SOUTHERN SECTION: BASKING IN THE SPOTLIGHT VALENCIA KEEPS FOCUS ON FIRST CHAMPIONSHIP.

Byline: Heather Gripp Staff Writer

Valencia High outfielder Matt Aidem feels a bit like a spectator when teammate Jared Clark pitches. Having the ball hit to him can be that rare.

``He's throwing gas,'' Aidem said. ``A lot of times when he's throwing, kids are lucky if they hit fouls balls off him. I kind of doze off out there in left field because even if they do hit it, no one pulls it. But it's fun to watch.''

Aidem isn't the only one eager to watch what comes next. All eyes are on the Vikings this season, and not just because of Clark. Clark and fellow senior Aidem headline a deep crop of talent that makes Valencia the Daily News' preseason No. 1 baseball team and has the Vikings eyeing their first Southern Section title.

``That's about as good a team as I've seen in a long time,'' said Chaminade of West Hills coach Mark Gubicza, whose team recently scrimmaged the Vikings. ``They have everything you need.''

First there is Clark, who signed with Cal State Fullerton. The pitcher/outfielder was a first team All-Southern Section selection as a junior when he went 9-3 with a 1.04 ERA and a school-record 100 strikeouts. He also had 39 RBI and a team-high nine home runs.

Aidem, a UC Santa Barbara signee, is coming off a season in which he shattered several school hitting records en route to being named Div. II co-Player of the Year and first-team All-State. He hit .581 with a 1.010 slugging percentage in addition to earning a school-record 10 wins as a pitcher.

``With Clark and Aidem, Valencia's obviously right there with anyone,'' said El Camino Real of Woodland Hills coach Matt LaCour, whose team also has faced the Vikings in the offseason.

Valencia has gradually built toward this season. Many of this year's 11 seniors were part of the Vikings' first league championship in 2002, then helped the team make its deepest postseason run with a Div. II semifinal appearance last year. Catcher Wes Pascolla and shortstop Danny Worth are among Valencia's six returning All-Foothill League players.

``Anything less than a championship, we're not happy,'' Aidem said.

The Vikings hope to prepare for their title run with a rigorous nonleague schedule against traditional powers such as this weekend's nationally ranked opponent, Arlington of Riverside. Valencia, which is the top local team in Baseball America's national rankings at No. 16, also is invited to play among the elite at the National Classic during spring break.

``We know everyone is going to be gunning for us,'' Valencia coach Jared Snyder said. ``We don't try to back away. We don't play for rankings, we play for playoffs. We play the top teams around simply because when the playoffs come around, I want the kids to have seen these are the type of teams they're going to be facing and knowing how to play with them.''

The Vikings believe they are ready for the spotlight.

``It's kind of cool hearing people say all that stuff,'' Aidem said. ``But you can't let it get to your head. ... It's the polls at the end of the year that count, not now. We want to be No. 1 at the end of the year.''

Heather Gripp, [phone]

heather.gripp(at)dailynews.com

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Key members of Valencia's powerhouse team include, from left: catcher Wes Pascolla, pitcher Jared Clark, shortstop Danny Worth and outfielder Matt Aidem. Valencia is the Daily News' preseason No. 1 pick.

Tom Mendoza/Staff Photographer