Pirates travel to Long Beach to play Vikings in Regional playoff series

COSTA MESA -- The Orange Coast College baseball team to head up the 405 freeway and take on Long Beach City College in the opening round of the Southern California Regional playoffs, beginning on Friday at 2 p.m.

Game two of this best-of-three series will take place at 11 a.m. on Saturday, also at LBCC, with a third game (if necessary) to follow shortly after the conclusion of the second game. Ticket prices for the CCCAA postseason tournament are $10 for general admission and $7 for college students, facutly, and staff with ID as well as seniors ages 60+ and kids.

The defending champion Pirates (21-15) were named the No. 10 seed in this year's Southern California Regional bracket after finishing third in an Orange Empire Conference where seven teams earned playoff berths.

It was an up-and-down type of year for Coast in 2015. After starting the year 12-9 and 3-3 in conference, OCC played its best baseball of the year with a solid seven-game win streak. Over that span, the Pirates outscored their competition, 50-17 as they sat atop the OEC standings.

But then came April ... a month that saw Coast stumble to the finish line with a 2-6 record. However, Coast did finish on a high note with a gritty 2-1 win over Saddleback in the season finale. That win kept the Pirates alone in third place in the OEC.

Coast enters the playoffs with a .288 team batting average and leading the way is sophomore right fielder Tommy Bell, who comes in batting .331 with 43 hits, 30 runs, 16 extra-base hits and 26 RBI. 

Perhaps the hottest hitter for the Pirates is sophomore shortstop Jeff Nellis, who carries a 14-game hitting streak into Friday's game. That streak has helped Nellis bat .343 for the year with 35 hits, 17 runs and 12 RBI. Over that 14-game span, Nellis is batting .500 (22-for-44) with three doubles, one triple, seven runs and seven RBI.

Sophomore catcher Jack Kruger has been steady throughout the season for the Pirates, batting .305 with 40 hits, 26 run, eight doubles and 18 RBI.

On the mound, sophomore lefty Art Vidrio hopes to equal last year's postseason success where he went 4-0 and was named the CCCAA State Final Four MVP, helping the Pirates to the state title. This year, Vidrio is 7-1 with a 2.96 ERA with 56 strikeouts  and a pair of complete games in 79 innings.

Coast has the luxury of a pair of rubber-armed sophomores -- righty Scott Serigstad (4-3, two saves, 3.13 ERA, 19 appearances) and lefty Dominic Purpura (3-1, seven saves, 2.91 ERA, 16 appearances). Both can start or come out of the bullpen in any capacity to bring some stability to the Pirates' staff. In addition to Serigstad and Purpura, look for freshman righty Jack Pabich (0-1, two saves, 2.16 ERA in 15 appearances) to see the mound sometime during the postseason.

One wildcard player to keep an eye on is DH/spot pitcher Stephen Corona, who made two solid starts down the stretch, giving head coach John Altobelli some options with his rotation. Corona pitched eight shutout innings against Irvine Valley on April 14 and allowed just three runs over 5 2/3 innings at Saddleback on April 21. 

For the Vikings, they finished 20-16 overall, but played their best baseball during the Western State Conference portion of their schedule, winning the conference title with a 15-6 record.

With a .275 team batting average, LBCC is led by sophomore first baseman/pitcher Tanner Levine, who is batting .343 with 47 hits, 23 runs and 14 RBI. Others to watch at the plate include sophomore shortstop Michael Thomas (.322, 39 hits, 19 runs, 15 RBI), sophomore utility player Justin Davis (.302, 38 hits, 22 runs, 14 RBI) and freshman outfielder Tai Tiedemann (.301, 43 hits, 19 runs, 19 RBI).

The Vikings are led by a quartet of arms, including starters Julian Griego (8-2, six complete games, 1.96 ERA, 51 strikeouts in 87 1/3 IP), Schuyler Hill (3-1, two CGs, 1.99 ERA, 41 Ks in 54 1/3 IP), Evan May (4-3, 4 CGs, 2.14 ERA, 29 Ks in 54 2/3 IP) and Levine (2-4, one CG, 4.53 ERA, 32 Ks in 49 2/3 IP). 

Against the Pirates, Griego allowed a season-high five runs on 12 hits in a 6-5 loss at LBCC on Feb. 10, while Levine dominated OCC with a complete game, six-hitter in a 6-2 win at Coast on Feb. 12. Hill took the loss against the Pirates on Feb. 14, allowing two runs on three hits with nine strikeouts in an 8-1 defeat at LBCC.