AMERICAN LEGION: NO LONGER AN OUTSIDER IN LEGION PLAY.

Byline: Heather Gripp Staff Writer

Newbury Park doesn't have to be an outsider anymore.

The Newbury Park American Legion baseball team went 15-8 during the regular season to finish third and qualify for this week's District 16 playoffs along with Simi-Royal, Camarillo and Westlake.

Camarillo, Royal and Westlake are all regulars in the postseason. Each has won at least one league title during the past three high school seasons and were in the American Legion playoffs last year. But Newbury Park has qualified for the Southern Section playoffs just twice since 1990 and hasn't finished higher than fourth in the Marmonte League since winning the title in 1994.

``We're playing a lot more consistent,'' coach Curtis Scott said. ``They're playing a lot more relaxed.''

Tyler Smith led the offense with a .462 batting average and 30 RBI during the regular season. Matt Vroman, Cody Collet and Jacob Evseff are other productive hitters, but what gives Newbury Park the greatest hope of being competitive next spring is its pitching and running game.

Incoming senior right-hander Shane Heid has shown the most promise and is taking his job seriously after not playing last summer.

Newbury Park opened the playoffs Monday with a 10-9 loss to second- place Camarillo when Camarillo scored four runs in the bottom of the seventh.

--Half the battery charged: Jimmy Alstot, Delmon Young, Jacob Medina and Travis Sutton are among the Camarillo pitchers having quality summers and providing reassurance the Scorpions can have dominating pitching again next year despite the graduation of All-County left-hander John Gonzalez.

Finding a replacement for graduated catcher Spencer Wyman hasn't been as easy. After years of having some of the region's best catchers with Joe Yingling, who is now in the Detroit Tigers organization, and then Wyman, Camarillo is desperate to fill the position.

``That's our biggest question mark,'' said Camarillo Legion coach Richard Jacquez, who assists the high school team. ``That was the main thing we looked to accomplish this summer, is set out to find a catcher. We did not do that. We do not have a catcher right now. It was a disappointing summer at that position.''

Incoming junior Keith Giacopuzzi, who was the junior varsity catcher and played for the lower level Camarillo II Legion team this summer, appears to be the front runner for the position.

--No time to rest: As if facing West Hills Chaminade in the next round wasn't enough of a challenge for the winner of this week's District 16 tournament, the team will have to do so with a significantly shorter break than Chaminade has before the best-of-three Area 6 playoffs.

While Chaminade has a week off, it is possible that the District 16 representative will enter Saturday's 11 a.m. game at Birmingham High having played the five previous days, making pitchers scarce for a matchup with Chaminade's hot-hitting 23-1 team. Since District 20 held its playoffs a week earlier than District 16, Chaminade was able to clinch its title last Saturday. The District 16 champion won't be decided until Thursday or Friday evening depending on how many games are required in the double-elimination tournament.

The problem did not exist in previous years because District 20 did not have 17-and-under teams.

``That's something hopefully they'll be able to work out next year,'' Jacquez said.

--International exhibition: The Los Angeles Area Code team, which includes local players such as Alstot, Westlake's Tyler Adamczyk and Ryan McCarthy and Simi Valley's Jered Weaver, faces Nan-Ying High School of Taiwan this weekend. Games are noon on Saturday and Sunday at College of the Canyons.

--On the road: Newbury Park has spent most of the summer playing road games because the school, including athletic facilities, is closed for remodeling.