Scouting Report: Culver City Centaurs

The Sharks face the Culver City High Centaurs today in the third game of the Royal Invitational Tournament. Game time is 3:00 p.m. at Malibu High.

The Centaurs posted a 21-11 record last season and went to the second round of the CIF Southern Section Division IV playoffs where they lost to El Segundo.

Senior pitcher-first baseman MacArrin Tucker leads Culver City this season. Tucker hit .425 for the Centaurs last year with 16 RBIs. On the mound, Tucker compiled a 4-1 record with a 3.62 ERA.

Aside from Tucker, Culver City returns only four players who saw action in as many as 20 of the team's 32 games last year.

Culver City enters today's game with a 1-1 record. After posting an 8-7 win over Mary Star of the Sea last Friday, the Centaurs gave up two runs in the bottom of the seventh on Saturday to fall to Birmingham by the score of 5-4.

Sharks 6, Marshall 2

Jared Weinstock's three-run homer off of Jose Mendieta capped a four-run seventh inning that gave Nate Schoenbrun all the support he needed to earn the victory in his first start of the season with a complete-game two-hitter.

Schoenbrun, who struggled with his control throughout the game, yielded a run-scoring single in the second innning and walked in a run in the bottom of the fifth, but otherwise managed to pitch through each of the jams he got himself into. On the day, Schoenbrun walked five, hit one batter, and struck out three. He was helped out by solid defensive play, including five putouts in centerfield by Jace Dispenza.

The Marshall Barristers scored first in the bottom of the second inning. Schoenbrun walked Mendieta to lead off the inning. Mark Andrade then laid down a bunt that Stephen Williams fielded in front of home plate. Williams threw to Jacob Perrin at second to force Mendieta. After Andrade stole second, Matt Lopez singled to center to drive him in. The inning ended one batter later as Hugo Robles grounded into a 4-6-3 double play.

Malibu tied the game in the top of the fourth. After Weinstock grounded out to short, Schoenbrun walked. Dispenza then singled through the left side of the infield, moving Schoenbrun to second. Jake Jesson followed with a double to drive in Schoenbrun.

Malibu and Marshall traded runs in the fifth inning. With one out in the top of the inning, Perrin doubled into the ivy in right center. Perrin then advanced to third on a passed ball with Williams at the plate and scored as the catcher's throw bounced into left field.

In the bottom of the fifth, Lopez reached first with one out on a throwing error by Perrin. A hit batter and two walks in succession moved Lopez around to score. Schoenbrun was able to avoid any additional damage by getting leadoff hitter Austin Jones to ground weakly to Sean Conrad at third and Oscar Robles to fly to Dispenza in center.

With the scored tied, 2-2, the Sharks threatened to take the lead in the sixth inning. Schoenbrun led off with an infield single. Dispenza sacrificed Schoenbrun to second. A balk by Mendieta moved Schoenbrun to third with only one out, but Jesson popped to short and Jason Walsh fouled out to end the inning.

After Schoenbrun retired the Barristers in order in the bottom of the sixth, Greg Kernodle started the seventh inning with a double into the ivy in right-centerfield. Conrad popped out to third. Kernodle then stole third before Perrin walked. Williams followed with a double down the third base line that scored Kernodle and moved Perrin to third. Weinstock then put the game out of reach by driving Mendieta's first pitch high into the trees beyond centerfield.

Saturday's win runs Malibu's record on the young season to 2-0. Next up for the Sharks is a home game on Tuesday against Culver City High.

Sharks 6, Marshall 2 (Box Score)

Malibu	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	K	AVE
Kernodle 2B	4	1	1	0	0	1	.143
Conrad 3B	4	0	0	0	0	1	.143
Perrin SS	2	2	1	0	2	0	.200
Williams C	3	1	1	1	1	0	.250
Weinstock 1B	4	1	1	3	0	0	.143
Schoenbrun P	2	1	1	0	1	0	.333
Dispenza CF	3	0	1	0	0	0	.333
Jesson RF	3	0	1	1	0	1	.400
Walsh LF	3	0	0	0	0	2	.000

BATTING

HR: Weinstock (1)
2B: Jesson (1), Perrin (1), Kernodle (1), Williams (1)
ROE: Dispenza
S: Dispenza (1)
Team LOB: 7

BASERUNNING

SB: Schoenbrun (1), Kernodle (1)

FIELDING

DP: Kernodle-Perrin-Weinstock
CS: Williams-Kernodle
E: Perrin (throwing)

PITCHING	IP	H	R	ER	BB	K	ERA
Schoenbrun W (1-0)	7.0	2	2	1	5	3	1.00

WP: Schoenbrun
Pitches-strikes: Schoenbrun, 114-59
Groundouts-flyouts: Schoenbrun, 6-10

Sharks 6, Marshall 2 (Photos)

Jared Weinstock rounds third after homering in the seventh inning.

Stephen Williams and Nate Schoenbrun confer on the mound.

Nate Schoenbrun delivers in the bottom of the seventh.

Jake Jesson makes the catch in right for the last out of the game.

[Photos by REW.]

Finding John Marshall

John Marshall, "the Great Chief Justice" for whom John Marshall High School and Marshall University in West Virginia are both named, can be found buried in Shockoe Hill Cemetery in Richmond, Virginia. Of greater relevance to Sharks fans, however, is the location of Marshall High, home of the Barristers.

Marshall High is at 3939 Tracy Avenue in the Los Feliz district of Los Angeles (not far from the Hollywood Bowl). For a map, go here.

Game time today is 11:00 a.m.

Malibu 3, St. Monica 2 (Box Score)

Malibu	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	K	AVE
Kernodle SS/2B	3	0	0	0	0	0	.000
Perrin P/SS	3	0	0	0	0	0	.000
Weinstock LF/1B	3	0	0	0	0	0	.000
Williams C	1	1	0	0	0	1	.000
Conrad 2B/3B	3	1	1	0	0	0	.333
Dispenza CF	3	1	1	1	0	1	.333
Jesson RF	3	0	2	0	0	0	.667
Abbott 1B	1	0	0	0	0	0	.000
Bordier 3B	1	0	0	0	0	0	.000
a-Schoenbrun LF	1	0	0	1	0	0	.000
b-Campi PH	0	0	0	0	1	0	.000
c-Philipson P	1	0	1	1	0	0	1.000

a-replaced Abbott in the 4th inning
b-hit for Bordier in the 3rd inning
c-replaced Campi in the 6th inning

BATTING

HBP: Kernodle, Williams 2
ROE: Bordier, Kernodle, Conrad
S: Perrin
SF: Schoenbrun
Team LOB: 8

BASERUNNING

PO: Bordier

FIELDING

DP: Perrin-Williams-Abbott
E: Abbott (fielding), Kernodle (fielding), Philipson (throwing)

PITCHING	IP	H	R	ER	BB	K	ERA
Perrin	5.0	4	2	2	2	5	2.80
Philipson W (1-0)	2.0	1	0	0	2	1	0.00

Pitches-strikes: Perrin, 81-46; Philipson, 35-17
Groundouts-flyouts: Perrin, 4-5; Philipson, 2-2

Sharks 3, Saint Monica 2 (Photos)

Jared Weinstock flies to left.

Sloan Campi advances to second on a hit by Greg Kernodle.

Greg Kernodle settles under a popup.

Jace Dispenza scores the go-ahead run.

Jared Weinstock squeezes a throw from Wilder Philipson for the final out of the game.

Photos courtesy of Gary Wonnacott. (Please check back soon for more.)

Scouting Report: St. Monica Mariners

The Sharks open up the 2007 season tomorrow against the St. Monica High Mariners. The Mariners finished with a 13-11 overall record last year. Their 7-5 league record gave them a third-place finish in the Del Rey League.

Malibu and St. Monica met once last year with the Sharks coming away with a 3-2 victory on April 8. Brooks Fitch pitched four innings in relief of Colbie Bell to pick up the win.

The Saints are led offensively this season by sophomore first baseman Brandon Tobin and senior catcher Taylor Gelbrich. Tobin hit .416 with 2 homeruns and 19 RBIs last season while Gelbrich hit .306 with 2 homeruns and 16 RBIs.

On the mound, senior Giuliano Lepe figures to carry much of the load for the Mariners this year. Lepe started 7 games (including the game against Malibu), giving up 18 runs in 36 innings in 2006.

Tomorrow's game at Malibu High is scheduled to begin at 3:00 p.m.

Senior Dads

When the Sharks take on Saint Monica's tomorrow afternoon in the first game of the 2007 season, the fathers of the team's seniors will be invited to throw out the first pitch.

Game time is 3:00 p.m., but come a few minutes early to see which fathers can still bring it. (My guess is that Steve Weinstock, who has been throwing batting practice to Jared, Brett, and all their teammates since about 1990, will prove to have absolutely nothing left in the tank.)

The Captains, 2007

Congratulations to Jace Dispenza, Greg Kernodle, and Jared Weinstock on being selected as co-captains of the 2007 Malibu High School baseball team.

An Unofficial Team Photo

[Photo by REW.]

A Long Afternoon in Sherman Oaks

In a practice game at Notre Dame High School today, Malibu pitchers gave up nine walks, a hit batsman, and two balks while the Sharks compiled eight errors over the course of six innings. Offensively, the Sharks collected six singles but only one run.

For a complete rundown of Malibu's highlights, go here.

The good news is that none of what happened today counts.

Greg Kernodle

Stephen Williams

To Notre Dame

The Sharks will take on the Notre Dame High Knights tomorrow in a practice game. The JV teams will play at Malibu High while the varsity game will be played at Notre Dame. (For directions to Notre Dame, which is located at the corner of Riverside Drive and Woodman Avenue in Sherman Oaks, click here.)

Last season, the Knights finished 10-14 in the tough Mission League.

Both games are scheduled to start at 3:15.

Alumni Game, 2007

Under bright, sunny skies on Saturday, Malibu High kicked off the 2007 baseball season with fourteen innings of baseball wrapped around a cookout of truly monumental proportions.

Following an intra-squad JV game, the varsity squared off against an alumni/coaches team led by Phil Johnson (Class of 2005), Brooks Fitch (Class of 2006), and Coach Dave Buss on the mound and Dane Skophammer (Class of 2001) behind the plate. The old guys, led by former Sharks manager Tony Walczuk, put some timely hits together with some Sharks errors to win going away.

Johnson struck out seven of his former teammates in four strong innings on the mound. Buss had two hits, three RBIs, and a stolen base. He also robbed Jacob Perrin of a base hit in left field when he somehow snared a line drive while stumbling over his feet and falling on the ground.

The Sharks had difficulty putting much offense together against Johnson, Fitch, and Buss. However, Jace Dispenza got the varsity on the scoreboard in the bottom of the fourth with an RBI double in the right-centerfield gap. In the fifth inning, Wilder Philipson drove in a run with a base hit and Andrew Kramer had an RBI groundout.

The day's most outstanding performance was turned in by those who prepared enough food for all the players, coaches, and fans from both of the baseball games and a softball game.

Spring Training for the Blog

Just like the team that Sharks Baseball covers, the blog is getting ready for the regular season.

Over the next couple of days, I will be making some changes to the design of Sharks Baseball in an effort to enhance both the appearance and the functionality of the site. No time offline is expected, but there may be a number of design elements that come and go as I try to find a look we can all enjoy coming back to time after time throughout the season.

If you have any suggestions, please feel free to leave a comment.

Feeding Frenzy

What better way for the Sharks to begin a new season than with a feeding frenzy?

Judging from the volume of email traffic today, it looks like there will be lots of food--most of it very unhealthy (just the way we like it)--when the Malibu High baseball and softball programs get together tomorrow for a cookout in conjunction with a couple of pre-season games.

The JV team will play an intra-squad game beginning at 10:00 a.m. Then, at 1:00 p.m., the varsity team will play against an alumni team led by the Sharks' former head baseball coach, Tony Walczuk. Somewhere in there, the grill will be fired up and large Costco containers full of hamburgers, hot dogs, chips (lots of chips), and drinks will appear.

Tomorrow's games will provide the Sharks with a tuneup for the tuneup to take place in the form of a practice game at Notre Dame High on Monday.

Diamond in the Rough

The Malibu High baseball field has been getting some much-needed work in preparation for Opening Day on Friday, March 2. Pictured below, Mark Conrad removes a shovel-full of topsoil before spreading DG.

Tim Biglow spreads DG in front of the dugout along the first base line.

[Photos by Gary Wonnacott.]

Practice Begins

The 2007 season began today at Malibu High with 33 players and 7 coaches on the field for the first day of practice.

The Sharks will open the season on Friday, March 2, at 3:00 p.m. at home against St. Monica's in the first game of the Royal Invitational Tournament.

Back in Business

After a lengthy break, Sharks Baseball is back in business. Likewise for Sharks baseball players.

Conditioning workouts will begin Tuesday after school for all players (except those still playing a winter sport). Players must have a physical form--completed by a doctor--on file before working out with the team. (Forms are available for downloading at the bottom of this page.)

Getting to Mission Hills

Here, finally, is a link to a map showing how to get to the field where Malibu will play LA Baptist tomorrow at 11:00 a.m. Please plan to arrive at 10:00 for warmups.

If you prefer verbal directions, here they are: Go north on the 405. Exit Nordhoff Street. Go left on Nordhoff to Haskell. Turn right on Haskell and go north to the Mission Hills Golf Club (on the left). The baseball field is near the golf course at the intersection of Haskell and Lassen.