SOUTHERN SECTION PLAYOFFS PITCHER PERFECT HARRINGTON IN MIDST OF AMAZING YEAR.

Byline: Gerry Gittelson Staff Writer

PALMDALE - These days, the easiest way to get a hit off Palmdale High baseball pitcher Matt Harrington is to input his name on the Internet.

We plugged in ``Harrington Palmdale'' on Monday and got 48 hits, not surprising considering he's projected as an upper-first-round major-league draft choice, maybe even No. 1.

On the baseball field, however, it's a different story.

Opponents are batting just .127 against Harrington, who's enjoying one of the best senior seasons in recent memory. He's leading the Antelope, San Fernando and Conejo valleys in wins (10-0), ERA (0.59) and strikeouts (113).

The 6-foot-4 right-hander is the scheduled starter in Friday's 3:15 p.m. Southern Section Division II playoff opener against visiting Sultana (17-9) of Hesperia.

``It's been great. I couldn't ask for anything more so far,'' said Harrington, whose fastball has been clocked as high as 98 mph. ``I love having all the scouts come out and watch me pitch. The more people that are there, the better I do.''

George Genovese, a Dodgers scout who's been evaluating players for 60 years, has followed Harrington closely. He thinks Harrington is as good a pitching prospect as anyone he's ever seen.

``I think Matt compares favorably to all of them - (Notre Dame's) Jack McDowell, (Kennedy's) Jon Garland, (Saugus') Roger Salkeld,'' Genovese said. ``He's got great poise, great command of his pitches, and he's just a good athlete. Barring injury, he should pitch in the major leagues one day because he's got a good fastball, good breaking ball and good control. He's doing it against high school kids, but his stuff is there. Like I said, in my opinion, if he progresses normally, he should make it to the majors. He's just got a lot of good things going for him.''

The playoff tournament includes 32 teams, so Palmdale (18-6) needs four victories to become Division II champion. If the format called for one game per week, instead of two, Harrington conceivably could pitch each game. Wishful thinking for coach Lance Pierson, but if that were the case, the Falcons probably would be the favorite.

``Oh, if we could play every Friday, I would definitely bet on us,'' Pierson said. ``Every time Matt pitches, I have the feeling we're going to win the game. He's having an incredible season. As a coach, it's very comforting having Matt Harrington on the mound.''

Pierson played college baseball at Biola with future major-league all- star Todd Worrell. Pierson said Harrington is ``right there with him.''

There's a part of Pierson that almost feels sorry for opposing hitters.

``There must have been 15 times this season when guys went up there against Matt and simply took three straight called strikes,'' Pierson said. ``They just shrugged and walked back to the dugout.''

Harrington has four pitches in his arsenal, a fastball, hard curve, slider and, occasionally, a change-up. What makes the fastball so effective, besides its velocity, is its unpredictability.

``My fastball kind of moves in and out, or down, depending on the day,'' Harrington said. ``It kind of has a mind of its own.''

Usually, about two dozen scouts, most pointing radar guns, show up whenever Harrington pitches. Even Dodgers GM Kevin Malone made the long trek to Palmdale a few weeks back.

Harrington has committed to Arizona State, but in June he'll almost certainly forgo college and sign a multimillion-dollar contract. Before the season, Baseball America projected him as the No. 4 prospect in the draft. That was before Harrington won his first 10 starts (he got a no-decision in the finale) and averaged 13.4 strikeouts - and 3.1 hits allowed - per seven innings.

If any of this has gone to Harrington's head, he isn't showing it. He and his teammates got a dose of humility in the final week of the regular season when they lost two games in a row to Littlerock, which had been winless in the Golden League before the series.

``The way I look at it, losing those two games after we had the Golden League all wrapped up, it really opened our eyes,'' Harrington said. ``A team that shouldn't even touch us beat us twice. That helps us know we're not untouchable and we're not the greatest team on the planet.

``So where do we go from there? We took some good practice all week because we really want to be ready.''

FAST COMPANY

Palmdale High's Matt Harrington, who has a 98 mph fastball, leads the region in victories, strikeouts and earned run average. His statistics:

Games: 11

Complete games: 4

Innings pitched: 59

Hits allowed: 26

Strikeouts: 113

Walks: 20

Runs allowed: 12

Earned runs allowed: 5

W-L record: 10-1

ERA: 0.59

CAPTION(S):

photo, box

Photo:

Palmdale pitcher Matt Harrington was a promising major-league prospect at the start of the season. Now, it would be no surprise if he was the No. 1 overall pick.

Eric Grigorian/Special to the Daily News

Box: Fast Company (see text)