BASEBALL PREVIEW: PALMDALE ARMED : H & H BOYS WILL BE KEY TO FALCONS' SUCCESS.Byline: Gerry Gittelson Daily News Staff Writer It was easy to overlookPalmdale High's pitchers last year because the swing-happy Falcons scored so many runs on the way to a 21-6 season and a Division I semifinal berth. But after graduating 13 of 17 players - including every major run producer except outfielder Chris Testa - the attention this season is on pitchers Matt Harrington Matt Harrington (born February 1, 1982) is a baseball player who holds the record for the most times being chosen in the Major League Baseball amateur draft. Between 2000 and 2004, Harrington, a top prospect coming out of high school, was chosen in all five drafts, but never signed and Mark Hendricks. The H & H boys appear ready to meet the challenge. One year ago Harrington was 3-1 with a 3.20 ERA before a pinched nerve in his neck ended his sophomore campaign before midseason. Football-convert Hendricks got better and better, finishing with a 9-1 record and 3.24 ERA. Harrington, now a junior, might emerge as a major league candidate by next season. He has a genuine upper-80s fastball - he has clocked as high as 92, he said - and gained national attention on the USA Jr. National team, for whom he struck out 20 and allowed four hits in 11 international tournament innings. He struck out 16 against the Czech Republic Czech Republic, Czech Česká Republika (2005 est. pop. 10,241,000), republic, 29,677 sq mi (78,864 sq km), central Europe. It is bordered by Slovakia on the east, Austria on the south, Germany on the west, and Poland on the north. . Palmdale coach Lance Pierson said Harrington's USA team experience gives the pitcher a mental boost. ``I think playing for them helped make him more independent,'' Pierson said. ``Things bother him a lot less now because he has more experience.'' Harrington was hard to hit in the Golden League last year before his injury. He had 10 or more strikeouts against Antelope Valley This article is about the Los Angeles County region. For the census-designated place in Wyoming, see Antelope Valley-Crestview, Wyoming. The Antelope Valley , Highland and Lancaster. He opens the new season today at Poly High at 3:15 p.m. ``I am looking forward to it,'' Harrington said. ``I've worked a lot to improve, especially my change-up. Basically my philosophy is to go right after hitters. I don't want to play tricks. If it's a real good hitter, I might throw a couple extra sliders sliders a species of tortoise kept as pets. They have a black shell and a red stripe behind the eye. Called also Chrysemys scripta elegans, red-eared sliders. , but that's about it.'' Harrington has been in Palmdale's rotation since his freshman season, even starting a Palmdale playoff game Noun 1. playoff game - one game in the series of games constituting a playoff game - a single play of a sport or other contest; "the game lasted two hours" playoff - any final competition to determine a championship as a 10th grader. He has grown to 6-foot-2 and 180 pounds. ``Matt is much bigger and throws much harder,'' Pierson said. ``We're looking for Looking for In the context of general equities, this describing a buy interest in which a dealer is asked to offer stock, often involving a capital commitment. Antithesis of in touch with. Matt to have a great season. We have high hopes.'' Testa, who has committed to Cal State Northridge, is the key bat in the lineup. Harrington also showed he has pop with a scrimmage home run last week. Outfielder Shane Johnson This article is about the actor. For the author go to Shane Johnson (author) Shane Johnson is an American actor. He was born in 1976. He Graduated from Ephrata High School (WA) in 1994 and later graduated from Whitman College in 1998. , who played as a sophomore before taking one year off, is back in a big way. He homered on his first swing at the same scrimmage. The top newcomers are third baseman third baseman n. Baseball The infielder stationed near third base. Noun 1. third baseman - (baseball) the person who plays third base third sacker Matt Plante and first baseman Dusty Mapson. Plante, whom Pierson calls ``very good,'' emerged over the summer in American Legion American Legion, national association of male and female war veterans, founded (1919) in Paris. Membership is open to veterans of World Wars I and II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. ; he was named to the Legion all-star team. ``We're inexperienced but we look good from where I stand,'' said Pierson, in his second year. ``I think we'll do very well,'' Harrington said. ``We've got a lot of scrappy little hitters who do what they have to do to get on base.'' AT A GLANCE Palmdale High reached the Division I semifinals last year after winning the Golden League. The Falcons return four players, including pitcher Matt Harrington, Mark Hendricks and Chris Testa. SCHOOL: Palmdale High SPORT: Baseball AFFILIATION: Golden League, Southern Section Division I LAST YEAR: 20-6, Division I semifinalist COACH: Lance Pierson, 2nd year KEY RETURNERS: Matt Harrington, pitcher; Mark Hendricks, pitcher; Chris Testa, outfield. CAPTION(S): Photo, Box PHOTO Palmdale High School div style="float:right; margin: 0 0 1em 2em; width: 20em; text-align: right; font-size: 0.86em; font-family: lucida grande, sans-serif; line-height: normal;"> '''Palmdale High School pitcher Matt Harrington, a junior, might emerge as a major league candidate by next season. Charlotte Schmid-Maybach/Special to the Daily News BOX: AT A GLANCE (See text) |
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