VALLEY PAC-8 CONFERENCE : MID-VALLEY LEAGUE

Birmingham COACH: Dave Contreras, 2nd season LAST SEASON: 14-12; tied for 1st in league, 11-6 PLAYERS TO WATCH: The Braves will have to mature quickly in order to stay on top in the league race. Contreras will use three sophomores in the infield; Don Wingo at first, Steve Brown at third and Todd Shalgren at shortstop. Brown, a right-hander, looked good enough in winter ball for Contreras to make him a starting pitcher. Senior second baseman Lester Echeverria returns at second. Also expected to play the infield are senior Dan Rozdial (first base), senior Eric Samuels (third) and junior Brent Rosenzweig (shortstop). Senior Thomas Frias, a backup catcher last season, will start behind the plate. In the outfield, Irvin Castaneda is in left, Casey Doherty in center and Gilbert Reyes in right. Although none have played varsity ball before, Contreras is confident of their abilities. Senior right-hander Corey Litwin, used only in relief last season, might start this year. Junior left-hander Keith Reed is up from the junior varsity. OUTLOOK: Might Birmingham repeat as league champion? “Right now, I wouldn’t put any money on it,� Contreras said. He gives the early edge to Monroe. “We’re more excited about how our program is progressing. Our goal is to build a solid, competitive program,� he said. Canoga Park COACH: Jim Smith, 4th season LAST SEASON: 0-17; 4th in league, 0-17 PLAYERS TO WATCH: The Hunters are 1-24 in the 1990s and the only place to go is up. Smith, 4-37 in three seasons, again will have his work cut out for him. Senior catcher Byron Benfieldt and junior pitcher David Krieder are the lone returning starters. Benfieldt, who caught half of last year’s games, has the position to himself. Krieder, who led the Hunters with a .278 batting average last season, has gained experience and “throws a little harder,� according to Smith. Helping out Krieder with the pitching duties will be junior right-handers Adan Magama and Luis Mesa. Krieder also will play shortstop and Mesa will play in the outfield. Senior Roy Ponce will start at first base. Juniors Nakia Porter and Fernando Guzman will play second and third. Sophomores Javier Vasquez and Raymond Aycock have caught Smith’s attention and will be penciled in where needed, and junior transfer Glenn Davis will patrol center field. OUTLOOK: The Hunters averaged four errors and just five hits a game last season. With so much inexperience, Smith isn’t making any grand predictions. “We’re the perennial underdogs,� he said. “Hopefully, we’ll bite some teams that we shouldn’t.� Monroe COACH: Kevin Campbell, 7th season LAST SEASON: 14-8; tied for 1st in league, 11-6 PLAYERS TO WATCH: Monroe has a wealth of experienced players, making the defending league champion Vikings the favorites. Perhaps the surprise player of last season was Jorge Dorado, a junior right-hander. Dorado, whom Campbell expected to use in relief last season, emerged as one of the best pitchers among the region’s City players with a 1.08 earned-run average and a 6-1 record. Dorado struck out 42 and allowed eight earned runs in 51 2/3 innings. Senior right-hander Adrian Lovrich (5-3, 3.55) is also returning. Junior Robert Ballester and sophomore Joel Zamudio also will pitch. Four of last year’s top five hitters are back. Juan Navarro (.356, 12 runs batted in), a junior who played in right field last season, will move to left. Marco Alvarado (.316, 10 RBIs) is back in center field and will bat leadoff. Chris Stell will play in right. John Shellabarger (.310) returns at catcher and Noel Toledo (.304) will play first and bat cleanup. Bryan McComb and Robert Perea return at second and shortstop. OUTLOOK: Monroe will be solid up the middle, and, with the experienced pitching and outfield, the Vikings will be tough to beat. “I’d like to compete in the other half of the conference this year,� Campbell said. “That’s where our problems seem to arise.� Five of Monroe’s six conference losses were to East Valley League opponents. Van Nuys COACH: Bill Gordon, 3rd season LAST SEASON: 6-16; 3rd in league, 4-13 PLAYERS TO WATCH: Van Nuys has four returning junior infielders to play behind an inexperienced pitching staff. Catcher Alex Alvarenga is the top returner. Alvarenga (.313) had 10 RBIs and seven doubles as a sophomore. Refugio Pulido returns at second and Victor Gonzalez is back at third. Voltaire Baltazar, who split time at shortstop last season, will take over full-time responsibilities and bat cleanup. Patrick Alvarado is penciled in as the starter in center field and the leadoff batter. Battling it out for starting positions in the outfield are sophomores Juan Pelayo and Enrique De La Cueva, and junior Antonio Velasquez. Gordon will not have much experience on the mound, but “we actually have more depth in the staff than last year,� he said. Rusty Howard, a starting pitcher who hit .392 last season, transferred to Grant over the summer and is currently ineligible. Senior left-hander Jaime Chacon pitched sparingly last season but will shoulder much of the pitching load in ’92. Right-handers Benjamin Villa and Benjamin Navarette threw well in the summer and moved up from the junior varsity. OUTLOOK: Gordon also tabs Monroe as the league favorite but thinks the Wolves have a shot at edging out Birmingham for second place. “This is a better group of guys and I think we’ll be more competitive than last year,� he said. “We don’t have an abundance of power, but we will make up for it in speed.�