Warrior offense still searching for answers

JANN HENDRY/Acorn Newspapers BACK IN TIME- Westlake first baseman Shane Kroker puts the tag on Newbury Park's Jack Marder. The umpire said the runner was safe. Like most baseball teams in the Marmonte League, Westlake High is loaded with great pitching. Unfortunately for the Warriors, they are struggling at the plate.

In the last four games, Westlake has scored only three runs and has seen its league record drop to 3-6. The team remains optimistic that they can start scoring runs and still make a run at the postseason, but time is beginning to dwindle.

"We still trust our team and believe they will come around and start hitting," junior pitcher Alex Gillingham said. "It's hard seeing them struggle to hit because I've seen them produce more in the past and I know they're doing their best. I haven't given up on them at all."

The Warriors may have faced their toughest test of the season last month when head coach Mike Lee resigned due to health reasons.

Five-year assistant coach Ben Wutkee has replaced Lee as the Warriors' interim head coach while the school looks for someone to take the role permanently.

JANN HENDRY/Acorn Newspapers BLANKED- Westlake junior shortstop Cutter Dykstra flies out during the sixth inning of Monday's game against Newbury Park. The Warriors lost 4-0, dropping their Marmonte League record to 3-6. WHS has scored only three runs in its last four games. "It was pretty shocking to find out (Lee) was resigning," Wutkee said.

"He called me up on the phone and told me he had to step down because of health reasons, but he didn't get into specifics. I think he is doing better now."

Lee did not return phone calls seeking comment.

Assistant coach Manny Fierro said the team has done a good job dealing with the coaching change.

"At first they were very shocked that (Lee) was leaving," Fierro said. "However, the character of this team is great. Even though these kids have been losing games, nobody is getting down on anyone. They could have rolled over and died after Mike left, but they have continued to battle. I guess when things get down for them they tend to work harder."

Two players that have played well this year are Willingham and junior pitcher Jordan Mannisto. The team's top two pitchers made the transition from the bullpen to the starting rotation with ease. Willingham has an ERA of 2.75, while Mannisto's is 2.51. The duo is confident the team will start to give them more run support down the stretch.

"We are in a position to score more runs the next couple of weeks because teams will be coming in to play us, see our 3-6 record and decide not to throw their best pitchers against us," Willingham said. "If our team can just start scoring about two or three runs a game, we will be fine."

While the hitting will need to get better for the Warriors to run the table and make the postseason, the team's fielding has been perfect, said Wutkee.

"We have the best defense in the Marmonte League," Wutkee said. "I think Tyler Malinger is a great in center for us and Cutter (Dykstra) is probably the best fielding shortstop in the league. He's only made three errors and has a fielding percentage of around .970, which is unbelievable for a high school kid."

Senior third baseman Jason Barmasse said Wutkee has helped him improve his defense at the hot corner.

"Last year I was pretty miserable at third and was kicking balls everywhere," Barmasse said. "This year he has told me to do a better job staying in front of the ball and not 'olé' it as much."

The constant changing of coaches at WHS in recent years has been especially tough on Barmasse, who's had three coaches in his three seasons at the varsity level.

"I miss Lee's presence out on the field, but at the same time it's great having a guy like Wutkee around," Barmasse said. "I think the whole team is playing just as hard as it was before Coach Lee left, and hopefully we can start swinging the bats a little better and make the playoffs."

Westlake plays tomorrow at Simi Valley. First pitch is set for 3:30 p.m.