Pirates back in playoffs

Natalie Venegas

Orange Coast College baseball coach John Altobelli explained his

hopes for a state championship very simply.

“We’re only eight wins away.”

Altobelli, who is a 1981 Newport Harbor High graduate, replaced

Mike Mayne at OCC in 1992 and has been the Pirates’ baseball coach

since.

Altobelli, who went on to play at Golden West College before

receiving a baseball scholarship to the University of Houston, began

his coaching experience as an assistant coach at UC Irvine, and also

coached at Newport Harbor and the University of Houston, before

applying at OCC.

In his first year as OCC’s coach, his team made it to the final

four of the state playoffs and finished with 30 wins.

The 2005 season, however, started differently.

In early March, OCC was 7-7 overall, while Santa Ana was 12-1.

April was a different story.

“We got no respect from anyone,” sophomore standout Luke Beck

said. “All the other teams had an attitude when they came to play us.

But we were all on the same page from day one. No one wanted it more

than us.”

At 1 p.m. today, No. 4 seeded OCC hosts No. 13 San Bernardino

Valley in the first round of the Southern California regional

playoffs.

“We’re exited and we’re trying to stay motivated,” said Altobelli.

“We want to win a state championship.”

On April 16, an Orange Empire Conference victory over Saddleback

sparked an eight-game winning streak, which brought OCC within one

game of first-place Santa Ana with two games remaining.

In the first of the last two games, Beck, who led the team in

hitting, had the game-winning RBI.

For the first time since 1987, OCC had a share of the conference

championship.

To top it off, Altobelli was named the conference’s Co-Coach of

the Year, while Beck was named Co-Player of the Year.

“I never set out to be an MVP,” Beck said. “I just set out to win

games. Our whole goal is from a team aspect.”

Beck was a key for the Pirates throughout the season in pitching,

hitting and playing the outfield, along with his mere presence in the

dugout and on the field.

“You don’t see him, your hear him,” said Altobelli. “He is very

intense on the field, but he brings a fun side to the game, and he

brings a lot of character.”