Baseball Preview: Behind Mathews and Omana, expectations for No. 1 Diamond Bar are huge


Above: Diamond Bar has the best one-two punch in pitchers Kenny Mathews and Henry Omana, who have the Brahmas No. 1 in the Tribune

By Steve Ramirez, Staff Writer
Pitching will be at a premium among area high school baseball teams this season, which begins Friday with a handful of teams playing tournament and nonleague games.
The exception may be at Diamond Bar, where the Brahmas return both starters, including arguably the Valley’s best hurler – senior Kenny Mathews. He, along with junior Henry Omana, give Diamond Bar a top one-two punch, which has the Brahmas thinking about a Hacienda League title and beyond. (To continue, click thread)

Tribune preseason top ten
1. Diamond Bar (15-11)
2. Bishop Amat (27-4)
3. South Hills (20-7)
4. Bonita (24-5)
5. Damien (20-7)
6. Glendora (27-2)
7. Northview (18-7-1)
8. San Dimas (17-8)
9 Charter Oak (16-9)
10. Nogales (16-12)


“We’re excited to get the season started,” said Diamond Bar coach Eric Shibley, whose Brahmas, armed with Mathews and Omana and a youthful but solid lineup, begin the season No. 1 in the area.

“We’re excited for a number of reasons, and having both your Nos. 1 and 2 pitchers back has a lot to do with it. That’s huge in high school baseball.”

And it will be a big edge for the Brahmas. Mathews is the ace after going 7-3 with a 1.73 earned-run average last season. He also had 91 strikeouts in 73 innings. He’s complemented by Omana, who’s been clocked in the low-90-mph range.

The Achilles’ heel for the Brahmas will be their young lineup, which has to make up for some big-time graduation losses.

Mathews, who hit .471 with 19 RBIs, is expected to make up for that as well. He’ll get help from senior infielder Jonathan Munoz, who hit .360 with 22 RBIs in 2010.

“We lost three major seniors to graduation, who had 11 years’ varsity experience,” said Shibley, whose team was 15-11 llast season. “That’s difficult to make up, but we have some sophomores who can step up. I’m excited what they bring to the team.”

The Brahmas’ move from the Sierra League to the Hacienda will also be a plus. Diamond Bar comes into the season as the favorite, but is expected to get a battle from Bonita, which advanced to the Division 3 finals last season.

Here’s a look at the rest of the area top 10:

No. 2 Bishop Amat (27-4)

The Lancers, with senior outfielder Jay Anderson and infielder Rio Ruiz, feature a murderer’s-row-type lineup that puts them in contention for a Division 4 title.

The question will be on the mound, where coach Andy Nieto must rely on an inexperienced staff that includes junior Daniel Zamora (5-1, 2.86 ERA), Ryan Serrato and Jordan McCraney. Ruiz will be the closer.

The offense will be led by Ruiz, who was arguably the area’s most-prolific hitter last season, batting .528 with 34 RBIs. Bishop Amat, which is ranked No. 4 in Division 4, also looks to Anderson, who hit .340 with 22 RBIs, and infielders Brandon Zavala, who hit .317 with 30 RBIs, and Adrian Franco, who hit .337 with 29 RBIs.

“Bottom line, rankings are great, but they don’t (guarantee) you a championship,” Nieto said. “We had a great year (in 2010), but we didn’t finish the job.

“This year, win or lose, it would be disappointing if we’re not playing for a championship.”

No. 3 South Hills (20-6)

The Huskies’ biggest challenge is moving from the now-defunct San Antonio League to the highly competitive Sierra League, which with South Hills, Charter Oak, Damien and Chino Hills is arguably the top league in the area.

The transition is expected to be smooth, however, with two of the area’s top hitters – Tyler France and C.J. Saylor – returning.

The Huskies also look strong with Richard Rollice and outfielder Dominick Martinez. The pitching staff is young, but coach Kevin Smith has liked what he’s seen from freshmen Eric Martinez, Steven Mendoza and Jonathan Ayala.

No. 4 Bonita (24-5)

The Bearcats came up short for the Division 3 title last season, but they have the lineup for another run.

Bonita, ranked No. 2 in Division 3 to begin the season, is led by infielder Robert Mier (.435, 31 RBIs), third baseman/outfielder KC Huth (.316, 18 RBIs) and outfielder Matt Gelalich (.494, 20 RBIs).

Adam McCreery, who was 9-1 with a 2.35 ERA last season, is the leader on the mound.

No. 5 Damien (20-7)

The Spartans, who advanced to the CIF-SS quarterfinals last season, are led by outfielder Dorian Granados, who hit .367 with 10 RBIs, and infielder JJ Murillo, who hit .357 with 14 RBIs.

Damien has holes on the mound, but Antonio Gonzales (3-1, 2.75) is expected to produce.

No. 6 Glendora (27-2)

The Tartans, after winning the Division 2 title, were hit hard by graduation, but the cupboard is not bare for Glendora, which begins the season ranked No. 6 in Division 2.

The Tartans are led by first baseman John Alexander, who hit .395 with 27 RBIs and five home runs last season, and catcher Brennan Salgado, who hit .364 with 12 RBIs.

No. 7 Northview (18-7-1)

The Vikings will battle San Dimas, Nogales and Covina in the Valle Vista League.

They’re led by senior infielders Tyler Grijalva and Bobby Ramos, who were all-league and hit over .400, and pitcher Niko Castaneda.

No. 8 San Dimas (17-8)

The Saints are expected to be strong offensively.

The returning players include Brandon Yepiz (.329, 17 RBIs), Matt Lee (.254, 22 RBIs) and Andres Orona (.379, 10 RBIs).

No. 9 Charter Oak (16-9)

The Chargers, who are expected to be in the hunt in the Sierra League, are led by pitcher Travis Santiago, who was 8-1 with a 1.01 ERA and 56 strikeouts in 55 innings last season.

Charter Oak also looks to infielder Aaron Henry (.394, 27 RBIs) and catcher Mike Philp (.292, 13 RBIs).

No. 10 Nogales (16-12)

The Nobles are expected to challenge Northview and San Dimas in the Valle Vista.

Coach John Romano, who’s 558-301 in 34 years at Nogales, will look to junior Carlos Martinez, pitchers/ infielders Rene Felix and Adrian Guzman and pitcher Eric Gonzales. Guzman and Gonzales were all-league last season, while Martinez returns from a solid freshman season after sitting out last year due to injury.

Facebook Twitter Plusone Digg Reddit Stumbleupon Tumblr Email