This could be the year that Compton baseball snaps its 62-game Moore League losing streak. Compton hasn’t won a league game since 2013, but second-year coach Lorenzo Reddick isn’t rushing results, and he’s starting multiple underclassman this season.
“We’ve got some numbers this year,” Reddick said. “But I’m still trying to get these guys to grow up quick. If we’re missing practice and not working hard than those guys on the other side are going to look tremendous.”
Senior catcher and center fielder Jairo Marchante said that the biggest key during the offseason was getting the new players to believe in the future, and not be intimidated by more successful opponents.
“It’s hard to get that across because they already know the reputation at Compton and then they hear about the reputation of Wilson, Poly, Lakewood and Millikan,” Marchante said. “Those other league teams practice and play hard, so (the young players) get scared, but we just have to remind them that it’s a game, have fun and we’re all human.”
Sophomores Angel Vasquez, Heriberto Dominguez and Angel Camacho are three of the key underclassman. Vasquez is a right-handed pitcher who has a lot of movement, Dominguez will be catching Vasquez and the rest of the staff while Camacho will play up the middle in center field and at second base. Senior and four-year starter Francisco Moncada also will be a key team leader as he returns to his spot at shortstop.
Long Beach High School Baseball Preview
With the high school baseball season starting two weeks earlier this year due to a calendar shift by the CIF State office, local players have had to trade their bats for umbrellas.
