Age just a number for Bronco duo

Matt Carpenter and Daniel Albert have a hard time acting their age on the Newport Harbor Baseball Assn. Bronco All-Star team.

They act a year older.

Carpenter is the power-hitting shortstop, catcher and pitcher who leads the team in hits and also has six home runs. Albert plays outfield and often shines late in games and in pinch-hitting roles, like when he had a two-run single to give Newport Harbor the lead in the Los Alamitos Youth Baseball Invitational championship game.

Either way, Manager Tony Swies knows they are both impressive as the only 11-year-olds on the 11-12-year-old squad, which opens Region Tournament play tonight at 7:30 at Corona’s Santana Park.

“They’re the best illustration of why we’re being successful,” Swies said. “It’s like, we’re even getting it from our 11-year-olds. I don’t get that [coaching] football, and I doubt you get it in basketball.”

Carpenter eats, drinks and sleeps baseball, also playing travel ball for the Lake Forest Titans during the NHBA off-season.

“He’s a top guy in the whole league, the whole area,” Swies said. “God’s blessed that kid with a lot of talent, and he’s using it. He’s just a baseball junkie; he plays year-round and loves the sport.”

During the regular season, Carpenter played first base and pitcher. But due to the all-star team’s needs, Swies has Carpenter playing shortstop and catcher when he’s not on the mound.

“When the ball comes off the bat, he’s one of the guys I want handling the ball,” Swies said. “That’s why I put him at shortstop. He’s not the quickest guy there, but if the ball’s hit to him, he’s going to get it.”

Carpenter said he’s happy to play shortstop for the team.

“I just try to get good hits and make good plays,” he said. “I’m surprised we’re doing this well. Newport Harbor doesn’t usually go this far.”

Carpenter has team-highs in batting average at .650 and doubles with 10, and has been a steady force in the No. 2 spot in the lineup day in and day out.

Albert, meanwhile, doesn’t always start, but he’s often one of the first substitutes off the bench for Swies’ squad. The youngest player on the team by far at 11 years, four months, he also plays a steady outfield.

But it is his bat that Swies often depends upon. Albert went three for four in Newport Harbor’s 9-1 Section Tournament win over Whittier, the game that clinched Newport Harbor’s spot in the Region Tournament.

“When Daniel gets to the plate, you look at his face and there’s an intensity that almost looks fearful,” Swies said. “But he’s clearly not intimidated; he has a focus that’s remarkable for someone his age. He doesn’t say much, but he’s very productive for the time he’s out there on the field.”

Albert said when he’s out of the game early, he uses the time to focus on the pitcher and prepare for his chance.

“When I’m on deck, I just keep watching the pitcher,” Albert said. “When I get up, I just hit the ball. I practice a lot at home, and I also go to my batting coach.”

It’s a focus that was also partly learned from his older brother, Ryan, who has also come up through the NHBA.

Playing rugby doesn’t hurt his toughness, either. That comes courtesy of his yearly visits to Australia, the native country of Albert’s mother, Lisa.

“We go there once a year to see my cousins,” Daniel Albert said. “I get to play cricket and Aussie-rules rugby.”

Albert, who also plays football, basketball and soccer, said he likes baseball the best. He’s also glad he got the chance to be on this year’s Bronco All-Star team.

“I had to find a spot for him because his offense is so strong,” Swies said. “He just puts the ball in play. If it’s inside, he pulls it into right field, and if it’s outside, he slaps it down the left-field side.”

As Newport Harbor opens Region Tournament play tonight, they’re thankful for the talents of their pair of 11-year-olds.

“There is a difference between our 11-year-olds and our 12-year-olds,” Swies said. “It’s nothing against them, but they’re 11 and the other kids are 12. You just communicate with them differently. But both of those young men are just playing really well.”dpt.20-nhba-feature-CPhotoInfoG81T43SV20060720j2ollnncCredit: MARK DUSTIN / DAILY PILOT Caption: (LA)Newport Harbor Baseball Assn. Bronco All-Stars Daniel Albert, left, and Matt Carpenter, have made big contributions toward the team’s success this year despite being the only 11-year-olds on the squad, which reached the regionals.