HIGH SCHOOL BASEBALL PREVIEWS : ALPHA LEAGUE : Montclair Prep Greets New Era: the Steele Age

Among the latest crazes sweeping the nation are television shows where viewers can purchase items ranging from watches to vacuum cleaners in the comfort of their homes. But high school baseball coaches ?

Well, kind of.

Jeff Pressman knew that one day he would retire from his job as the baseball coach at Montclair Prep. But his eventual successor, Walt Steele, caught his eye in a rather peculiar way.

“I was home watching the College World Series highlights and there’s this guy, Walt Steele, hitting all these home runs for Pepperdine,� Pressman said. “Then I realized that that’s the same Walt Steele who was an assistant football coach for us in 1979.� For Steele, landing a job through the use of television isn’t ironic at all; he was a Television Sports Production major at Pepperdine.

“I was out looking for a job in my field, television production, knocking door to door at all the television stations,� Steele said. “The principal gave me the job and I’ve been there ever since.�

Steele started at Montclair Prep in ’83 and replaces Pressman after serving four years as an assistant in his program.

Pressman’s teams have won 4 Southern Section championships since 1976 and won or shared 10 league championships, including each Alpha League title since the league was founded in 1983. Steele will try to continue that tradition with just four returning players.

“Jeff picked a good year to scoot,� Steele jokes.

“I know it kind of looks bad,� said Pressman, who operates a baseball camp in Orange County during the summer with Mark Cresse, the Los Angeles Dodgers bullpen catcher.

“I’ve known a lot of the kids through camp and I’ve been very close to my players. Last year we graduated a lot of players and this year made sense for me to leave.�

Steele, who played baseball at Crespi High, Valley College, Pepperdine and in the Milwaukee Brewers organization, expects a smooth transition this season.

“Very little of Jeff’s program remains,� Steele said. “Because of the few number of returners the transition shouldn’t be too tough.�

Steele has two assistant coaches with ties to the Pressman era: Mike DeMartini, who helped run Pressman’s Encino baseball camp, and Mike Ciccione, a three-year All-Southern Section player at Montclair Prep from 1980-82, before playing at Valley College and in the San Francisco Giants organization.

“Mike Ciccione has the legacy of the past, of the great Montclair teams with the Torey Lovullos and the Toi Cooks,� Steele said. “He can relate that to the kids.�

Montclair Prep

COACH: Walt Steele, 1st season

LAST SEASON: 1st in league at 13-1; 24-6

THIS SEASON: If nothing else, Montclair Prep has history on its side: The Mounties have won or tied for the league title every year since the Alpha League was created in 1983. This year’s squad, however, has just four returning players. Seven freshman have made the club. “With a young team people can’t expect a lot,� Steele said. The young pitchers, none of whom have thrown an inning of varsity baseball, received a boost when senior Jason Bailey, who has signed a letter of intent to play football for Vanderbilt, decided to go out for the team. “I recruited him at his signing,� Steele said. “He hasn’t played baseball since he was about 13, but he’s coming around.� Also pitching will be sophomores Scott Saklad and Kevin Grant. The Mounties have a trio of .300 hitters returning; Sophomore Keyaan Cook (.369) will play third base, shortstop Pat Huston (6-0, 170) hit .344 as a junior and senior Craig Handschu, a forward on the basketball team, batted .302. Center fielder Mike Howard is also expected to contribute heavily to the offense.

OUTLOOK: The obvious problem the Mounties face in trying to repeat as league champions is their inexperienced pitching staff. Saklad and Grant have potential and Bailey is an all-around athlete, so any of the three may produce. Even if the Mounties don’t get great pitching, they are capable of outscoring opponents. “The key for us will be pitching and making few mistakes,� Steele said. “If we get the pitching we should be able to win.

Village Christian

COACH: Mike Henzie, 1st season

LAST SEASON: 6th in league at 5-9; 7-13

THIS SEASON: With six starters batting better than .300, Village Christian scored its share of runs last season but had nobody on the mound to stop the other team from doing the same. “If it’s anything like last year, we’ll hit the ball, but our pitching should be the difference. We got a couple guys who can throw the ball,� Henzie said. Hard-throwing junior Chris Dyck (6-3, 190) is an expected starter along with sophomore left-hander Matt Bates (5-10, 160). Senior outfielder Royce Farrar (6-2, 180), who batted .418 last season, might be the dominant hitter in the league. The Crusaders also have strong hitters in junior first baseman Kevin Ebenhoch (6-0, 200), who hit .375 last season, and senior second baseman Russ Henzie, the coach’s son.

OUTLOOK: “I won’t really know anything until we get out there on the field, but I think we’ll win our share of ballgames,� Henzie said. “We have some real speed and we’ve had a real good week of practice.�

L. A. Baptist

COACH: Dave Phillips, 1st season

LAST SEASON: 4th in league at 7-7; 10-10

THIS SEASON: The Knights are another inexperienced team, with this year’s squad having just three returning varsity players. “Most of our talent is in the junior class,� Phillips said. “We have five or six kids looking good. It’s tough being a walk-on coach, because there’s not much you can do as far as building a rapport with the kids.� Junior David Ophus (6-0, 175), primarily a fastball pitcher, played on the junior varsity last year and is expected to be the top starter. Senior Roger Hasper (5-11, 160) is contending for the second starting job with basketball teammate junior David Unter. Also pitching is sophomore Paul Berry, who Phillips praises for his ability to mix his fastball and curve. The offense is led by shortstop Shane Whight (5-10, 170) and center fielder David Garcia (5-9, 155), both juniors. Junior Reid Chobanian will play second base. “Because we’re so young, we won’t be a power-hitting club. We’ll rely on singles and stealing bases,� Phillips said. “One of our strengths is we’re strong up the middle.�

OUTLOOK: Youth is the major problem the Knights face. “To be honest, the attitude of school and the league is that we’re in a rebuilding year,� Phillips said. “We graduated eight seniors form last year’s team, and people think we won’t be a good team for a year or two. But I’m looking beyond that and I think we’ll gain some some valuable experience this year.�