A trend is developing of Westside baseball players who’ve gone elsewhere coming back now that West LA College has a program.
Several of these players have told West LA coach Bob Grant they’ll play for the Oilers in the 2008 season.
The marquee player of this group is Mike Walsh, a left-handed pitcher who had a 7-0 record for Santa Monica High in 2005. Walsh didn’t play in 2006 and was used sparingly in the recently-concluded season at Pierce College.
Walsh, who has one season of community college eligibility remaining and is expected to be a starter on Grant’s staff, was on the West LA campus last week arranging his class schedule.
“Mike has an 88 mile-an-hour fastball and a good curve,” said Kevin Brockway, Walsh’s coach at Samohi who is now one of Grant’s assistants. “It’s conceivable he’ll be the ace of the staff.”
In a July 30 press conference revealing that West LA is bringing back baseball after a 21-year absence, Samohi second baseman Johnny Huerta was introduced as one of the first three players to commit.
Now Grant has said a half dozen other players will enroll when the fall semester begins September 4.
Included are two former Culver City High pitchers, Will Helm and Alex Cumes, who were at El Camino College and catcher Mark Sunga (Notre Dame High, Pierce College). In addition, freshman outfielder Mario Garrado from Westchester High has committed.
