California Oaks looks to Connie Mack playoffs

STEVE AMES/The Acorn A CALIFORNIA OAKS TRIO OF TEAMMATES-Three local players on this summer's California Oaks Connie Mack team are (from left to right): Kevin Muno Jr., Kyle Griffith and Eric Guillen.

It’s only their first year of playing Connie Mack League baseball, but the California Oaks 18-years-old team includes eight Conejo Valley/Las Virgenes players. They hope to make 2003 a memorable season by going deep into the playoffs.

The team has played at Blair Field in Long Beach, Cal State Fullerton, Cerritos College and USC through this week and hopes to make a good showing in the regional and state playoffs.

"A lot of guys have commented that we’ve had one of the best seasons they’ve seen for a first-year team in this league," said head coach Kevin Muno, "so that’s encouraging."

Muno, who’s also been coaching this summer the Thousand Oaks Bombers, a 16-years-and-under team, said that Connie Mack players are competing in "probably the highest level for high school kids."

The team, whose assistant coaches are Rudy Mendoza, Brian Feltone and Chuck Fick, is comprised of players who love to play baseball, according to Muno.

"It’s a great opportunity to play against good competition on a nice field and get in front of a lot of college coaches," Muno said. "That’s all you can ask for, really, in a league like this."

League opponents include the Inland Rockies, the Los Alamitos Red Sox, the Long Beach Cardinals, the Long Beach Motor Patrol, the Southern California Stars and the South Bay Mary Stars.

Eric Guillen is one of the eight area players. "It makes my work ethic a lot better," he said as the team prepared for a Blair Field game last weekend. The junior shortstop/second baseman/outfielder from Thousand Oaks High School is also playing for the T.O. American Legion and Little League Big League teams this summer.

"It’s a lot more discipline over the summer instead of just goofing around the house," he said.

Son of the coach, Kevin Muno Jr., is a sophomore infielder at Loyola High School and a resident of Thousand Oaks.

"Lately we’ve come on pretty strong," he said last weekend. "It looks like we have a pretty good chance to make second place. A few things here and there have to happen, but it looks like we have a chance if we win all the rest of our games."

Playing at this level, Kevin Jr. said, helps him evaluate and compare his abilities with other players.

"It kind of helps me to realize that I really have to work hard to get to my goals and I really have to keep at it because there’s a lot of players who are better than I am," the Loyola outfielder said.

"I have to work hard to achieve my goals, and, personally playing under my dad, I really enjoy it. It’s a great experience … we both really understand each other very well."

Kevin Jr. can identify, he said, with the Boones and the Ripkins—two families in which the dads managed and played baseball.

Kyle Griffith, a senior outfielder at Westlake High School, also plays football. He’s using the summer, he said, to improve. And he hopes he’ll be seen by college coaches.

"I’m getting a lot of running in—playing every day," Griffith said. "This week, I had two days off, and those are the only two days I haven’t played all summer. But every other day, I’ve been playing a lot, going to the gym, trying to get bigger. I’m playing on a big league team and on the Westlake High VIBL (Valley Invitational Baseball League) team also. So, I’m keeping busy."

Guillen is working on switch-hitting this summer. "I’m getting back into it," he said. "I kind of stopped over the (high school spring) season. I’m trying to get my swing back left-handed."

Switch-hitting, he said, depends on bat control. "It’s a lot different trying to see the ball from a different eye," Guillen said.

"It’s really not that much different because I’ve done it for a few years. I’m just trying to get my timing back."

Kevin Jr., who hopes to go to USC, said he’s "working on getting stronger and working on my speed a little bit this summer. Those are my main goals over the summer."

Griffith, even with the busy schedule, said he’s enjoying the opportunity to play.

"This is real good baseball here," he said. "The pitching is great. The defense, the guys I’m lined up against and the guys who have the same uniform on as I do. It’s just fun. It’s good stuff and I enjoy it."

In addition to Guillen, Kevin Muno Jr. and Griffith, the five others from the local area are Brian Bird, senior pitcher/third baseman, Thousand Oaks; Danny Muno, freshman shortstop/second baseman/outfielder, Loyola, who resides in Thousand Oaks.

Also playing are Chuckie Fick, senior infielder/right-handed pitcher, Newbury Park; Michael Notaro, senior first baseman/right-handed pitcher, Westlake; and Trevor Plouffe, senior infielder/right-handed pitcher, Crespi, who resides in Calabasas.

For coach Muno the hardest aspect is getting all the players together.

But he added, "For our first year, all in all, I’m pretty happy. We’ve lost about four one-run games. So we could easily be right now in second or first place."