HIGH SCHOOL BASEBALL ’92 : The Season Starts With a Touch of Tradition, a Blend of Youth : Baseball: Established coaches and their programs will be challenged by several newcomers, who are hopeful that their teams can make an impact.

WESTSIDE —  Ron Kasparian has been at Westchester High since 1974. Dave Uyeshima is entering his 14th season at Hamilton. Jim Brink has spent 12 seasons at Harvard-Westlake, and Chuck Ice has been at Crossroads for 11.

Bill Erickson, a newcomer, relatively speaking, will have to wait until 1993 to celebrate his 10th anniversary at Beverly Hills.

If stability brings success, Westside baseball teams will again be a force in the Southland.

But a change may be afoot. Four schools--Bel-Air Prep, Brentwood, Fairfax and Santa Monica--will start the season with a new coach.

Here is a capsule look at how the schools with veteran coaches will stack up against the newcomers for the 1992 baseball season.

THE OLD GUARD

BEVERLY HILLS (19-9, 13-2 in Bay League)--After winning consecutive Bay League titles, the Normans will be rebuilding as they move to the Ocean League. All-Bay League pitcher Dean Styne returns after posting a 7-2 record and 1.43 earned-run average. John Beradino will move from first base to center field. Senior catcher Ben Alexander (.250) gives the Normans strength up the middle defensively. Third baseman Mike Rappaport and shortstop Matt Humiston are the top players from the junior varsity.

“I think the early part of the year we’ll need to mature a little bit,” Erickson said. “We’ll learn to take our lumps, but after that, we should be OK.”

CROSSROADS (21-7, 9-1 in Delphic League)--The Roadrunners, ranked fifth in the State A Division by Cal-Hi Sports, return several standouts. Their entire pitching staff returns, including Dan Ripoll and Richard Condon, both first team All-Southern Section 1-A Division players. Pitcher/shortstop Carl Abramson, catcher Craig Juda and second baseman Adam Polk are returning all-league selections. The Roadrunners have shared or won nine of 10 Delphic League titles and have been to the 1-A Division four times. Last year, Crossroads lost in the semifinals to Orange Lutheran. Look for them to contend for their third Southern Section title.

HAMILTON (14-13, 8-1 in Metro League)--The Yankees are another team deep with starting pitchers. Relievers Chris Kelly and Danny Green move into starting roles and will join Jeff Kast, the top junior varsity pitcher.

Third baseman Marcus Hilton, second baseman Robbie Vasquez and center fielder Seth Cooper are expected to carry the bulk of the offensive load. Shortstop Renaldo DeJesus, a transfer from Grant, will help stabilize the infield. Seniors Jorge Lizarraga, Albert Murcia and junior Arturo Manajarrez will battle at catcher.

Uyeshima, who coaches baseball and basketball, hasn’t had much time to work with the team because the Yankees just finished their basketball season last week.

“I just walked off the basketball court,” Uyeshima said. “We’re not together yet. We’ll be pretty solid once we get together.”

HARVARD-WESTLAKE (9-15, 5-5 in San Fernando League)--Greg Peters, a quarterback on the football team, and Adam Richards are the veterans on the pitching staff. The infield consists of Brian Given at first, Don Camacho at second, Max Sank at shortstop and Richards at third when he is not pitching. Kevin O’Malley and Jon Schaeffer are battling for starting catcher. Ryan O’Meara is the only returning starter in the outfield.

“(We) won’t have an overpowering pitching staff, but they will throw strikes,” Brink said. “I think (our team) we’ll definitely be improved in terms of depth.”

WESTCHESTER (13-15, 10-8 in Western League)--Kasparian returns a veteran team, which lost to Van Nuys in the first round of the City 4-A playoffs. Third baseman Mike Hayes and shortstop Al Watson both earned all-league honors. Senior Tremayne Noles and sophomore catcher Rod Washington also are returning starters. Andrew Spencer and Jose Flores, both right-handed pitchers, are the only constants on a developing staff.

“Our pitching is average at best,” Kasparian said. “If they throw strikes, the defense will carry us.”

THE NEW GENERATION

BEL-AIR PREP (no record)--After not fielding a team last year, Bel-Air Prep returns under new co-coaches Tony Lawrence and Sam Parker. Infielder Michael Murphy, outfielders Dan Leskowitz and Marlon Ibarra are the top hitters.

Chris Wylie, the Bruins’ top pitcher, is academically ineligible and will miss the first three weeks of the season. Sophomore left-hander Robert Luna and freshman right-hander Matt Rodezno lead a young pitching staff.

BRENTWOOD (5-14, 1-7 in Delphic League)--The Eagles spent 300 man-hours rebuilding their baseball field, and first-year Coach Norm Greenbaum hopes he planted the seeds of success.

The Eagles have five returning players and two are sophomores. Darrin Kawaoka, an all-league player, will be the ace of the staff and a starting third baseman. Center fielder Jeremy Milkin, catcher Greg Sommers, first baseman David Corletto and shortstop David Forst are good line-drive hitters and solid defensively.

CULVER CITY (8-16, 5-10 in Bay League)--The Centaurs will move to the Ocean League with arch-rival Beverly Hills. Center fielder Michael Kern (.310), shortstop Damien Reynolds (.363), and catcher Brian Cappell (.333) are the top position players. The Centaurs have three senior pitchers in Sani Bozunavich, Dylan Sugar and Chris Brennan.

“I think we’re pretty solid in our eight positions,” second-year coach Jerry Chabola said. “Our hopes will depend on the quality of our pitching staff.”

FAIRFAX (11-6, 7-2 in Metro League)--Coach Loren Drake will begin his first season at the varsity level and will have only one returning letterman--senior pitcher/infielder Isaul Diaz. Top newcomers include right-handed pitcher Roy Yaari, catcher Jimmy Barnes, center fielder Ricky Harbor and infielder Adolfo Gonzalez.

“I don’t know what to expect as far as wins and losses,” Drake said. “The main thing is that I see improvement from week to week.”

HOLLYWOOD (7-14, 5-12 in Northwest League)--The Sheiks return eight starters. The infield consists of Damian Rennolds at first, Peter Sanchez at second, Marvin Cobos at short, Charlie Garcia at third and Tony Rabago at catcher. Tony Aldana is the top outfielder. Garcia and Cobos are the top pitchers when they’re not playing in the field. “We’re young, but we have a lot of potential,” Coach Raul Grijalva said. The Sheiks had a 15-2 record as sophomores in the RBI Summer League.

MURPHY (3-12, 3-7 in Santa Fe League)--The Nobles finished tied for fourth under first-year Coach Kenny Hill and will continue to rebuild around three seniors. First baseman Hans Valosco, a starting quarterback on the football team, and second baseman Juan Garcia are the top returning infielders. Pitcher/outfielder Jason Orman will head a young pitching staff.

PALISADES (13-10, 11-6 in Western League)--Shortstop Jon Romano (.270) and second baseman David Schlessinger (.310) are the only returning varsity players. Senior left-hander Brittan Riehm, junior right-hander Alex Somkin and sophomore right-hander Brian Riehm are the Dolphins’ top three pitchers. Aside from Schlessinger and Romano, the team’s top hitters will be center fielder Aaron Peters, left fielder DeAndre Bowman and outfielder Rickey DeWeese.

“We’ll start slowly and hope we can be a competitive team by the time league starts,” Coach Russ Howard said.

ST. BERNARD (13-10-1, 6-4 in Mission League)--The Vikings survived the shock of moving from the Southern Section 2-A Division to the 5-A Division last season. Only two players return--shortstop Grant Hohman and third baseman Phil Ruhl--but Coach Bob Yarnall, in his seventh year, has been impressed by the overall talent of his team.

“There are no superstars. . . .” Yarnall said. “Just guys that like to work hard.”

Hohman has been a four-year starter at shortstop, following Royce Clayton, who was the San Francisco Giants’ top amateur pick in 1988. Hohman made second-team all-league last season. Ruhl, who moves from first to third, was a first-team selection.

Brian Richardson, who was academically ineligible last season, will start in center field and is being recruited by USC and Cal State Long Beach.

Seniors Chris Steinbacher and Tony Palka and junior Robert Cox make up an all right-handed pitching staff.

ST. MONICA (10-12, 3-9 in Camino Real League)--Third year coach Bruce Meyers is counting on pitching and catcher Jesus Padilla to be the strength of the team. The key pitchers are David Haro, James Brennan and Oscar Casillas.

SANTA MONICA (11-14, 6-6 in Bay League)--Jose Lopez, who coached the Vikings baseball team in 1983, returns to replace Rob Duron. Lopez is off to a late start after guiding the soccer team to the quarterfinals.

Shortstop/pitcher Paul Casillas, center fielder Zach Nishimura, third baseman Sheldon Phillip-Guide and catcher K.C. Blinn are returning senior starters. Pitcher Mike Miller, a 6-foot-4 left-hander, is the ace of the staff. Junior Carter Kerzner and junior varsity pitcher Luis Moreno also are expected to throw a lot of innings.

“I’ve been with the team for a week and a half and from what I can tell, we should be able to play well defensively and put the ball in play,” Lopez said. “We’re still making mistakes, but hopefully we’ll correct those things.”

UNIVERSITY (19-7, 15-2 in Western League)--The Warriors have the area’s top pitcher in Javier Mejia (9-1, 1.22 ERA), who was selected All-City 4-A Division last season. Richie Rivera, the top junior varsity pitcher, will be the No. 2 starter. Randall Harris, an all-league center fielder, will also pitch. Mejia, who will bat leadoff and also plays outfield, all-league catcher Joey Gandara (.368) and Harris (.348) are the top three hitters. First baseman Brad Slater is the only returning infielder.

“I think our pitching should be decent,” Coach Frank Cruz said. “In order to be successful, we have to get people on base.”

VENICE (15-11, 10-7 in Western League)--The Gondoliers return their top two pitchers, Dan Pena and Jason Ehlers, both all-league selections and three-year lettermen. All-league catcher Ruben Mercado and junior second baseman Miguel Chacon are the best hitters. Top newcomers include infielder Geordie Straubing and outfielders Jose Fuentes and Mike Morales. “Inexperienced but hard-working,” Venice Coach Kirk Alexander said. “I think once we get the feel of the game, the feel of our positions, we’ll become battlers.”