Prep baseball: Mustangs seasonably warm

Barry Faulkner

COSTA MESA - In a time most coaches refer to as the second season,

Costa Mesa High baseball head man Kirk Bauermeister believes the Mustangs

are already on their third.

Bauermeister hopes the third season continues to be a charm when Mesa

(16-9-1) hosts Mayfair (15-9) today at 3:15 p.m. in the second round of

the CIF Southern Section Division IV playoffs.

“We’ve really played three seasons, so we’ve been consistently

inconsistent,” Bauermeister said. “We started out 8-1-1 and were ranked

in Orange County, then we didn’t play well for awhile, then we got it

back together late in the season.”

The Mustangs, whose next win will break a school single-season record

they currently share with the the 1999 and 1962 teams, certainly put

things together in Friday’s first round, a 10-5 victory at Gladstone,

which was ranked No. 6 in the final Division IV poll.

“We sure picked a good time to play our best game of the year,”

Bauermeister said of Friday’s triumph, in which they pounded out 15 hits

and led at one point, 9-1.

Unlike Gladstone, which Bauermeister and some of his players had

scouted in person, Mayfair, runner-up in the Suburban League, is an

unknown quantity.

The Monsoons, coached by Matt Eeles, won at St. Paul, 5-2, in Friday’s

opener. They were 8-4 in league and included in their season log is a

pair of losses to Servite, 12-1 and 6-5.

“I don’t know anything about them,” Bauermeister said. “All I know is

they play in a pretty good league, so I know they’re used to facing

pretty good competition.”

Good competition has brought the best out in the Mustangs, according

to Bauermeister.

“In important games this year, our guys have played hard and played

well,” Bauermeister said. “When we’re focused, we seem to play well.

Hopefully, we can keep that going, because if you don’t play well in the

playoffs, you’re out. We had optional batting practice Saturday and 12

kids showed up, which is a good turnout for us, because a lot of guys

work Saturdays. We have 13 seniors who have been together for at least

four years and they want to keep going.”

Among those seniors are offensive stalwarts Josh Feldman, Daniel

Hunter, Steven Shores, Carlos Franco and Brent Stevens, as well as

left-handed pitchers Jeremiah Haubrick and Ryan Costelloe.

Feldman, the center fielder and leadoff man, is hitting .425 with two

home runs, 18 RBIs and a team-leading 14 stolen bases and 22 runs.

Hunter, a catcher, hits .345 with three homers and 21 RBIs, while

Franco, a first baseman and closer, is hitting .310 with a team-leading

22 RBIs. He is 4-2 with five saves and a 1.72 ERA on the mound.

Shores, who went 4 for 4 with a home run against Gladstone, is hitting

.352 with 15 RBIs. His four homers are tops on the team.

Stevens is hitting .474 with eight RBIs.

Haubrick, who started and earned the victory in the first round, is

4-2 with a 4.23 ERA, but he will likely watch from the bench today.

Junior Nick Cabico, the team’s leading pitcher all season, has not

thrown in a couple of weeks due to a sore arm. He has a 3-1 record and a

1.87 ERA in 45 innings, but Bauermeister said he would prefer no to use

Cabico on the mound until his arm is completely healthy.

That leaves Costelloe, a side-armer who is 4-2 with a 5.72 ERA.

“I want to wait and see, but I’m leaning toward starting Costelloe,”

Bauermeister said. “I don’t think Nicky is ready yet, but that could

change.”

Even if he does not take the mound, Cabico will contribute

offensively. He is hitting .377 with 14 RBIs, nine stolen bases and 19

runs.

Juniors Seth Halverson (shortstop), Michael McGuire, as well as

seniors Mike Armstrong and Antony Grubisich, have also been consistent

contributors for the Mustangs, who finished third in the Pacific Coast

League.

Today’s winner will advance to Friday’s quarterfinals, against either

No. 3-seeded Monrovia (19-3) or Bonita (16-8-1).