Baseball: Alemany is plotting for upset of Harvard-Westlake

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In two months, the baseball season will be in full swing, and the Mission League race could be decided in the opening week of league play when Studio City Harvard-Westlake, expected to be ranked as one of the top teams in the nation, will play Mission Hills Alemany in a two-game series on March 6 at O’Malley Field and March 9 at Alemany.

Alemany Coach Randy Thompson is already trying to come up with scenarios for knocking off the Harvard-Westlake pitching duo of Lucas Giolito and Max Fried.

Scenario No. 1 has the Warriors getting a leadoff walk to start the game, followed by a passed ball and two sacrifices to score the only run of the game, then relying on ace Cody Thompson and closer Peter Van Gansen (11 saves). Van Gansen signed with Cal Poly SLO and second baseman Ryan Alvarez, a junior, has committed to San Diego State, giving the Warriors plenty of talent to take on the Wolverines.

The trouble with scenario No. 1 is that Harvard-Westlake has greatly improved its offense. Joe Corrigan (USC commit), Arden Pabst (Georgia Tech) and Jack Flaherty (prized sophomore recruit) have all supposedly improved.

It all means the excitement will build and get ready for two terrific games in early March.

-- Eric Sondheimer