LJ baseball: Vikes win 3 of 4

Lefty Charlie Smith, with his high leg kick,

is carrying a 2-1 record with a 2.42 ERA.

The sophomore leads the Vikings with

a very efficient 26 innings pitched so far.

Smith is shown here starting at San Dieguito

Academy March 11.

(Photo by Ed Piper)

By Ed Piper

As of this writing (March 29), the Vikings have won three of their last four games, producing runs in big bursts for the first time this season after a dry start: 17 runs in beating West Hills March 18, and eight more in an 8-1 clocking of Santana March 23, both in the GMC Tournament in away games.

The recent run has partially righted the Viking ship at 4-6. Hunter Durfee (five RBI's) and Oliver Obler (3) led the attack in the big win over the Wolfpack.  

In the Sultan swatting, the "Z" man, senior Zoran Shepanski, contributed three RBI while five other hitters drove in runs in a team-wide effort at the plate.

What has to give Head Coach Gary Frank some satisfaction is that after playing out one-third of the season (29 games scheduled through the regular season), and half of the pre-league slate, five different team members have bunches of four, five, or six RBI's for the season:

--Catcher Carter Strauss and sophomore Durfee have six apiece;

--Senior leaders Obler and "Z" stand at five each;

--and Harper Lane, the leading hitter by average last year as a junior, has four RBI's.

In addition, in a bright sign that things have turned offensively for La Jolla, four mostly-full-time batters are carrying averages of .300 or above: Obler tops out at .429, while third baseman Joseph Crudo is carrying a healthy .370 mark.

Charlie Martin, who ran in a four-man relay at the 45th Sundevil Invitational at Mt. Carmel High Sat., March 28, is hitting .320--sometimes in the leadoff spot--while Shepanski comes in at an even .300.

Strauss, the catcher, has by far the most plate appearances, as he hits regularly in the leadoff spot, with 42. He has walked 12 times to lead the team, the only player in double figures and the only one above seven bases-on-balls.