With the Dodgers mired in mediocrity and shackled to an ignoramus for an owner, local baseball fans have a right to hang their heads in disappointment.
Not for long.
The Conejo Oaks, a highquality wood-bat baseball team of college players, are back.
Playing their home games at George “Sparky” Anderson Field at Cal Lutheran University’s Ullman Stadium, the Oaks boast a crew of local standouts from Calabasas, Camarillo, Cornerstone Christian, Moorpark, Oaks Christian, Royal and Thousand Oaks high schools.
The Oaks are sponsored by the Amateur Baseball Development Group Inc., a nonprofit aimed at improving youth baseball throughout Southern California.
Angels manager and Westlake resident Mike Scioscia co-founded the organization.
Oaks home games can be viewed live on www.kadytv.com.
This year’s edition has a plethora of pitching and enough offense to fuel Air Force One.
First-year head coach Dave Soliz has two goals for the 32 players on board this summer.
“No. 1, improve your skills,” Soliz said. “No. 2, win games.
“Summer’s a great opportunity to get better. They don’t have to worry about school. They can sleep in. But they can’t just show up. They have to be ready to play.”
Soliz, a longtime skipper at Rio Mesa, spent the previous four years as the Oaks’ pitching coach.
He’s flanked by assistants Steve Hernandez, Art Espinoza and Joe Garcia.
In his third year with the Oaks, Cody Thomson is the veteran.
A five-minute commute to the stadium is a pretty sweet deal for the former Thousand Oaks star.
“Can’t beat it,” he said.
A right-handed closer who focuses on environmental science at the University of Pennsylvania, Thomson said he will work on command of three pitches: his fastball, breaking ball and changeup.
After throwing in the mid- 80-miles-per-hour zone during his freshman season with the Quakers, he wants to consistently throw in the high 80s and touch the 90s next season.
After throwing almost 60 innings for the Oaks in 2010, Thomson expects to cut his innings in half.
“ It’s a matter of staying healthy and still winning games at the same time,” Thomson said.
Michael Vinyard, a 2008 Royal graduate, is an outfielder with active hands at the dish.
“It’s nice being back home and getting some at-bats,” said Vinyard, a redshirt junior who will suit up for Cal Lutheran after a stint with Cal State Los Angeles.
“It’s awesome here. I’ve got home cooking. I don’t have to worry about my laundry. I want to get as many swings as possible and get dialed in for next year.”
Vinyard also has a nice connection with Soliz’s brother, Steve, the Angels bullpen coach.
Steve Soliz was the catching coach for an 8-year-old Vinyard in Simi Youth Baseball.
George Youmans, formerly of Oaks Christian, is a ballplayer and a poet.
A philosophy major and outfielder at Division III Washington and Lee University in Virginia, Youmans looks forward to facing high-quality Division I pitching.
“This is a fun group of guys,” said Youmans. “I’m excited to learn from the guys and compete at a high level. It’s laid back but good competition.”
A former water polo standout with the Lions, Youmans was all smiles before a recent home game last weekend.
“It’s time to go out and have fun playing baseball,” he said. “Summer’s never too intense, but you always want to win.”
Landon Hunt, a crafty southpaw from Moorpark, mows through batters like Homer Simpson devouring sprinkled donuts.
“I like playing every day,” Hunt said. “It feels like a pro environment.”
The former Musketeer played at Moorpark College for two years. Hunt will next suit up for the Long Beach State Dirtbags.
Hunt is trying out a new pitch, a cutter. Possessing a nasty changeup, he’s working on location of his offspeed stuff.
Competing on a larger roster means there’s more competition for playing time, Hunt said.
Oaks Christian senior Drew Hacker had a whirlwind week. His Lions were one out away from reaching a section championship at Dodger Stadium. Two days later, he suited up for the Oaks.
“We wanted that last out,” Hacker said of OCHS’ 2-1 loss at Palm Desert in the CIF-Southern Section Division 4 semifinals.
“Baseball is a game of inches. We were on the other side of that inch. . . . It was quite a journey. It was definitely a family—it wasn’t a team.”
Hacker, who will play the infield at Pepperdine, wants to improve his hitting and defense.
“I love the game,” he said. “It’s such a blessing to play with older guys. I can learn a lot from them. I’m learning the speed of the game, and I’m trying to glean tips from them and learn from their experience.”
Kevin Minjares grew up playing second base in youth ball and with the Camarillo Scorpions, but he thrived at shortstop and batting leadoff for Oxnard College.
Minjares takes pride in his hard-nosed style.
“I’m the role guy that tries to be a sparkplug for any team I’m on,” he said. “I’m here to get more experience like every guy on the team. I want to play professionally. This is another stepping stone.
“This is not a summer of fun. Of course every game is fun for me. But this is a serious summer for me. This is a time where I’m hoping to get a scholarship and move on to the next step of my playing career.”
Dalton Saberhagen (Calabasas), Aaron Roth (Cornerstone Christian), Travis Radke (Oaks Christian) and Cliff Quick (Royal) are the other local products.
So far, the Oaks are producing. They won their first five games after going 21-29 last summer.
“We’re going to give our best effort,” Soliz said. “We will play good, team baseball and try to win as many games as we can.”