PREP BASEBALL 1992 / SMALL SCHOOLS : Garden Grove Claremont

1991 RECORDS OVERALL LEAGUE 6-8 1-5

COACH RECORD AT SCHOOL Mike Smith 0-0

RETURNING STARTERS YR. POS. B-T Mike Gumm Jr. SS R-R Garrett Martinez Sr. C R-R Tony Smuck Jr. OF R-R

OTHER TOP RETURNERS YR. POS. B-T None

TOP NEWCOMERS YR. POS. B-T Bryan Gammell Sr. P-1B R-R

OUTLOOK

A new coach unfamiliar with his young and inexperienced personnel doesn’t sound promising, but Smith and the Cougars head into the four-team Express League hoping to make some noise. “We look OK,� Smith said. “I have a lot of freshmen who look pretty good.� Several key players graduated or transferred, but Smith is optimistic because Gammell is among those who remained and decided to play baseball. The 6-foot-6 1/4, 300-pound right-hander will do the bulk of the pitching, and Smith believes he can give the Cougars a few victories. “He can really throw the ball and seems to have good control,� Smith said. At the other end of Gammell’s deliveries will be Martinez, who batted .275 last season. Smith said Martinez is a “smart catcher with a real strong arm.� Gumm, a .255 hitter last year, should help on offense and in the field at shortstop. Smuck (.205) also adds some stability to the outfield. But Smith said the team’s batting is a mystery to him. “It’s the batting I don’t have a clue about right now,� he said. “I’ve got some kids who have not played that much baseball.� Still, Smith says the team’s defensive skills will be strong enough to keep it in games. “They (players) have the mechanics down. We’ll do fine,� Smith said.