NORTHWEST VALLEY CONFERENCE : NORTH VALLEY LEAGUE

Cleveland COACH: Steve Landress, 1st season LAST SEASON: 8-12; 4th in league, 7-10 PLAYERS TO WATCH: Based on returning senior talent, the Cavaliers have been tabbed by coaches as the team to beat--and for good reason. Cleveland’s lineup features numerous veterans, some of whom are entering their fourth varsity seasons. Senior Doug Rubin (.444), an all-league selection, returns at catcher. Infield starters returning are seniors Robert Rundquist (.254) at first base, Julio Marcial (.415) at second and Dave Cipolla (.277) at shortstop. The outfield is set with returning senior starters Brian Basowski (.328, three home runs) in center and Mario Macias (.268) in left. Manny Valencia, another senior, will start in right. Juniors Mike Immken and Tim McGuire are battling for the third base job, one of the few unsettled positions. Cleveland will need strong performances from left-handed pitchers Rundquist and senior Mike Petruzates to make a run at the league title. Both pitched last season with mixed results. Junior right-hander Jeron Rolison also will pitch. Petruzates (.309) also will play first base. Cleveland will be particularly strong up the middle with Marcial and Cipolla. “Marcial has got to be the best in the City at turning the double play,” Landress said. OUTLOOK: Cleveland is considered the team to beat by many coaches, but the Cavaliers need to be more productive. Petruzates led the team with 14 runs batted in last season and Basowski stole a team-high four bases. This is a tough neighborhood in which to underachieve. “First place wouldn’t surprise me,” Landress said. “I’d be hurt if we didn’t win it. But we could come in last, which wouldn’t shock me, because this is the strongest league in the City.” Granada Hills COACH: Darryl Stroh, 23rd season LAST SEASON: 17-9; tied for 1st in league, 12-5 PLAYERS TO WATCH: The Highlanders, after a pair of disappointing seasons, seem capable of making a run at the league title. The left side of the infield probably is the best in the league with slick-fielding senior shortstop Gary Matthews and senior third baseman Heath McElwee (.400, 14 RBIs). Matthews’ father, Gary, is a former major league All-Star and a San Fernando product. Senior Sam Voita (.333, 24 RBIs, eight doubles) is the league’s top returning offensive threat at catcher. Senior left-hander Scott Berger returns in right field and will pitch along with McElwee. Right-handed pitchers Matt Livingston (junior) and Mike Cuthbert (senior) are untested, as is right-handed transfer Rick Ganz (junior). Robert Weinzimer and Kyle Nakamura (juniors), promoted from the junior varsity, will play in the outfield. Gaby Halcovich, a junior and returning letterman, will start at second. Flavio Castro, a senior from the junior varsity, is expected to play first base. If the pitching holds up and keeps Granada Hills in the game, Stroh has proven he can manufacture runs with his patented squeeze bunt. But no team can bunt when it trails by several runs. “I see an awful lot of parity,” said Stroh, who has taken his teams to five City titles and is the dean of area City coaches. “I don’t see many guys around the league who can throw. A lot of people are scrambling for pitching.” OUTLOOK: Although Stroh has a few holes to fill, the biggest void remains on the mound. But then, nearly everyone in the conference has concerns about pitching. “We had a pretty good winter,” Stroh said. “Pitching is the biggest question mark right now. We’ve played pretty solid defense and we’ve hit the ball pretty well.” Kennedy COACH: Manny Alvarado, 4th season LAST SEASON: 16-9; tied for 1st in league, 12-5 PLAYERS TO WATCH: Many preseason prognosticators looked bad in 1991 when the upstart Golden Cougars, picked to finish last, streaked down the stretch to earn a share of the league title. The best might be yet to come. Kennedy has 10 returning players, including the entire infield. Junior first baseman Jeff Tagliaferri (.351, 23 RBIs), senior second baseman Joe Bernas, senior shortstop Billy Ramirez (.373), junior third baseman John Toven and junior catcher David Bourne (.310) give the Golden Cougars excep tional strength and stability. Outfielders include returning junior starter Rick Nadeau (.344) and senior starter John Davis (.301, three homers, 16 RBIs, nine stolen bases). Senior Jason Mako hon (.328, 22 RBIs) was consistently productive as the designated hitter. Darrin McCall, a senior and a returning letterman, and junior varsity standout Pablo Perez, a junior, also will play in the outfield. There is a downside, however. Of the four players who graduated, three were pitchers, leaving Kennedy with virtually no experience on the mound. Junior left-hander Tom Manning, pro moted from the junior varsity, is a control specialist. Senior right- hander Tavarus Logie throws hard but has control problems. Other pitching candidates include junior right-handers Matt Talia and Felipe Ruiz and senior right-handers Shawn Carter and Jeff Br OUTLOOK: Kennedy perhaps has the strongest group of hitters in the league but is the least established on the mound. “We just want to hang on,” Alvarado said. “If we can hold ‘em to single figures, maybe we’ll get double.” Alvarado has one simple request for the pitching corps: Throw strikes. “We’re pretty solid defensively. If we make them hit the ball, we’ll be all right.” San Fernando COACH: Steve Marden, 16th season LAST SEASON: 17-11; 3rd in league, 10-7 PLAYERS TO WATCH: The Tigers rolled to their first City Section 4-A Division title in 1991 behind a pair of inexperienced sophomore pitchers, Ray Rivera and Jorge Gonzales. Less than a year later, these two will be expected to keep the team in contention for a league title. Rivera, a right-hander, finished 3-1, recorded four saves and was the winning pitcher in the City final. Gonzales, a left-hander, also was 3-1. Unlike the three other teams in the league, San Fernando doesn’t have the offensive firepower to hammer it out. “If we’re up in the 7-8 run range, we’re in trouble,” Marden said. San Fernando’s best returning player is Jose Nunez, a Times All-Valley selection as a junior. Nunez batted .425 with four homers and 25 RBIs, all team highs. Senior Luis Rodriguez, always steady with the glove at shortstop, showed potential with the bat by batting .310. Senior center fielder Ethan Rodriguez (.354) came on strong during the team’s run at the 4-A title and is the team’s best outfielder. Senior James Woods, a Times All-Valley linebacker last fall, probably will start in right field. Abel Barajas, a junior, again will start at catcher. Sophomore Tony Cabrera or junior Gus Ramirez, both untested, will start at second base. Lenny Avalos, a returning senior letterman, and Javier Lujan, a junior and the most valuable player of the junior varsity last season, are fighting for the starting job at third. OUTLOOK: Marden also sees tremendous parity in the league. “If somebody was to ask me right now if I’d take 11-7 as my final league record, I’d do it,” Marden said. “I think that might be good enough to get the job done.” Marden liked what he saw in winter ball--on every team. “I believe, physically, we’ll be better than we were last year,” he said. “The trouble is, so is everybody else.”