Ontario’s Perfect Record Doesn’t Guarantee Title

A simple history lesson dictates that Ontario High School’s top-seeded baseball team might have a difficult time winning the Southern Section 3-A championship.

Ontario (21-0) enters the 32-team tournament as the section’s only undefeated team, but teams with perfect records have taken a fall in the playoffs in recent years.

Three years ago, Hart entered the 4-A playoffs with a 25-0 record but lost to Fullerton, 12-7, in the second round. In 1984, Notre Dame entered the 4-A playoffs with a 24-0 record but lost to Long Beach Millikan, 5-0, in the semifinals.

“I’m always leery of undefeated teams going into the playoffs,” Tustin Coach Vince Brown said. “They never seem to finish undefeated.”

Why?

“Baseball is the one sport where anything can happen and usually does,” said La Quinta Coach Dave Demarest, who has qualified teams for postseason play in 16 of the past 18 years.

“Three years ago, I had a team seeded fourth,” Demarest said. “We won our first game, and then had to go to Indio and lost, 4-3. What was the reward for being a seeded team?”

Ontario, which has won three consecutive Hacienda League titles, reached the quarterfinals last year before losing to Hesperia. Left-handed pitcher Mike Hernandez, who has signed with Cal State Long Beach, and catcher Mike Sweeney, who has signed with Cal State Fullerton, are the team’s top players.

Second-seeded El Segundo (24-4) will be playing without the state’s winningest coach, John Stevenson. Stevenson suffered a heart attack May 3 and had triple bypass surgery Monday. Stevenson has a record of 683-251 in 32 seasons at El Segundo.

Craig Cousins, a 17-year assistant under Stevenson, will coach the team in the playoffs. Junior catcher Jeff Poor hit 11 home runs and had 54 runs batted in, breaking George Brett’s single-season marks at El Segundo.

Third-seeded La Serna (18-4) is the defending champion and returns two standouts from last year’s team. Pitcher Bryan Dunagan and shortstop Jeff Ferguson were all-Southern Section as juniors when La Serna beat Tustin, 1-0, in the 3-A title game.

The lower bracket includes El Segundo, La Serna, Tustin, La Mirada and La Quinta. Two of the division’s top pitchers--Dunagan and El Segundo’s Brian Wise--are in this bracket.

Tustin (17-7) was the runner-up in the division last year, and if the Tillers follow form, they could win the championship this year. Tustin has qualified for postseason play five consecutive years under Coach Vince Brown, losing in the first round in 1986, in the second round in ‘87, in the quarterfinals in ‘88, in the semifinals in ’89 and in the championship game in ’90.

“This could be our year,” Brown said.

Tustin’s chances were hurt, however, when ace pitcher Bill Courtney was lost for the season with a sore elbow.

Still, the Tillers have one of the best hitting lineups with outfielder Shawn Green, second baseman Ben Munoz, shortstop Zack Elliott and first baseman Nick Cantu batting .412 or better. Green, the county’s career hit leader, even took a turn pitching last week, striking out five in two innings.

3-A PREVIEW

Defending champion--La Serna.

Top teams--Ontario (21-0), El Segundo (24-4), La Serna (18-4), Rosemead (20-1), Tustin (17-7), La Quinta (20-6), La Mirada (17-5-2).

Dark horse: Santiago (20-6).

Key players: La Quinta’s Walter Dawkins (outfielder) has eight home runs and 27 runs batted in; La Serna’s Bryan Dunagan (pitcher) is 8-1 with a 0.56 earned-run average; Rosemead’s Fernando Garcia (pitcher) is 9-1 with 71 strikeouts; Tustin’s Shawn Green (outfielder) is batting .471 with 28 runs scored; Ontario’s Mike Hernandez (pitcher) is 8-0 with a 1.44 ERA; La Mirada’s Mike Moschetti (shortstop) is batting .410 with 29 runs scored and 24 runs batted in; Tustin’s Ben Munoz (second baseman) is batting .423 with 27 RBIs; El Segundo’s Jeff Poor (catcher) has set school records with 11 homers and 54 RBIs; Ontario’s Mike Sweeney (catcher) is batting .430 with 28 RBIs; El Segundo’s Brian Wise (pitcher) is 8-1.

Noteworthy: El Segundo will play without 32-year veteran Coach John Stevenson, who had heart surgery Monday. Stevenson is the state’s winningest coach with 683 victories. Ontario is bidding to finish as the section’s second undefeated team in the past 31 years.