Sorensen expects greatness

On his way to pick up new baseball uniforms at a local sporting goods store recently, one thing stood out to Coach Matt Sorensen about his Estancia High team.

“We’re going to look sharp,” said Sorensen, a first-year varsity head coach.

“We haven’t even gotten the five different uniforms that I plan for us to wear in the future.”

The Eagles really don’t need to impress anyone with so many colored outfits. They’ve already done that with solid play at the start of the season.

The uniforms just make Estancia (3-4) appear like a credible program and to Sorensen that’s important in his rebuilding efforts.

Sorensen has changed a lot, starting with remodeling the dugout, hanging advertising signs on the outfield fence, improving playing conditions, ordering new uniforms, and reinventing the team’s logo font.

The “E” on the baseball cap now looks like a winner to Sorensen, a former Cal State Fullerton standout pitcher.

“I made the Titans program’s ‘F’ into an ‘E’ and everyone likes it,” said Sorensen, who posted a 17-0 record at Cal State Fullerton from 1999 to 2000. “We still have the USC colors, cardinal and gold, at Estancia. But I put the brand of baseball I know.”

The Eagles are far away from achieving the kind of success the Titans have had on the field.

Cal State Fullerton has claimed four NCAA Division I national championships and 22 Division I conference championships, making it a perennial College World Series participant.

As for Estancia, it hasn’t succeeded much since 1992. Sorensen is aware of the instability associated with the program. Seven coaching changes in the last 11 seasons. The Eagles’ last playoff appearance was in 1992.

Sorensen, 29, plans to turn the program around. Six players return off a team finishing 9-18, 3-9 in the Orange Coast League, which was last place.

But the cellar won’t be acceptable for Sorensen this season. He has lofty goals, even though he lost his ace, right-hander Gavin Montague, before the season to shoulder surgery. Sorensen said Montague will be a designated hitter.

“I expect to win it,” Sorensen said of league. “It’s a new mentality.”

Sorensen is optimistic, as were those coaches before him, CK Green being the last. Green never expected to win a league championship. But winning the cross-town series last season against rival Costa Mesa to end the Mustangs’ five-year run in claiming the Paul Troxel Trophy was the highlight during his two full seasons as coach at his alma mater.

Now with Green out of the picture because he said he couldn’t get a teaching job at Estancia, Sorensen appears to have full control. He has two assistants, hitting coach Brandon Thompson and pitching coach Dan Ellis, former Division I players, on staff.

There are 19 players on the team, No frosh/soph, or no junior varsity team, just one team.

Six players return, led by senior shortstop/pitcher Ryan Redding and senior third baseman Eddie Tomasek, a second-team all-league pick last season hitting .330 with 15 runs batted in.

Redding is now the No. 1 starter with Montague out. He has a strong catcher in senior Miguel Gonzalez. Sorensen is counting on two sophomore newcomers, Marc DeFrenza and Ryan Boselo, for solid innings.

“We’re well rounded,” Sorensen said. “We’re fast. We play small ball. The future is looking pretty bright. Other teams, fans, even umpires, are telling us we look good.”

It helps when you’re dressed to the nines.

DAVID CARRILLO PEÑALOZA may be reached at (714) 966-4612 or at [email protected].