Crowther Wasn’t Just Out in Left Field

Just over a year ago, Tom Crowther was playing on the Burroughs High baseball team.

Now he’s coaching it.

Crowther, 19, is coaching Burbank South, which is comprised of Burroughs players who won’t be graduating next week.

A two-year starter in the outfield for the Indians, Crowther’s feel for the game did not go unnoticed by Burroughs Coach Jose Valle.

“You can tell he thinks about the game a lot,” Valle said. “He was asking questions that showed he was thinking. A lot of players just go out and play. He’s not one of them.”

Crowther coached a team of Burroughs underclassmen last summer and Valle was so encouraged he offered Crowther the freshman coaching post. Crowther accepted and soon found that coaching while attending USC wasn’t easy.

“I’d be sitting in class wearing my uniform under my sweatpants,” Crowther said. “It became all I would think about.”

After a successful season in which the Indians finished second in the Foothill League, Crowther took on the challenge of coaching Burbank South.

Craig Sherwood, an assistant for the varsity, acts as an advisor on the bench.

“He’s been kind of like my mentor throughout high school,” Crowther said. “I’ll go up to him after a play and ask if we should have hit-and-run. I’m glad he’s there.”

Crowther will likely move up the coaching ladder at Burroughs next year. One obvious advantage is the rapport he shares with players who are only one or two years younger.

“The only disadvantage I can see is getting the kids to respect someone so young,” Valle said. “But he’s earned it.”

Coaching has Crowther pondering a change in career plans. A correspondent for several area newspapers while in high school, Crowther went to USC because of its journalism program and wrote for the Daily Trojan as a freshman.

“But I’ve discovered I really love coaching,” he said. “I haven’t decided what I’ll do for sure yet, but I hope coaching is in my future.”

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Crowther has weathered his first coaching crisis. One of his best pitchers, junior Robert Barillas, was struck in the face by a line drive two weeks ago.

Barillas, a starting running back on the football team, underwent surgery to replace broken cheekbones last week and attended the Burroughs banquet last weekend.

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West Hills, comprised of Chaminade players and guided by Eagle coaches Eric Scherer and Scott Drootin, does not have any graduated seniors or college players on its roster.

But what the team may lack in experience, it could make up in size, especially on the mound.

“We have a bunch of guys who want to pitch,” Drootin said. “The ones who throw strikes will. And we’ve got some big boys.”

At the head of the staff are 6-foot-6 Brian Kirby and 6-5 Matt Chirba. They are followed by 6-3 Bruce Greenwood, 6-2 Justin Stewart, 6-1 Nate Dunlap and 6-1 James Andry.

“Almost everyone is fighting for spots [on next year’s varsity] and this is a good way to earn them,” Drootin said. “The one proven guy is Greenwood.”

Chirba, an outfielder who will pitch for the first time this week, is the biggest question mark.

“He’s got a great arm and he has a pitcher’s mentality in that he’s really mentally tough,” Drootin said. “If it works I’ve got the biggest find in the Valley.”

For now, Chirba will throw only fastballs.

“You just want him to be able to hit spots,” Drootin said. “After that you can teach him a second pitch.”

Drootin said Andry pitched a five-inning no-hit victory in his only varsity start for Chaminade this season but never pitched again because of the Eagles’ depth on the mound.

Also likely to see pitching time are Chaminade junior varsity standouts Eric Holtzman and Jeff Hynick.

Despite the staff’s potential, Drootin knows it will take much instruction to mold true pitchers out of the bunch.

“You can throw 100 mph but if you can’t throw strikes, who cares?,” Drootin said. “With all these guys, I’m still working on getting some consistency.

“But at least we have the numbers.”

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District 20 will have a slightly different look this season with the addition of a fifth division.

Eight teams--each division winner plus the teams with the next three best records--will qualify for the district playoffs July 15-20.

District 20 will play host to the Area 6 playoffs July 24-27 at Jackie Robinson Stadium, although the first day will be played at Birmingham High because Jackie Robinson is unavailable.

The District 20 All-Star game is tentatively scheduled for July 6.

Times staff writer Tris Wykes contributed to this story.

* LEGION ROUNDUP: Valley North’s Greg Wold collected a key hit and the pitching victory in relief during a 6-5 victory over Saugus. C8