But Seriously, Mischievous Orange Lutheran Players Psyched for Upset

ORANGE —  Phil Matheson and Matt Hendren are seniors on the Orange Lutheran High School baseball team, but they aren’t about to admit they act their age on the field.

“None of us on the team acts like a senior,” Matheson said. “We’re a bunch of 5-year-olds.

“We’re a bunch of spazes. We have so much energy, we just go wacko sometimes in practice.”

That might explain why the Lancers aren’t worried about playing top-seeded and defending-champion Montclair Prep in the Southern Section 1-A championship game at 7:30 tonight at Blair Field in Long Beach.

The unseeded Lancers (19-8) are making their first appearance in a championship game since losing to Serrano, 3-1, in the 1983 Small Schools final.

Orange Lutheran Coach John Malmquist said the team’s circus atmosphere has been a big part of its success. Even he gets into the act, teasing Matheson about growing a goatee.

“He’s growing it for intimidation,” Malmquist said, rubbing his chin and nodding at Matheson. “Now that’s intimidation.”

Malmquist sometimes wonders if he isn’t baby-sitting during Lancer practices. But he wouldn’t have it any other way.

Matheson, the team’s second baseman, sometimes wears his jockstrap outside his pants. Then he and Hendren will pull their pants up to their ribs and strut around.

The Orange Lutheran players select an MVP after each game. His award? He must wear a beanie during practice until the next game.

Before the first inning, players gather and spit in a small circle for luck.

Said Hendren, “We watch a lot of ‘Saturday Night Live.’ That’s where we get a lot of our material.”

At the heart of all the mischief is Matheson, who’s hitting .402 with 22 runs batted in and 32 runs scored.

“Phil’s sort of the loosey-goosey type,” Malmquist said. “One time, he’s pulling his pants up to his chest. Then he’s walking around like a 1919 White Sox guy. He’s a fun kid, and that’s the kind of kid you want playing for you.”

Matheson, 6-feet and 160 pounds, has been bothered this season by tendinitis in his right (throwing) shoulder. Matheson, a running back and defensive back, was injured in a football game last fall.

“I was making a tackle and a guy stripped through my arms,” Matheson said. “I tore some muscles in my arm and they healed wrong.”

Stretching and weight-training during the winter helped Matheson recover.

“It still affects his throws sometimes,” Malmquist said. “He has made some beautiful throws from center field, but you can see the pain on his face.”

Hendren, a pitcher and designated hitter, has a 10-4 record with a 2.44 earned-run average and is hitting .393.

He pitched a complete game in Orange Lutheran’s 4-1 semifinal victory over Crossroads on Tuesday, and he’s available for three innings in the final. Southern Section rules limit pitchers to 10 innings a week.

Hendren and Matheson are surprised to be playing for a section title. The Lancers barely qualified for the playoffs, edging Whittier Christian for third place in the Olympic League on the final day.

Then the team went on a death march in the playoffs, traveling more than 730 miles to three games.

The Lancers had to make a 275-mile trip to Cambria for a quarterfinal game against Coast Union.

“The field was like a beach,” Hendren said. “It was all sand. And there was a forest beyond the outfield fence. We thought Bigfoot was living out there. We kept hearing these weird noises out there.”

After the game, the bus ride back to Orange was lively. The players drove the driver crazy.

“He drove fast all the way home,” Matheson said. “I think he was anxious to get rid of us.”

Section Baseball: Tonight’s 1-A Final at Blair Field, 7:30 p.m.

THE STARTING LINEUPS:

ORANGE LUTHERAN (19-8) MONTCLAIR PREP (20-3) Name Pos. Avg. Name Pos. Avg. Jeff Courvoisier 3B .284 J.T. Billingslea CF .280 Matt Hendren DH .393 Shad Knighton 2B .380 Mic Buehler 1B .371 Dylan Jones C .382 J.P. Presley LF .400 Brent Polacheck RF .440 Phil Matheson 2B .402 Andy Shaw 1B .444 Chris Campbell CF .243 Russell Ortiz 3B .510 Dale Huss RF .254 Brad Fullmer DH .400 David Rossi C .282 Chris Portugal LF .352 Jeff Wichmann SS .274 Geoff Taylor SS .400

Name Pos. W-L Name Pos. W-L Jason Fox P 4-3 Steve Cain P 7-0

IF MONTCLAIR PREP IS GOING TO WIN: Montclair Prep Coach Walt Steele said the defending champion and top-seeded Mounties need a strong outing from Cain, their second-best pitcher behind Ortiz. The Mounties, who return six starters from last year’s championship team, have plenty of hitting, with all but one starter batting better than .350. Montclair Prep takes a 17-game winning streak into the final.

IF ORANGE LUTHERAN IS GOING TO WIN: Lancer Coach John Malmquist said his team “pitches by committee,” with Hendren, Courvoisier, Jamie Maddock and David Willett as possible relievers if Fox gets in trouble. Hendren earned a a complete-game victory in the unseeded Lancers’ 4-1 semifinal victory over Crossroads, and would be available for three innings today. “Both teams are shooting with their No. 2 pitchers,” Malmquist said. “That will be the key. If I go by what I see and read, I just hope we can stay with Montclair. That remains to be seen. We’re sure not scared. These kids can’t be intimidated.” Orange Lutheran, making its first appearance in the section finals since 1983, didn’t clinch the third and last playoff spot in the Olympic League until the final day of the season. But the Lancers have been hot lately, winning five consecutive games and nine of their last 10. They’ve outscored opponents, 31-5, in four playoff games.