, and leads with such a good

example, the kids listen to whatever he says.”

Cabico can also do his talking between the lines. The two-time

All-Newport-Mesa District choice, who was first-team All-Pacific Coast

League as a junior, will be the No. 1 starter, bat leadoff and likely

play left field when not on the bump.

He hit .370 last season (30 for 81) with 15 RBIs, 10 stolen bases and

20 runs and Bauermeister said he is intent on breaking the school

single-season steals record of 24 set by Brian Montoya in 1999. Cabico

has 29 steals in his varsity career.

“We’re not going to be the kind of team we’ve had in recent years,

that could sit back and wait for a three-run homer,” Baumermeister said.

“We’re going to have to steal bases and execute. Nicky can lead us that

way.”

On the mound, Cabico’s arm is healthy after being shut down the final

month of last season. He went 3-1 with a save and recorded a glistening

1.87 ERA in 45 innings last spring, before hearing his elbow pop in a 1-0

complete-game shutout of Northwood. He also struck out 43. He has 127

varsity strikeouts in nearly 136 innings.

McGuire, whom Bauermeister hopes can replace graduated Carlos Franco

as the closer, will play center field and hit third. He batted .350 (28

for 80), with 12 RBIs and five doubles last spring and is entering his

third varsity campaign.

“(McGuire) really matured in the playoffs last year,” Bauermeister

said. “He has a little pop in his bat.”

Senior A.J. Perkins, who played at Estancia last year, will hit second

and could play outfield, second or be the designated hitter.

“He’s a good contact guy and he’s been a real pleasant surprise,” said

Bauermeister, who will enlist his father Dave, the Mustangs football

coach, as an assistant, along with Jeff Cook.

Senior Mike Carrasco, who hit .368 in 19 at-bats last season, will

start behind the plate and hit cleanup.

“He has lost 30 pounds and is a lot quicker,” Bauermeister said.

Kevin DeSandro, another senior, returns and will play second base,

while sophomore Adam Jorgenson steps in at short for Billy Halverson, who

is playing tennis as a senior.

DeSandro hit .385 in 13 at-bats last season.

Jorgenson, with one of the better arms on the squad, will also be used

in middle relief.

Bauermeister said Cabico will start about every other game and could

log around half the team’s innings. Sophomore Daniel Cooper, junior

George Vargas and junior left-hander Derek Garcia are also potential

mound starters.

Cooper and Jorgenson were the leading players on last year’s

frosh-soph team.

Robert Rodriguez is slated to play third and fellow junior Dan Bitler

will start at first. Bitler was 3 for 5 to lead Mesa hitters in

Saturday’s scrimmage against Calvary Chapel.

Junior Nathan Hunter is slated to start in right field, while Brad

Ayers, Niall Huffman, Chris Robinson and Steve Dooer provide depth.

The Mustangs, who lost all-district performers Josh Feldman, Daniel

Hunter, Franco and Steven Shores to graduation, are expected to battle

University and Laguna Beach for the third spot, behind projected PCL

favorite Northwood and Corona del Mar.

Mesa opens today at 3 p.m., hosting Saddleback in the Newport Elks

Tournament.

Costa Mesa baseball

1 Nick Cabico Sr.

4 Adam Jorgenson So.

6 Dan Bitler Jr.

7 Michael McGuire Sr.

8 Robert Rodriguez Jr.

9 Daniel Cooper So.

11 A.J. Perkins Sr.

15 Chris Robinson Sr.

17 Nathan Hunter Jr.

21 Brad Ayers Sr.

22 George Vargas Jr.

23 Derek Garcia Jr.

27 Mike Carrasco Sr.

28 Niall Huffman Sr.

32 Kevin DeSandro Sr.

42 Steve Doerr Jr.

Coach: Kirk Bauermeister