Walter Fujita, the junior varsity baseball coach at Venice High last season, moved up to the varsity this season. He quickly became impressed with the improvement of several players.
When Venice defeated Bell, which has a highly respected program, Fujita saw that his team had a lot of potential.
“Everything fell into place in that game,” he said. “It gave our guys a boost to know they could compete with anyone.”
Venice has a 14-5 record aided greatly from having a productive offense.
Daniel Hordo, Junior Campos and Nolan Sax have led the way.
Hordo is hitting .580 with 25 RBI. Campos is at .421 and Sax .413.
“The run production keeps us in games,” said Fujita.
Second baseman Sal Becerra has been effective as the leadoff man.
“He works the count and gets on base,” said Fujita.
The ultimate success of the team may depend on the quality of pitching, which so far has been inconsistent.
Venice has a 2-2 record in the Western league with important games upcoming. It has split with Fairfax and University.
While Fujita is pleased with the team’s ability to score runs he’s concerned about how many runs the Gondoliers give up.
An interesting development in the league is that Palisades, the champion in each of the last six years, got off to a 3-6 start. However, the Dolphins are now 7-7, including 4-0 in league games.
MITCH CHORTKOFF
Mirror Sports Editorsports@smmirror.com