Blog Post: The Cupboard is Not Bare as Agoura Baseball Says Goodbye to Seven Seniors

Agoura High baseball coach Mike Cordero is not as much concerned about the need to replace his seven seniors as he is simply sad to see them moving on.

"I really love those kids," he said. "It's not because, 'Oh no, I've got to replace them,' but because I've got to say goodbye to them. I really like all seven of those guys and I have the utmost respect for them."

Those seven players are Mark Seyler, Jordan Shulman, Justin Cana, Brody Fehmel, Drew Lutzke, Joe Bealer and Tony Cosentino. The group helped change the culture of Agoura baseball from a losing team to a league champion.

Cordero praised Seyler, who hit .344 and was 4-1 as a pitcher.

"I really think if it wasn't for his leadership, we wouldn't be in the situation that we are today," Cordero said of Seyler. "He took charge of them. He really took the younger guys under his wings."

"[Seyler] was frustrated by his previous three years. He really bought into the positive reinforcement, the leadership role. San Diego State is lucky to have him.

Shulman wasn't guaranteed a starting spot in the pitching rotation but proved his worth as Agoura amassed a 23-5-1 record.

"He came to us and said, 'Coach, I'm going to be your top starter,'" Cordero said. "He just handled it maturely. Then he helped [mentor] Henry Baker."

Baker, a junior left-hander, went 5-2 as a relief pitcher. He is a favorite to land a starting spot next year.

Cana was a quiet leader who spoke up when the team needed him to. He hit .316 with a team-leading 28 runs scored and 17 stolen bases. Cana was a leadoff batter who did anything and everything to get on base. He finished with a .500 on-base percentage and got hit by a pitch in nine straight games. His 18 walks and 12 hit by pitches were team highs.

"He was black and blue all season," Cordero said. "He was probably one of the best leadoff guys in the Marmonte League." Cana is off to Cal Poly Pomona in the fall where he hopes to play the outfield for the baseball team.

Fehmel, a senior who helped his brother, Bryce, transition to varsity baseball, will play at Trinity College in Texas, also hoping to play the outfield.

Fehmel hit .260 with a .400 on-base pct. "He's a solid support system for his brother and a very humble kid," said Cordero.

Bealer, a stellar defensive first baseman, will attend Southwestern College in San Diego. "All the coaches agree that he is going to be a coach someday," Cordero said.

Lutzke, a DH/first baseman, got hot late in the season and hit .300. He hopes to play next year at a midwestern college, possibly Simpson or Bethany College. Cosentino turned into a valuable relief pitcher giving up no runs in 14-plus innings.

"We're losing our seniors, they're key guys to us, but we also have a lot of guys returning," said Cordero.

Along with Baker, Tyler Cohen and Andy Sondreaal seem to have the upperhand in becoming the starting pitchers for the Chargers next year.

Cohen is a fine defensive shortstop and as the Agoura closer out of the bullpen, he was nearly unhittable this season. "He's going to break out big time next year," said Cordero.

Nick Shur, a junior, threw 14.1 innings with an ERA of 0.98. Bryce Fehmel, this year's third baseman, and Kyle London, will also get the chance to pitch next year.

Ryan Fineman, who hit around .500 on the J.V. team according to Cordero, is a possible replacement for Bealer at first base. He could also DH. "We invited him to play with us in the summer and fall," Cordero said.

Offensively, sophomore catcher Albee Weiss leads the returners. Weiss led the team in hitting, RBIs and slugging pct. "Albee is going to have a big year for us," said Cordero.

The Agoura coach said the model the team utilized last year, wherein no player is guaranteed a spot in the starting lineup or as a starting pitcher, worked so well, it will be employed again during offseason workouts.

The Chargers players know what the playoffs are all about now and are itching to get back there.

"You know what? Losing in the second round is the best thing that could happen to us," Cordero said. "Every single one of the guys is optimistic about next year. They're hungry.

"They don't ever want to experience that again–the being left on the field type thing, and losing in the playoffs. They want to win the last game."