CIF-SS BASEBALL CHAMPIONSHIPS: DIVISION I

CAPISTRANO VALLEY (25-6) VS. EDISON (24-5)

Saturday, Angel Stadium, 7:30 p.m.

Tickets: $5-10; Parking $10

How they got here
Capistrano Valley: The champions of the South Coast League defeated Long Beach Wilson, 8-4, in the first round; defeated Orange Lutheran, 4-0, in the second round; defeated Marina, 11-0, in the quarterfinals; and defeated Riverside Poly, 1-0, in the semifinals.

Edison's Kurt Heyer

Edison: The champions of the Sunset League defeated Lakewood, 11-1, in the first round; defeated West Ranch of Valencia, 13-1, in the second round; defeated Dana Hills, 3-2, in the quarterfinals; and defeated Mater Dei, 2-1, in the semifinals.

A look at the matchup
Edison is trying for its second CIF baseball championship, having won it in 2001.

Edison senior starting pitcher Kurt Heyer, a 6-foot-3, 195-pound right-hander who signed with Arizona, is 11-2 with a 0.82 ERA and 111 strikeouts in 94 innings.

Catcher Donald Sneed is batting .344 with seven home runs and 21 RBIs. Senior left fielder Chris Czerniachowski has a team-high 22 RBIs, but the Chargers’ hottest hitter lately has been sophomore center fielder Eric Snyder, who is 9 for 16 in the playoffs.

Snyder

Capistrano Valley starting pitcher Kevin Chambers, a 6-3, 205-pound senior right-hander who signed with Oklahoma State, is 8-4 with a 2.60 ERA and 64 strikeouts in 62 innings.

The Cougars also have projected first-round draftee Tyler Matzek (12-1, 0.98 ERA, 104 strikeouts) on the staff, but Matzek pitched seven innings Tuesday in the victory over Mater Dei. He has three innings available to him, as CIF pitchers are limited to 30 outs per week Monday through Saturday.

Chambers

Edison coach Steve Lambright is plenty impressed by Chambers.

“If Matzek isn’t on that team,” Lambright said, “then everybody would be talking about Chambers.”

Matzek is batting .407 with team highs of seven home runs and 31 RBIs, and Chambers has 19 RBIs. Center fielder Steve McMichael is batting .398.

Said Capistrano Valley coach Bob Zamora: “They’ve got a guy on the mound, Heyer, who’s going to keep the game close. Our guy, Kevin Chambers, can keep it close, too. We’ll see where it goes.”

Matzek

Capistrano Valley has won five CIF baseball championships, the most recent in 2001.

Projected Lineups

Capistrano Valley

No. 8 Steve McMichael CF

No. 17 Nolan Clark C

No. 19 Tyler Matzek 1B

No. 18 Kevin Chambers P

Castro

No. 12 Lee Casas DH (for No. 21 Kyle Matzek 3B)

No. 3 Jordan Castro 2B

No. 6 Peter Hoyt RF

No. 13 Charles Pfirrmann LF

No. 22 Kyle Hunt SS

Edison

No. 24 Eric Snyder CF

No. 21 Chris Czerniachowski LF

Lesinski

No. 28 Josh Lesinski DH (for No. 26 Kurt Heyer P)

No. 7 Donald Sneed C

No. 2 Ryan Little 2B

No. 6 Tanner Phillips 1B

No. 1 Ryan Miller 3B

No. 42 Jimmy Madden RF

No. 3 Kyle Jones SS

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