Los
Angeles Mission College
13356
Eldridge Avenue • Sylmar, CA 91342 • 818.364.7600
NEWS
RELEASE
February 9, 2004
Eagles hope experience makes the difference
SYLMAR – When Mission College men’s baseball team entered conference play last year, it was akin to hitting a brick wall.
The all-freshmen Eagles
were 11-3 going into the conference season in 2003.
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"Our players
were so young, they didn’t know the difference between non-conference
play and conference games," said coach Dave Mallas. "They didn’t
know what to expect."
Mallas said the young squad was unprepared for the grittiness and no-holds-barred
approach to conference games. So while the team finished the year with
a 23-20 overall mark, it played under .500 in the tough Western State
Conference.
Mallas hopes a year’s experience will make a difference in 2004.
"We’re older, more mature," he said. "We have more
depth on the pitching staff. And we’ve got a little more power so
I hope we’ll be more offensive-minded this year."
Twelve players – that’s half the squad – are returning
from last year’s team.
Among them is Jose Carillo, a community college All-American last year
and team MVP who batted .360. Carillo, a catcher, is a co-captain of the
team, along with right fielder Danny Loza and pitcher Miguel Gonzalez.
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Loza
was named First Team All Conference last year while batting over .370.
Mallas describes pitcher Gonzalez as "one of the best in the state,"
but a hurler who didn’t get the hitting support he deserved.
Mallas also has high hopes for rookie Eddie Baeza, a pitcher and outfielder
who missed last year because of injury but who has been drafted by the
San Francisco Giants.
Non-conference games for the Eagles continue through Feb. 22. Conference
play for the Eagles begins on Feb. 24. Home games are played at El Cariso
Park.
See the Schedule