Sea Kings aiming to hold form

Barry Faulkner

Corona del Mar High baseball coach John Emme can quote straight from

the coaching cliche handbook when preparing his team for today’s CIF

Southern Section Division IV semifinal game at Pacific Coast League

rival Northwood at 3:15 p.m.

For Emme, whose No. 3-seeded Sea Kings have won 15 straight and 21

of their last 22 to compile a 23-5 record, is sure to instruct his

players to play within themselves.

By virtue of having defeated Northwood (20-10) three times this

season during PCL play, there doesn’t figure to be anything extra

required if the Sea Kings are to reach Saturday’s 10 a.m. title game

at Dodger Stadium.

“Northwood has played us tough three times,” said Emme, who has

presided over a 6-1 win at Northwood April 1, a 7-4 come-from-behind

home victory May 10, and a 5-4 thriller May 12 at the Timberwolves’

diamond. “They’re going to be very, very hungry. At least neither

team will have to worry about scouting.”

CdM senior outfielder Nik Palchikoff, who drove in four runs in

Friday’s 5-1 quarterfinal win over visiting San Dimas, said

complacency should not be an issue in today’s visiting dugout.

“We respect [Northwood] as a team,” Palchikoff said.

In addition to outscoring the Timberwolves, 18-9, in their

head-to-head meetings this spring, CdM holds a 28-17 edge in hits and

has committed half as many errors (4-2) as Northwood.

The Sea Kings would appear to have at least a psychological edge

in regard to the projected pitching matchup, despite CdM junior

right-hander Ben Maggard giving away a serious experience advantage

to Northwood senior Brian DeLoach.

DeLoach, 9-2 as a junior, but 5-2 this season when his

availability has fluctuated some due to shoulder tendinitis, has the

more impressive varsity credentials.

Maggard, who has taken over for injured senior Todd Macklin in the

last three weeks, has thrown just 24 2/3 varsity innings this season.

But Maggard, whom Emme believes has the temperament to handle the

postseason pressure, already has a playoff victory, upping his record

to 3-0 with five innings of work in a 6-4 second-round win at Apple

Valley.

Furthermore, Maggard, who has a 3.12 ERA, has tasted success

against the T-wolves, having thrown 3 1/3 innings of shutout relief

to earn the May 10 win. In that game, he retired eight straight at

one point.

DeLoach lost his only decision against CdM in the same game, but

has been impressive in the playoffs, according to Northwood Coach Rob

Stuart.

“[DeLoach] is pretty close to 100%,” Stuart said. “If you’d have

seen him against Sierra Vista [a 13-0 second-round win] he was very

confident and throwing all of his pitches well. He threw just 52

pitches in five innings, before we took him out with a big lead.”

Northwood, which finished third in the PCL, has won eight of its

last 10, with the only two losses during that stretch to CdM.

The Sea Kings, bidding for their third appearance in a CIF title

game, having won section crowns in 1981 and ‘99, are stocked with

productive hitters.

Senior Barrett Sprowl is hitting .505 with 50 hits, four home

runs, 25 RBIs and 14 doubles. He has hit two homers off Northwood

pitching this season.

Senior Josh Bradbury, bound for UNLV, has 11 homers and 23 RBIs to

go with his .379 average. Of his 33 hits this season, 18 have been

for extra bases. He is one homer shy of tying the school and

Newport-Mesa single-season record set by CdM’s Ty Harper and Eric

Wiethorn in 1999. He is three behind Harper’s career dinger mark of

24.

Palchikoff has a team-best 31 RBIs and has five homers, as well as

a .319 average.

Juniors Wess Presson (.341 with 22 RBIs) and Tyler Lance (.434

with 22 RBIs) are additional weapons in the CdM lineup.

Today’s winner will meet either top-seeded La Quinta or PCL

runner-up Tesoro in Saturday’s title game.