- East Bay Prep Corner
Baseball previews coming soon
By Ben Enos
Thursday, March 17th, 2011 at 10:40 am in Baseball.
Alright everyone, the moment you’ve been asking for is coming up soon. Our baseball previews are being worked on as we speak, and should roll out in your local papers the weekend of the 27th (or thereabouts).
Here’s my question for everyone: In the early season, who’s stood out for you? I know the teams I think should be good, but I haven’t been to a game yet so I want to hear what you think as well.
So, drop a comment and let me know. I’ll keep an eye on em and I’ll keep you posted as to when the previews are coming out.
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March 17th, 2011 at 10:53 am
No team in general but a comment on the league that looks to be surprisingly tough this season. Believe it or not it’s the DFAL. From top to bottom, no cupcakes. Campolindo, Miramonte, Acalanes,Alhambra with Stephenson who is poised to possibly be a first round draft pick, Las Lomas, Dublin and Dougherty Valley.
If you look at the pre-season performance of this league thus far, you’ll see I’m not blowing smoke. Maybe the first time they could be deeper than the EBAL.
March 17th, 2011 at 11:56 am
Bob, the way we broke down the league previews this year, I’m doing the DFAL myself and man… I can’t pick a team to come in first! I could make a case for almost any of those teams this year.
I really like Campo based on the pieces they have coming back. And, I think they’re very well coached. Miramonte’s always there. Alhambra has possibly the most dominant pitcher in the area. Dublin and Dougherty are two teams I really like to take a big step forward and Acalanes and Lomas should be improved as well.
I wouldn’t sleep on the EBAL though. Amador Valley is very highly ranked on the national scene, and I think the Dons are the favorites to be No. 1 in our opening poll. It really looks like De La Salle and Monte Vista are sitting on comeback seasons, and I could make a case for any of the other teams in the league to get in the title mix as well.
I agree with you on the DFAL though. Gonna be a wild season.
March 17th, 2011 at 7:05 pm
I think the Dons will be a very tough team to beat. Dominant pitching & a lineup that can really do some damage. Plenty returners from last year. Sure they lost to James Logan & Alameda but they still looked better & Alameda won in the last inning off an error. There a very good team.
March 17th, 2011 at 9:27 pm
Look out for California. They beat Amador last year and only lost to them by one the second time after collapsing under pressure in the sixth inning. Then in NCS they won a wild one against San Ramon Valley and were leading Foothill 2-1 in the last inning before Foothill hit a lucky double to left-center and knocked them out on a heartbreaking note. And did I mention they did all this under a first-year coach? Now they return lots of starters including hotshot Steven Moen, who not only had a .356 average but also served the team a great catcher. I don’t recall seeing any wild pitches by CAL. Reportedly the Grizz have a lot of pitchers this year too, from Evan Brisentine to Logan Truex. And let’s not forget John Sarmenta. The guy is tough as nails and will stop at nothing to get the Grizz what they deserve. Remember that he made the acrobatic touchdown catch to bring Cal within one touchdown and PAT of beating the Spartans last football season. Do you see a similar situation possibly emerging when CAL battles Amador? De La Salle? So there you go, CAL high, full of hard-working, dedicated athletes has a case to be the next EBAL and NCS champions. You know, similar to when everybody thought the Yankees would win another world series but the Giants did. May I add one more thing? Even in CAL’s troubled pastime (the ’90s), their baseball was very successful, more so than any other sport, and they were EBAL champions in 1994 and 1995 when football was bottom of the barrel. As you can see, we have three fairly similar stories (football, soccer, and baseball) but for the first time we have a foundation for success. Amador Valley better not be kissing the title rings of 2011 just yet.
March 17th, 2011 at 10:23 pm
Ebal Predictions;
1. Amador; Keck (UCLA) and Piscotty (Duke) are back they are the favorites with great team chemistry and a lot of experience.
2. SRV; Solid pitching with Hochstatter (Stanford) and Slinger with a small but gritty line-up.
3. Foothill; Rowland and Hecht pitching and the most dangerous line-up top to bottom in Ebal
4. MV; Led by Dimartino’s bat (ASU), Keysor(BYU) on the mound lead a team that might surprise some.
5. Cal / Granada; Granada has Kirby (USD) in the middle of the line-up and Granada is always scrappy. Cal has an ubundance of left handed pitchers and nobody likes playing at CAL High great home field advantege.
7. De La Salle: ?????
8. Livermore; Gauranteed last place that’s all I know.
March 18th, 2011 at 5:09 am
Cal is pretty good but they only have 2 games in so far and with this weather they should try play away games if possible. Alameda should win league pretty easily and be strong for D2. I like Arroyo in the HAAL. Get your games in when you can it’s shaping up to be a very wet season.
March 18th, 2011 at 11:38 am
I agree that Arroyo will be tough but don’t overlook Moreau in the HAAL this year. They are 5-0 right now. In those five games they have scored 45 runs while only giving up 10.
March 18th, 2011 at 12:00 pm
All good stuff everyone. Keep it coming.
March 18th, 2011 at 12:30 pm
re EBAL predictions-
NCS births go to AV, Foothill, SRV and Cal… perhaps 2 more. Unlike football, there really is not an automatic #1 pre season, although AV brings a lot of returners. Remember, AV ’10 was out-hit, and snuck by Deer Valley (which beat a 14-11 Granada the week before 6-4) 3-2 @ HOME, in last years quarters. But JUST like football, the EBAL teams will be brutal on themselves. Cal proved that last year (and in ’09) just getting to .500 to qualify, getting past SRV in an extra inning slugfest, then a 1 run game against Foothill in the Semis. Defense and pitching rules so previous 4 mentioned are set there. Pitching will be the decider for MV (an uncharacteristic 3-7 pre season and 4-10 EBAL in ’09), dLS, Gra, Liv as those teams will likely have above average D and offense.
BTW- verbals to colleges not a factor in baseball unless your W,F starters are both throwing 90, then again, NOT a guarantee…case in point- MV ’09 with FOUR D1 PITCHERS, was a #2 seed and eliminated in a first game by #10 Deer Valley.
March 18th, 2011 at 1:56 pm
I like Arroyo in the HAAL also because there a great team & well rounded. They also have great pitching & have a very tough season this year. There going to be a very tough team to beat. I dont see Moreau being a threat because they have not played any good teams yet.
March 18th, 2011 at 6:44 pm
2011 BSAL Predictions:
1. Albany. Cougars already beat Salesian, Piedmont, Swett and St. Mary’s by 32-6 margin. Masterson is 3-0 with 30 K. Lots of bats with Srs. Babitt, Rabin, Uemura, Supple and Schumacher and Jr. Kennedy all back.
2. Encinal. Defending champion lost Boyd and Skinner and lots of hitting. Serventi, Ogata, Penrose and Leong return. Buckley off to good start.
3. St. Mary’s. Soph. starters Kevin Flemer, younger brother of Cal reliever, and Mahoney will keep Panthers in every game, but little offense besides Torres and Richard.
4. Salesian. Fell to Albany 10-2 in league opener but Tino Leite shut out St. Pats in next game with 13 K.
5. St. Pats/St. Vincent. J.R. Davis just returning from basketball. Another team that lost lots of seniors and off to rough start.
6. St. Piedmont. Probably most improved team in league. A little unlucky to be 1-3 in league and 1-5 overall.
7. St. Joes. Billy Johnson returns for senior year, but there’s not much talent besides him. It lost first three league games.
8. John Swett. Soph. lefty Ressler will keep Swett in most games. He beat St. Joes in league opener.
9. Kennedy Richmond. Program is better but still not good enough to compete on a regular basis.
March 19th, 2011 at 9:27 am
*MV record for 2010. *Berths….for all you birthers out there! Note- one of MV ’09 D1 P’s now at DVC and is 5-0 already…at that rate, he will head to a 4 year.
March 19th, 2011 at 9:55 am
Kevin,
You said, “I dont see Moreau being a threat because they have not played any good teams yet.” I guess I would say the same thing if my team was 3-2-1 rather than 5-0. I guess we will see if Moreau is a threat on 4/1 when Arroyo travels to Moreau.
March 19th, 2011 at 12:49 pm
I think O’Dowd is going to take the HAAL again.
March 19th, 2011 at 1:01 pm
Moreau will not be a contender. & look at the teams Arroyo has played. We will have to see when arroyo puts up 15+ runs against them like everyother year. Alhambra also should be a tough team to beat w/ one of the best pitchers.
March 20th, 2011 at 8:29 am
Arroyo and Moreau both played against American. Arroyo won 14-1 and Moreau won 7-6. I do think Moreau is much better than last year but so is Arroyo. As for what #14 said, I don’t think BOD is gonna win HAAL this year. They lost too much talent in Big Eric Jaffe. Castro Valley still has some good returning talent and if they get clicking with the new coach can make a run at it. Overall, I’ll stick with Arroyo taking HAAL this year and making a run at NCS.
March 20th, 2011 at 9:16 am
MSJ has Stanford-bound pitcher Matt Imhof.
March 20th, 2011 at 6:02 pm
BSAL PREDICTIONS:Very strong from top to bottom and the top 4 may be hard to crack.My sleeper though is St Pats.Even though off to a slow start they are last years NCS champs.The 2 wild cards,Souza who may have the best glove in the area and very dangerous at the plate and Davis who hits everything hard!Both just back from B Ball.
March 21st, 2011 at 10:31 am
Moreau is garb. Arroyo’s JV would have the same record if they had the same schedule as Moreau.
March 21st, 2011 at 2:02 pm
Tennyson is going to take the HAAL!
March 21st, 2011 at 5:42 pm
No one is talking about James Logan. They return pretty much they’re whole squad from last year. They’re starting pitching staff last year where lead by 2 JR. So, now as seniors BY,Joe,Pasci,and also add to the JR. Alex. Theyre pitching is even stronger. Not to mention the rest of starting lineup that came back. Dont count Logan out. But hey if I know Goulding he wants to be underdog so he can prove everyone wrong. The last time I’ve seen a Logan Baseball team this deep they won NCS.
March 21st, 2011 at 7:04 pm
Arroyo’s gonna take HAAL.
March 21st, 2011 at 7:13 pm
The “Dominant” pitching of Tennyson will overwhelm everyone in the HAAL.HAHAHA. They shutout Oakland 10-0 and Oakland was coming off of a 11-2 win against St. Elizabeth. Tennyson kept it close against Dougherty Valley who has an 8-0 record. Dougherty Valley beat Liberty 4-0 but Castro Valley only beat Liberty 3-1. So because Dougherty Valley beat Liberty by one more run than CV, they’re a better team? Oh, wait a minute, Dougherty Valley only beat American 8-6 so now CV is better because they won 14-1. Comparing scores is not relatively important in the game of baseball. The ultimately decisive statistic is the RECORD. If Arroyo is a tough team with “Dominant” pitching then why would they lose to Logan and Alameda? A team worthy of representing the HAAL should have won those games.
March 21st, 2011 at 8:26 pm
BOD @ Arroyo has been changed from Wednesday to tomorrow at 3:30. This should be a good HAAL opener if it doesn’t get rained out. Any other games on Tuesday?
March 21st, 2011 at 8:38 pm
The “Dominant” pitching of Tennyson will overwhelm everyone in the HAAL.HAHAHA. They shutout Oakland 10-0 and Oakland was coming off of a 11-2 win against St. Elizabeth. Tennyson kept it close against Dougherty Valley who has an 8-0 record. Dougherty Valley beat Liberty 4-0 but Castro Valley only beat Liberty 3-1. So because Dougherty Valley beat Liberty by one more run than CV, they’re a better team? Oh, wait a minute, Dougherty Valley only beat American 8-6 so now CV is better because they won 14-1. Comparing scores is not relatively important in the game of baseball. The ultimately decisive statistic is the RECORD. If Arroyo is a tough team with “Dominant” pitching then why would they lose to Logan and Alameda? A team worthy of representing the HAAL should have won those games.
March 21st, 2011 at 8:49 pm
* Arroyo beat American 14-1 but Dougherty Valley only defeated American 8-6…SO DOES DV’s 8-0 record just disappear all because of 1 game? a WIN is a WIN. a LOSS is a LOSS no matter how close (YOU LOST!)
March 22nd, 2011 at 10:45 am
Tennyson is also garb
March 22nd, 2011 at 11:58 am
HAAL should be a good race this year for the first time in awhile. Arroyo, CV, and Moreau should challenge perennial power BOD and keep things tight until the end. ODowd lost 6 senior starters and is in a re-building mode. Pitcher Joe Ross will keep them in any game he pitches, and soph Dominic Miroglio will supply hitting.
Should be fun league to watch this year.
March 22nd, 2011 at 10:17 pm
O’Dowd beat Arroyo 13-2 today.
March 23rd, 2011 at 9:42 am
Uh oh…..Kevin, PlayMaker, Justsayin. Still stickin with Arroyo as HAAL Champs???
March 23rd, 2011 at 10:14 am
it was 14-2..way to go arroyo
March 23rd, 2011 at 1:30 pm
I heard it was a close game for 3 innings. Then Miroglio hit a grand slam. Ross went 5 strong innings, 8 k’s.
March 23rd, 2011 at 5:40 pm
Don’t be fooled by Dougherty Valley at 8-0. Since they are still relatively new, they have taken to playing a cupcake non-league schedule the last few years, including this year. Last year they started 7-0 and went 10-2 non-league; then reality set in and went 4-8 in league and lost their first playoff game. They are definitely getting better but will do no better than 5th in the 7 team DFAL.
Speaking of the DFAL, this year shapes up to be a very competitive year and is likely on par with the EBAL. Ben, I look forward to your DFAL preview this week. This is my take on the league this spring:
1) Miramonte – 3 or 4 D1 talent on this team with both pitching and hitting. Defense, however, is average.
2) Alhambra – Stephenson can’t pitch every game but Herrera is a capable #2; they challenge the Mats for #1
3) Campolindo – Not one starting senior on this team, but loaded with 6 D1 players that are JRs or Sophs. After a slow start look for them to compete for first.
4) Acalanes – Great hitting team and they’ll need it with no top line pitching. Knocked out Joe Ross last week; might be most entertaining team to watch.
5) Dublin – Return Martinez, Martinelli, Mitchell, Mello, Popelar, Crittendon; should be a real good team. Not a great team last year with this group, will this year be any different? Biggest wildcard.
6) Dougherty Valley – See above; maybe this year will be different?
7) Las Lomas – This team is better than last year and will compete. It says something about the league when this is the weakest team. Guarantee they will knock off a few teams in the upper half.
March 23rd, 2011 at 7:50 pm
Moreau and Tennyson and Pawn Star suck.
March 24th, 2011 at 9:55 pm
What happened to Campo last week? Lost to Petaluma?
March 26th, 2011 at 9:28 am
What’s going with DVAL this year?
March 27th, 2011 at 7:21 pm
Yes I still have Arroyo taking HAAL.
March 28th, 2011 at 11:02 am
arroyo is trash and Moreau will smack their weak pitching.
March 30th, 2011 at 8:02 pm
We will see tomorrow. Arroyo defeated SL 15-1 on Tuesday & today arroyo beat w/ CV 10-1 w/ CV’s ace only lasting 2 innings on 7 runs.
April 3rd, 2011 at 2:07 pm
Arroyo beat Moreau 7-0. W/ a one hitter.
April 3rd, 2011 at 5:20 pm
Haal Spectator what happened? Arroyo could’ve beat Moreau by 14. They had a lot of LOB’s probably because they were trying too hard to hit a home run. Ask anyone who saw the game the score could’ve been a lot worse. Yes Arroyo still has the best shot at beating BOD for HAAL. Arroyo plays De La Salle on Wednesday at home it should be a good game.
April 3rd, 2011 at 9:01 pm
They did have plenty of oppurtunites that they didn’t capalized on. Any predictions for Wenesdays game?
April 4th, 2011 at 4:33 am
If Arroyo doesn’t shoot themselves in the feet they are gonna be hard to beat. I don’t know too much about DLS(they don’t enter stats yet on Max Preps) but being that they come from the EBAL Arroyo had better be fired up and ready.