Sergio Santos isn't easily intimidated. As a freshman, the Mater Dei shortstop played so well in last year's Area Code Games--against players as much as two years older than him--that Baseball America tabbed Santos the second-best underclassman in the competition.
Santos, a Times' Orange County second-team selection, is back for this year's games with designs to make even more of an impression.
How?
"By being [selected] No. 1," he said. "That's the only way."
Santos is among eight county players competing in the 10-team games, which match high school players who have been hand-picked by pro scouts. The games begin Monday and continue through Aug. 12 at Blair Field in Long Beach.
The Orange County players will compete on two teams: the Anaheim Angels and the Area Code Team.
Santa Margarita first baseman Matt Wilkerson, a Times' Orange County first-team selection, is among the seven county players on the Angels. Last season, Wilkerson, who will be a senior, hit .508 with nine home runs and 27 RBIs.
The other county players on the Angels are: El Dorado senior outfielder Joe Turgeon (.464 average with six homers), Santiago senior pitcher Brian Pilkington (8-2 with a 1.28 earned-run average), Sonora senior pitcher Brett Smith (7-1 with a 1.28 ERA), Irvine senior catcher Jonathan deVries (.449 average), Fountain Valley junior pitcher/outfielder Josh Bartusick and Mater Dei senior catcher Richard Mercado.
Santos, the only county player on the Area Code Team, hit .433 with eight home runs and 29 runs batted in for Mater Dei last season.
The Area Code Team will play an exhibition game at 5 p.m. Saturday against the Chicago White Sox.
On Monday, the Area Code Team opens play in the round-robin format at noon against 900, a team with players from all regions of the country. The Angels play their first game at 6:30 p.m. Monday against the Pirates/Florida, which is made up of players from Florida and the Southeast.
The Angels and the Area Code Team face each other Thursday.
An East vs. West all-star game, pitting players from each region deemed to have had played the best during the week, will be held at 11 a.m. Aug. 12.
A number of players from the all-star game will also participate in the Epson-Goodwill Series against a squad of Japanese national team players Sept. 2-4 at Blair Field.
WATER POLO
