As winter turns to spring, area high school baseball teams have designs on CIF gold this season. At La Jolla Country Day School, Torreys head coach John Edman finished 6-20 (3-5 Coastal League) a season ago. Key returnees this season include Connor Gerhart (third base); Anthony Torres (catcher/infielder); Jason Gilberg (outfield/pitcher); Frank Brown (outfield); Sam Ayala (catcher/infielder); JT Kelley (first base); Roman Valenzuela (designated hitter); Keith Gordon (pitcher); Mac Anderson (pitcher); Ruben Pena (pitcher) and Anthony Torres (pitcher). Top newcomers include Ian Lutz (pitcher); Jonathan Brewster (infielder); Tommy Edman (infielder); Dustin Hughes (pitcher/outfielder) and Alex Guenette (catcher). At La Jolla High School, Vikings head coach Gary Frank went 16-14 last spring, losing in the CIF quarterfinals. Key players in 2010 include Zac Zlatic (shortstop/pitcher); Jake Linsky (outfielder/pitcher); Aaron Steigerwalt (catcher); Max Strohl (pitcher/first base) and Kevin Usselman (shortstop/second base). “We have a very young team this year,” Frank said. “We return only one varsity win on the mound, but we should have a strong infield defense and a scrappy offense. If we can find consistency at pitcher, we should be able to compete in the Western League.” At The Bishop’s School, Knights head coach Al Gomez finished 13-10-1 (5-3 Coastal South League) last season. Top players this season include Chris Ludwig, AJ Chedrick, Jesse Jacobsen-Gal, Doron Volcani, Kyle Gantz and Joey Moreno. “We are looking to compete for a Coastal South League title behind All-League seniors Chris Ludwig and AJ Chedrick,” Gomez said. “I look for Kyle Gantz and Joey Moreno to have breakout seasons both at the plate and on the field. Seniors Jesse Jacobsen-Gal and Doron Volcani will also have key roles in the Knights’ success. Newcomers Wes Fishburn, Connor Sears and John Manhard will have a big impact on the team this season.”