May 20, 2008

Tradition on display in Div. III semi

Baseball powerhouses have been here before

By John Mylod / Daily News Correspondent

Two teams with rich Central Coast Section baseball pedigrees will meet tonight at 7 in the Div. III semifinals at San Jose Muni.

The Menlo Knights (23-8) have been to the CCS playoffs in all but one of Craig Schoof's 22 seasons as head coach. Live Oak (24-7) has made 17 straight appearances.

"Everybody's been there before," Schoof said. "Because we've been in this so often, they all have CCS experience."

"We really talk about our tradition to our players," said Live Oak coach Mark Cummins, now in his 23rd year. "This year in particular, with my son being a senior. I've known most of these kids since they were in Tee Ball."

Menlo won the PAL Bay Division and is looking for a fourth CCS championship under Schoof.

The Knights' offense is sneaky good. Rallies can start at any time from anywhere in the lineup. Menlo has scored fewer than four runs only three times this season.

"It could be any one of the nine or 10 guys who play," said Schoof in reference to who might have a breakout game.

Live Oak won the upper tier of the Blossom Valley Athletic League, the Mount Hamilton Division. Five of the Acorns' seven losses are to teams still playing in CCS - Mitty, Valley Christian and Leigh (3 times).

The Live Oak offense starts with leadoff man Stephen Smith. The senior has scored 32 runs in addition to swiping nine bases. Matthew Cummins provides some pop from the three hole. Cummins is hitting .392 with eight doubles and 26 RBIs.

As good as the hitting may be, championship games are still won with pitching and good defense.

"Everything starts on the mound," coach Cummins said.

Although neither starter is set in stone, it looks like Menlo will throw Kenny Diekroeger while Tim O'Rourke will pitch for Live Oak.

"We're not 100 percent sure yet," Schoof said. "It's probably going to be Kenny Diekroeger. We gotta see how he is."

"We have two starters, Tim O'Rourke and my son Matthew," coach Cummins said. "Matthew went eight innings on Saturday, so I'm sure no one will be surprised if we start O'Rourke."

O'Rourke is 9-0 with a 2.55 ERA. Cummins is 9-3 on the season with five shutouts and an ERA of 1.74.

After beating King City 7-1 and Soquel 7-0, Menlo will need to win two more games if it wants to add to the championships won in '88, '89, and 2004. In years past, Div. III was made up of eight teams. This year, the CCS expanded it to 16 teams.

Live Oak, which played in Div. I until 2006, defeated Half Moon Bay 11-4 in the first round and Stevenson 4-3 in the quarterfinals. The Acorns are seeking their first-ever CCS championship game appearance. Qualifying for CCS 17 straight times ties Live Oak for the third-longest streak in CCS. Serra (19) and St. Francis (18) lead the way.