Diamond reunion

Tony Altobelli

It will be just like old times, in more ways than one, when the

Orange Coast College baseball team hooks up with arch rival Golden West.

“It’s always fun for our players when we take on the Rustlers,” Pirates

Coach John Altobelli said. “It’s usually a pretty intense battle. This

week should be no exception.”

It will be especially familiar to those in attendance who were associated

with the 1999 Corona del Mar High baseball squad, as former Sea Kings, Ty

Harper and Matt Larson of Golden West and Eric Wiethorn of Orange Coast,

do battle in a home and home series, beginning today at 2 p.m. at Golden

West. OCC will host the Rustlers Thursday at 2 p.m.

All three were key members of CdM’s CIF Southern Section Division IV

championship team last year and all three are continuing to impress at

the collegiate level.

“It’s always nice to see the local kids come up through the ranks and

play well,” Altobelli said. “It wasn’t that big a surprise to me to see

these three do well, but they’ve really made a positive impact on the

conference.”

Harper, who had a .514 career batting average in three varsity seasons at

CdM, started his collegiate career with a 28-game hitting streak, tying

the Rustlers’ school record set in 1982 by Chris Schultz. His streak came

to an end last week, sending his average “down” to a modest .463, second

in the Orange Empire Conference.

Harper, has three home runs and a conference-leading 49 RBIs in 29 games.

His 49 hits and 16 doubles also lead the OEC.

“He’s probably the brightest freshman star in the whole conference,”

Altobelli said of the Rustler slugger. “Nothing he does as a hitter

surprises me. I just hope he doesn’t do too much this week.”

Golden West Coach Bert Villareal has been fortunate enough to see Harper

firsthand and he obviously likes what he sees.

“He’s unbelievable,” Villareal said. “He’s work ethic is very strong and

now we’re starting to use him on the mound for effective innings.”

In his first pitching performance this season, Harper struck out the side

in his only inning of work Thursday, then pitched well against Santa Ana

on Saturday.

“He’ll be seeing a lot more innings from now on,” Villareal said. “He

does a great job of throwing strikes and he’s getting his curveball over

nicely.”

A catcher as a Sea King, Wiethorn has made the transition to first base

look pretty easy, thanks to a strong work ethic and great fundamentals.

“People told him his success would be behind the plate, but I think he

can be just as successful at first,” Altobelli said. “He’s a man among

boys on this club as far as his work ethic goes. We recently had a second

vote for our captain and he was selected by his teammates. He’s the first

freshman captain I’ve had in eight years here at Coast.”

Wiethorn’s .372 average is second on the Pirates’ squad, as are his six

home runs, 26 runs scored and 31 RBIs. His 10 doubles lead the team.

“His work ethic spread like wildfire to the rest of the guys,” Altobelli

said. “He’s been working with our sports psychologist, who also works

with Long Beach State players and he has improved by leaps and bounds on

his approach to the game.”

For Larson, playing in the Orange Empire Conference is kind of like

playing at Coors Field in Colorado, every game of the season. But he’s

holding his own in a conference that has a combined .323 average.

“He’s been really coming on strong for them,” Altobelli said. “He’s got

one of the better arms in the conference and he’s only going to get

better as long as he keeps working hard out there.”

Villareal sees a bright future for the lanky freshman right-hander, who

was drafted in the 28th round last spring by the Baltimore Orioles. “Some

of the four-year schools are starting to take notice of him,” he said.

“He’s found his breaking ball and that has been a tremendous difference

for him.”

Overall, Larson ranks ninth in innings pitched with 51. He leads the

Rustlers’ staff with 38 strikeouts.

In conference, Larson is 1-2 with a 6.83 ERA and 19 strikeouts in 29

innings, including a strong outing against Cypress earlier in the year.

“He left the game with a 7-0 lead, but the bullpen couldn’t hold the lead

for him,” Villareal said. “He’s had a few good outings like that for us.”

The former-teammate angle doesn’t end with the current players.

Both Altobelli (1982-83) and Villareal (1981-82) were Rustler teammates

in 1982. Both were captains and both were named Rustlers of the Year

during their stints at Golden West.

“It’s always nice to beat them,” Altobelli said of his alma mater. “Bert

and I each have a mutual respect for one another’s program.”

The Rustlers have owned the Pirates of late, winning four of the five

previous contests.

“Never mind John and I,” Villareal said. “It’s OCC-Golden West. I

remember playing against the Pirates in the good ol’ days. It’s just a

great, great rivalry.”