BASEBALL BEAT : PITCHER SPOTLIGHT.

Young studs:They started the season as young pitchers with lots of potential and they're ending the season as veteran pitchers who figure to become big stars in 1997 and beyond.

Crespi junior right-hander Brian Felten, Monroe sophomore right-hander John Ennis and North Hollywood junior right-hander Merrill Dunn each has served notice that teams had better beat them now because it may not happen very often in the future.

Felten, who's 6-foot-3 and doesn't turn 17 until September, is 7-1 with a 1.24 ERA. He didn't allow an earned run in Mission League play. He's the first true ace Crespi has had since Jeff Suppan in 1993. He started throwing a curveball only last summer and is starting to develop it as a strikeout pitch. Otherwise, his strategy is simple. ``I try to hit my target and keep the ball down,'' he said.

Crespi coach Scott Muckey shows him videos of Atlanta Braves pitchers Greg Maddux and Tom Glavine. ``Glavine hits the spot every time,'' Felten said.

Ennis is 6-4 and throwing fastballs in the mid-80s. He's only 16 and beginning to throw strikes on a consistent basis. He's 5-6 overall and has won five of his past six decisions.

``Early in the season, I'd get behind the batter,'' he said. ``Then you have to come in with a good pitches. Now I get them started out with strikes. I'm pretty happy how hard I've been throwing.''

Said Monroe coach Jeff Brand: ``John has been really coming through. What you see is his mental toughness and dedication. He really wants to win.''

Ennis and his brother, Ryan, a freshman JV pitcher, could be a potent one-two combo for Monroe in the coming years. At Mission Hills Little League, they were on the same team and dominated opponents. ``We owned everybody,'' he said.

Dunn stands 6-2 and has been keeping North Hollywood competitive with the likes of Poly, Sylmar and Kennedy. He lost close games to all three schools before finally beating Sylmar 2-1 last week with a three-hitter. He's 4-4 overall with an 0.95 ERA. ``There's no question in my mind he'll be one of the two or three top pitchers in the Valley,'' Huskies coach George Vranau said.

OFFBEAT 

``Cool'' transportation: Buckley catcher Saul Rostamian had a small problem last week. He had to take an AP History test on Friday afternoon in Sherman Oaks while the baseball team had a game against Avalon in Catalina.

``We've been scrambling around the last couple of weeks figuring out how he'd get there,'' Buckley coach Dan Gilmartin said.

The solution: Rostamian took his test, then drove to San Pedro to take a $66 helicopter ride to Catalina. After arriving, he paid $8 for a taxi ride to the field.

``He got there at 3:20, ran up the hill and played,'' Gilmartin said. ``Guys were chipping in to pay for his helicopter ride.''

Asked about riding in a helicopter, Rostamian said, ``It was pretty cool.''

Academy Award nominee:In a game against North Hollywood, Poly catcher Travis McGivern started limping as if he were hit by a pitch in the dirt. Unfortunately, the umpire declined to send him to first. A fan shouted from the stands, ``Give him some drama classes. He can do better than that.''

Best snack bar salesman: A Poly student, trying to get fans to buy lemonade, shouted, ``Get your ice cold lemonade! It's just like your grandma made.''

TREND WATCH

Never again: Don't ask Royal right fielder Dorian Stitt about Westlake's unusual right-field fence. There is none. Right field consists of a steep dirt hill, which Stitt had to run up and down last week.

It almost got the best of him, when he slipped on a ball hit by Matt Riordan. After Royal pulled out the 6-5 win to clinch the Marmonte League title, Stitt reflected on his rough day.

``It was horrible,'' Stitt said. ``They've got to make it more solid. Before the game I was chasing balls up that hill. But it gets tiring to keep running up the hill just to get a fly ball. It was a nightmare.''

Beware of Mounties: Nobody had better get into an offensive slugfest with Montclair Prep (14-9) during the Southern Section Division IV playoffs. The Mounties play at Monrovia on Friday in a wild-card game, and they are loaded for action. Third baseman Josh Persell has nine home runs, 38 RBI and a .482 average. But the key to the Mounties success will be the performance of pitchers Brad Warner and Gus Franco.

``We need both of them to be at their best,'' Persell said. ``We definitely have the offensive ability of beating some of these teams.''

Legion update: Six new teams have been added to American Legion District 20, raising to 34 the number of teams competing this summer. New entrants include Las Virgenes West (Agoura), Van Nuys South (Grant), Santa Clarita North (Saugus), Santa Clarita South (Valencia), Burbank North (Burbank) and Tri Cities (Highland).

Commissioner Mel Swerdling has also revamped the divisions so they are organized geographically. Eight teams will qualify for the playoffs - four division champions and four wild card. Two teams will qualify for the Area playoffs. The season begins May 29, with four games played each week.

All hail Diaz:His high school career is over, but St. Francis pitcher Paul Diaz leaves knowing he was the best pitcher in the Mission League this season.

No one was better in big games than Diaz, who finished 7-2 with a 1.37 ERA. In 61-1/3 innings, he struck out 70 and walked only 15 batters while allowing just 40 hits.

Desires: One area coach, noting the decline in baseball talent the past few years, remembered this famous statement from an ex-player: ``I knew he wanted to play when he told me, `I'd rather hit than make love.' ''

Moving on: Now that Wyoming has dropped baseball, former Calabasas pitcher Brandon Cohen intends to transfer to Pierce College.

Moving on II: Look for first-year Van Nuys coach Mark Pomerantz to step down to concentrate on the football season.

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Photo: Felten