2009 BASEBALL PREVIEW:

Edison High baseball Coach Steve Lambright likes the mix of young and old talent.

It’s hard to argue with it, especially when you’ve got a sophomore who has already verbally committed to UCLA and another sophomore who struck out 14 batters in a game last weekend.

Yes, Eric Snyder and Henry Owens should help the Chargers out plenty this season. Snyder was the Sunset League’s Rookie of the Year last year, while Owens was a second-team all-league selection.

Owens might not be the Chargers’ ace, at least not yet. That honor belongs to returning first-team all-leaguer Kurt Heyer, a senior who’s headed to the University of Arizona.

Still, the young talent makes for exciting times for Edison.

“There’s definitely young talent to build around, to help keep the program going,” Lambright said. “It’s a big bonus that they’re already playing a high level.”

It should be an exciting season in the Sunset League, with three local teams (Edison, Fountain Valley and Marina) in the title mix.

Here’s a look at how Huntington Beach and Fountain Valley baseball teams are shaping up this year:

?

Brethren Christian

Coach: Josh Franco (first year)

Key Returners: Brad Hess (Sr., C); Bobby Frisch (So., 3B); Andy Pereira (Sr., SS); Zach Ruston (P, 1B); Chris Brown (P, OF).

Outlook: Franco was originally supposed to be an assistant coach, but stepped in as head coach at the last minute.

He inherits a team that he said was “middle of the pack” last year after a third-place finish in the Academy League. But Hess and Frisch are two returning all-league players to help out the Warriors.

“I have kind of a young team,” Franco said. “Everybody’s very new to varsity baseball.”

Brethren Christian got off to a good start, winning its opener against Providence, 6-4, on Monday. Ruston and Frisch each had big doubles for the Warriors.

?

Edison

Coach: Steve Lambright (fourth year)

Key Returners: Kurt Heyer (Sr., P); Eric Snyder (So., OF); Donald Sneed (Sr., C); Henry Owens (So., P).

Outlook: The Chargers finished second in the ultra-competitive Sunset League last year, but Lambright thinks this year they can battle for a league title.

He also said he thinks the team can go deep into the playoffs, behind University of Arizona-bound workhorse pitcher Heyer and a young talent in Owens. The lefty struck out 14 in an 8-1 victory over El Modena on Saturday, taking a no-hitter into the seventh inning.

“The key is being able to handle the mental side of the game,” Lambright said.

?

Fountain Valley

Coach: Joe MacDonald (fourth year)

Key Returners: Kevin Osaki (Sr., P); Brenton McCarthy (Sr., 3B); Ryan Manzon (Sr., SS); Ray Strazzulla (Sr., 2B); Loren Robb (Sr., C).

Outlook: The Barons split their first two games in the Loara Tournament, losing to Servite, 3-1, before topping Trabuco Hills, 11-6.

After finishing third in the Sunset League last year, MacDonald thinks this year’s team will also contend for a playoff spot, although Fountain Valley is young.

“We’re going to battle,” MacDonald said. “We’re a competitive, young group with good speed.”

?

Huntington Beach

Coach: Benji Medure (ninth year)

Key Returners: Mike Chairez (Sr., SS); Andy Ragsdale (Sr., P); Beau Amaral (Sr., CF); Blake Cestr (Sr., P, 3B); Sean Guite (Jr., 3B); Jon Combest (Jr., C).

Outlook: Huntington Beach finished fourth in the Sea View League with an 8-7 record a season ago.

This year, they’ve got off to a 1-2 start at the Newport Elks Tournament.

Chairez has signed with Chapman University, and Amaral with UCLA. Guite led the team in hitting last year as a sophomore.

“Our lineup is going to be tough to get through,” Medure said. “As long as we play well defensively and throw strikes, we should be fine.”

?

Los Amigos

Coach: Cesar Garcia (second year)

Outlook: The Lobos are a program looking for a turnaround. In the last three years, Los Amigos has won just three games each year, going a combined 9-58.

But Los Amigos (1-2) has already won a game this year, when it beat Century, 15-7, on Saturday. Uriel Garcia got the win for the Lobos, and also had a double at the plate.

?

Marina

Coach: Paul Renfrow (26th year)

Key Returners: Vinny Ponce (Jr., C, 3B); Race Parmenter (Sr., P, OF); Slater Davies (Sr., SS, 2B); Paul Strong (Sr., P); Pablo Contreras (Sr., OF); Chad Lewis (Jr., 3B, SS); JJ Baccari (Sr., 3B).

Outlook: Last year, the Vikings returned nine starters and finished 13-12, fifth place in the tough Sunset League.

This season, Marina has split its first two games, topping Anaheim, 6-4, before losing to El Toro, 6-2.

Strong, Baccari and Lewis are returning first-team All-Sunset League honorees who will again lead the team this season.

?

Ocean View

Coach: Shane Borowski (fourth year)

Key Returners: Andrew Bynum (Sr., P); Alfredo Sepulveda (So., Inf.,P); Sean Carpenter (Sr., OF); Austin Miller (Sr., OF); Aaron Delgado (Jr., SS); Blake Walker (So., Inf.,P)

Outlook: Ocean View, which has won six Golden West League titles in a row, has been playing well early in the season at the Newport Elks Tournament. The Seahawks blanked Garden Grove on Friday, 5-0, behind a one-hit shutout from Bynum, then Sepulveda allowed no earned runs in a 5-1 win over Schurr on Sunday.

Borowski said a goal is to do better in the playoffs than last year, when Ocean View lost in the first round to eventual Division II champion El Toro. The team will be boosted once Delgado is done with basketball.

“Our pitching’s been very good,” Borowski said. “We’ve been getting our hits but we haven’t bunched them up together. All in all, we’re off to a good start.”