Emme has CdM back in CIF

Welcome back to the high school baseball playoffs Coach John Emme.

After missing the postseason last season for the first time in 11 years at Corona del Mar, Emme returns optimistic.

“Last year was no fun,” Emme said. “We’re delighted to be back.

“Hopefully we start another playoff streak.”

The new one for the Sea Kings starts Friday. They learned of their first-round opponent in the CIF Southern Section Division III playoffs Monday, when the pairings were released.

Last year, only two local programs qualified for the postseason. Costa Mesa and Sage Hill School return, competing in Division IV and Division VI, respectively.

Three teams in three divisions. Let the postseason begin.

CdM, ranked No. 10 in the final Division III regular-season coaches’ poll, plays on the road, while Costa Mesa and Sage Hill, No. 9 in Division VI, will enjoy the luxury of being at home in the first round.

The Sea Kings (15-10) play at California of Whittier (15-11) Friday at 3:15 p.m.

On Thursday at 3:15 p.m., Costa Mesa (20-6) has Palm Springs (13-9), and Sage Hill (15-4) has St. Anthony of Long Beach (16-8).

All three area teams thrived down the stretch. Of the trio, Costa Mesa and Sage Hill are the hottest.

The Mustangs finished first in the Orange Coast League, closing out league play at 11-1 and with their first league championship since 1978. Coach Jim Kiefer has Costa Mesa in the playoffs for the third straight season.

A victory against Palm Springs, the No. 2 representative out of the Desert Valley League, will be Kiefer’s first with the Mustangs. They’ve managed only three runs in the past two wild-card appearances.

“They’re out of the same league as Palm Desert and La Quinta, two strong programs, both in the playoffs,” Kiefer said. “They’re the up-and-comer in that league.”

With Tyler Peterson (7-1) a year older, the junior starter should give Costa Mesa a shot at winning.

Sage Hill won back-to-back titles in the Academy League, thanks to taking its final eight games. The Lightning shared the crown with Oxford Academy, which handed Sage Hill its third loss on April 7, only to see Sage Hill fight back.

In his second year, Coach Andy Berglund has the Lightning believing in a deep playoff run. Last year, they won their first playoff game in the program’s history and reached the second round.

Getting past St. Anthony won’t be easy for Sage Hill. The No. 2 representative from the Santa Fe League has won eight consecutive games, averaging close to 13 runs during the streak.

The Sea Kings have shown flashes of a similarly explosive offense.

While winning seven of its final eight regular-season games, CdM scored 19 runs in one game and 15 in another. A healthy Mitch Sands has provided a spark in the middle of a lineup featuring one of Orange County’s most feared hitters in Danny Moskovits (.329 average, six home runs, 37 runs batted in).

“He’s played nine league games and he’s hitting .400,” Emme said of Sands, who helped the Sea Kings finish second in the Pacific Coast League after returning from a knee problem. “John Doering has been tremendous for us, along with [Beau] Attyah.”

Attyah is one of the county’s top all-around junior catchers. He is hitting .417 and will most likely catch Steven Manning in the first round.

Emme said he’s leaning toward Manning, who fired his first complete-game shutout of the season in the Sea Kings’ league finale.

California shared the Del Rio League title, and with any team from Whittier, Emme knows what to expect.

“All the Whittier schools are fundamentally sound,” Emme said. “I’m kind of glad we’re playing the first game on the road. If we get deeper in the playoffs, we’ll get to play at home.”

Being back in the playoffs sure feels like home for Emme and the Sea Kings.