MICHAEL COONS/Simi Acorn 'YOU'RE OUT!'-Simi Valley's Ben Orloff tags out Canyon's Tim Anderson during Saturday's game.

Simi Valley High School’s baseball team kicks off its 2004 season today, traveling to Reseda to play Cleveland High School.

First-year head coach Matt LaBelle says he’s excited about this year’s team and their chances in the tough Marmonte League. "We played extremely well over the summer, and again last fall and winter, and I think that will pay off for us this spring," LaBelle said.

LaBelle, who is also the school’s athletic director, had been an assistant coach on the varsity for two years before taking over the head coaching duties this year.

Ten seniors and four juniors are on the 15-player varsity roster, making Simi Valley one of the oldest teams in the area.

Last year’s Pioneers finished last in the eight-team Marmonte League, recording only three wins against 11 losses, but their 10-4 non-league record shows just how strong the league is.

Last season’s second-place Marmonte team, Thousand Oaks, qualified for the playoffs and won the CIF championship.

  One of Simi Valley’s top players is senior co-captain Dylan Gaughen, a 6-2, 215 pound outfielder and right-handed pitcher who accepted a scholarship to play next season at UNLV. Gaughen, who hit .385 last year while driving in 23 runs, says he is nearly back to 100% after undergoing minor shoulder surgery in November.

"I’ll probably just DH in scrimmages, but when the season starts I’ll be ready to go," Gaughen said.

Gaughen thinks the Pioneers have made great strides and that reaching the CIF playoffs is a realistic goal for the team.

"This is my fourth year here and I’ve never been to the playoffs, but everyone got a lot better over the summer," he said.

Another key player is junior Bryan Anderson, a 6-2, 200 pound left-hand hitting catcher who batted .419 last season, had 23 RBI and smacked 4 home runs to lead the team.

BaseballResource.com rates Anderson as the No. 1 junior catcher in all of southern California.

Two key returning pitchers for the 2004 Simi Valley team are Mike Roe (6-4) and John Schock (6-5), both tall right-handed seniors whose height is intimidating to batters. Schock hasn’t been able to join the baseball team because he’s a member of the basketball team, which has been in the playoffs.

Simi Valley’s defense will be led by junior shortstop Ben Orloff, a team co-captain who has been on the varsity since he was a freshman.

One newcomer to this year’s Pioneers baseball team, senior outfielder Laydell Shelton, is no stranger to Marmonte League competition.

Shelton was a star running back on Simi Valley’s football team, rushing for 1,523 yards and 17 touchdowns this season and setting Pioneers career rushing records.

Two other top newcomers are Julian Bellis, a junior 5-11, 185 pound, right-handed pitcher and Nick Giarraputo, a 6-4, 205 pound sophomore third baseman who is the lone underclassman on the team.

LaBelle feels optimistic about the season and likes what he has seen so far.

"We have a new attitude, and we’re working a lot harder and practicing a lot better," LaBelle said.

"No one is expecting a lot from us, and I think we’ll surprise some people."