After a slow start, the Point Loma High School (PLHS) Pointers baseball team has reversed its momentum with a 6-2 record over the last eight games, including a resounding 10-0 home victory over University City last Wednesday.
“We got off to a slow start at 0-4 and played three top-10 teams (La Costa Canyon, Scripps Ranch and Oceanside), but we were able to learn a lot of lessons against some good teams. Our pitching staff has matured through experience and our defense has improved,” said PLHS head coach Jon Posternak.
The Pointers were outscored 50-24 in the first four games but have evened things up by outscoring opponents 48-28 over the eight-game stretch.
PLHS looks to return to the CIF playoffs. The team posted a 17-15 record in 2007.
The Pointers hope to continue the momentum this week when they face non-league opponents Patrick Henry and San Ysidro in the Metro League Tournament before the Western League schedule begins on April 14 against Coronado.
“We’ve been able to learn from our mistakes, which is a sign of a good team, and have been getting stronger every game,” Posternak said.
In the past two games alone, Point Loma has outscored its opponents 21-1 with victories over Hoover and University City.
Juniors Matt Arlington and Coleman Cox have helped lead the way during Point Loma’s recent resurgence.
“They are the top two in our batting order and have a done great job of getting on base,” Posternak said.
Arlington leads the Pointers with a .444 batting average and .556 on-base percentage, while Cox is second on the team in both categories with a .432 batting average and .533 on-base percentage.
The Pointers have 10 seniors on their 19-player roster.
The Western League appears to be one of the strongest in the city again this season. The current non-league standings demonstrate the strength of the league with only one of the seven schools under .500. Clairemont is 3-10. Conversely, Cathedral (13-3), Coronado (13-4), La Jolla (9-4-1) and Mission Bay (11-7) are all above .500, while University City (7-7) and Point Loma (6-6) are at .500.
“We play in one of the toughest if not the toughest league along with the Avocado League in the county. Cathedral, Coronado and Mission Bay are all good teams,” said Posternak.
“Our attitude is very positive with 14 games left in the season. Our guys enjoy the competition and look forward to proving themselves the rest of this season,” he said.