Coyotes say summertime baseball is about learning, winning

Rick Allen

If summertime baseball is about development as much as winning, 2003 has been an extremely valuable experience for the boys of Calabasas High School.

The Coyotes, playing in the Valley Invitational Baseball League (VIBL) completed the league schedule with a 15-10 record, including the playoffs where they finished 5-2. Overall, Calabasas finished 20-12.

Calabasas has been among the top three teams all three of its years playing in the VIBL. This summer was an especially strong performance. A majority of players on the Coyote roster was from this spring’s junior varsity team that went 4-16.

The improvement was noteworthy.

"We feel very fortunate because we made it to be among the last three teams," said Rick Allen, who served as coach of the summer team. He worked with Rick Nathanson, head coach of the high school varsity team with assistant coaches Chris Kroener and Bret Saberhagen.

Moorpark and Crespi played for the VIBL championship. The Coyotes were eliminated in a semifinal game by Crespi, 7-2, last Sunday afternoon on the Valencia High School diamond.

Looking at the Coyotes for next spring’s Marmonte League season, Allen said he anticipates that—based on the summer of VIBL—a quartet of players will play significant roles in the team’s future success.

The quartet is pitcher/first baseman Drew Saberhagen, pitcher/shortstop Tony Bonelli, pitcher/second baseman/shortstop Carter Whitman and first baseman/pitcher Ryan Selan.

Saberhagen hit .430 with 13 doubles, three triples, four home runs and he had 33 RBIs and 13 stolen bases. On the mound, he posted a solid 5-1 record.

Bonelli’s "definitely one of the two best shortstops in the league," Allen said. He hit .370 with 12 doubles, three triples and three home runs and had 22 RBIs and eight stolen bases. As a pitcher, he went 4-2.

Whitman’s main contribution was pitching where he finished with a 5-2 record.

Selan hit .385 with 11 doubles, three home runs and had 26 RBIs.

"Saberhagen, Whitman and Bonelli made the rest of the tem better," Allen said.

Also making key contributions, Allen said, were catcher/right fielder Kevin Goldman, who hit .275, and pitcher/second baseman Milan Kacar. Center fielder and pitcher Daniel Hirsch hit .285, left fielder Brendon Kotler hit .300 and third baseman Spencer Silverstein batted over .300.

The top player coming off the bench, Allen said, was catcher Alex Leigh, who finished with a .280 batting average that included four pinch hits. Solid utility players, he said, were Aaron Sapiro and John Szabo.

"Saberhagen understands the game and he’s ahead of the other kids in that aspect," Allen said. "He has great talent and he carries himself real well. Bonelli is real solid as a pitcher and plays as well at shortstop as anybody in the league, and Whitman did a great job pitching and in the infield for us."

In Sunday’s game, Trevor Plouffe started at pitcher for Crespi and the Coyotes got eight hits off him, "More than a lot of teams have gotten against him," Allen said.

Among the hitters, Selan went 1 for 2 with a home run and an RBI, and Andrew Malatesta had a double and an RBI.

Playing the Crespi Celts on Saturday at Valencia, the Coyotes were on the losing end, 10-2, after getting off to a 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning.

Crespi pitcher Michael Gilmartin threw a complete game and struck out five Coyotes for the victory. Shant Bedrosian was 3 for 4 with a pair of RBIs and Ollie Linton was 2 for 4 with two RBIs. Plouffe was 2 for 4 with a home run and three RBIs.