Oak Park baseball team ripe with returning starters as spring begins

JANN HENDRY/Acorn Newspapers SOUTHPAW-Senior pitcher Blair Walters throws hard in a game against Serra earlier this week. The Eagles won, 10-0. Much of Oak Park's success this season will depend on Walters' emergence as a solid No.2 starter behind staff ace Zack Thornton. If familiarity breeds consistency, and consistency breeds success, then the Oak Park Eagles appear headed for another strong season of Southern California prep baseball.

Returning nine players and six starters from a team that was coleague champion and won 19 games a season ago (the second highest total in OPHS baseball history), the Eagle roster is deep with experienced and playoff-tested ball players-an advantage head coach Eric Pryor hopes will translate into victories on the field.

"It's nice to have a solid core of guys who have varsity experience, who already know what it takes to succeed and know how they have to work to get it," said Pryor, now in his 10th season at Oak Park.

Headlining the lengthy list of returnees is All-Tri-Valley League pitcher Zack Thornton, who's posted a win-loss record of 20-4 over the past two years. Now a senior, Thornton's accuracy makes him a perfect compliment to what has been a traditionally sound Eagle defense.

"He probably has the best control of any pitcher we've had in the program," Pryor said. "He's a smart pitcher, and a leader out there. The team as a whole plays better when he's on the mound because they have so much confidence in him."

This season, Thornton already has a one-hit shutout of Div. I Long Beach Poly under his belt.

"I'd say he's picked up right where he left off last season," Pryor said.

Nowhere will Oak Park be as strong defensively as they will be in the outfield, where the team returns all three starters: Mitchell Halpert in left, Matt Alexander in center and Doug Deakin in right. All three have the kind of speed necessary to cover the expansive outfield at OPHS, especially Alexander and Deakin, who started in the backfield this season for the Oak Park football team.

Pryor said Deakin and Alexander, who were co-captains of the football team, bring much more to the plate than just raw athleticism.

"They're two of the best kids I've had in the program-all the players respect their work ethic," Pryor said.

Thornton said the duo brings with them a mentality that anything less than success is not acceptable.

"They come out here expecting to win, and they expect everyone on the team to work just as hard as they do," said Thornton, who's played baseball with Deakin, Alexander and second baseman Cory Ott since their youth.

Ott is one of three returning starters in the infield, including Thornton and Blair Walters, who will share duties at first base when they're not pitching. New to the infield will be third baseman Jake Whitaker and shortstop Zach Granowitz, who's been moved in from left field.

Pryor called Granowitz "one of the most versatile players" on the roster.

"I can put him at any position and know he can play it well," Pryor said. "He's got a strong arm and good knowledge of the game, which is what your need from your shortstop."

Junior Ty Muller, who split catching duties last year with Max Rosenberg, is back behind the dish. Muller is the team's top returning hitter, having hit .365 last season with 23 RBIs. Alexander (.313 BA, 19 RBI, two home runs in '05) is right behind him.

One glaring name missing from the roster is Oak Park's top hitter from a season ago, Chad Standrowicz, who Oak Park fans best remember for hitting three home runs in one game last year against Fillmore.

Standrowicz moved with his family to Mira Costa during the offseason, taking a great deal of baseball talent with him.

"His loss is a big loss, and it's not just offensively," Pryor said. "Losing him is a big loss in every facet of the game, but we've got guys who can pick up the slack.

"We don't need one guy to replace Chad, we just need everybody to do a little bit more . . . and we won't miss him as much as we otherwise would."

The Eagles are off to a 3-2 start this season, posting wins over Poly (1-0), Serra (10-0) and most recently, Village Christian (5-1). Their two losses have come to El Segundo (14-3) and Peninsula (6-5), a game they lost on a home run in the bottom of the seventh inning.

Oak Park plays on the road at Fillmore this Friday. The team's next scheduled home game isn't until March 25 against Malibu.

After two early playoff exits in his first two varsity seasons, Thornton said he'd like to see the Eagles stick around longer this time around, and possibly make a run at the Div. V crown for himself and the four other seniors.

"I think this year could be the year when we go far. We have the bats, the speed, the defense; that's all the components you need to win," Thornton said. "The pitching will come along, and after that, we should just flow on through. Maybe we'll even make it to the finals, and maybe, win one of those rings."

Having coached the Eagles to 10 trips to the postseason in 10 years, including four Tri-Valley League titles, it's hard to fault Pryor for not going into details when it come to expectations.

"Our expectations haven't changed. Our goal every year is to play the best we can, be successful in league play, be eligible for CIF, and hopefully go into CIF with some momentum and playing our best," Pryor said.