Cimarron’s Esposito tabbed Player of Year

Spencer Patterson

Wednesday, May 5, 1999 | 11:05 a.m.

Cimarron-Memorial senior Mike Esposito has captured the area's most prestigious honor, but he won't be able to enjoy it unless he takes care of business on Friday.

That's when Esposito, the coaches' pick as the 1999 Conference Player of the Year, will take the mound for his club's opening-round playoff game against Chaparral.

The 4A Southern Zone Tournament gets under way today with a pair of games at Durango High School and continues with two more contests on Friday. At stake in the double-elimination event: two berths to this year's state tournament.

The hosts will kick things off at 4 p.m. today against six-time defending state champion Green Valley. The Trailblazers (27-2) won the only meeting between the two teams back on March 12, posting a 3-2 win over the Gators (16-9).

Durango placed three players on the all-conference team: second baseman John DiBetta, outfielder Sean Havens and utility player Eric Kitchen. Sophomore outfielder Garrett Guzman was Green Valley's only first-team selection.

Game 2 will pit the area's Coach of the Year against the Sunrise Division Player of the Year. Cheyenne coach Dave Snyder earned the former after helping his club to a 17-7 record, while Silverado first baseman Jeremy West garnered the latter after a stellar season at the plate.

Along with West, Silverado pitcher Robbie Van made the all-conference first team. Shortstop Jake Laidlaw was Cheyenne's lone first team pick. The Desert Shields are the only club in this year's playoffs that did not qualify for the postseason last year.

Friday's action gets started at 4 p.m. with the first meeting of the year between Bishop Gorman (24-4) and Basic (15-9). The Gaels will have their pick of all-conference pitchers, with both Brandon Boesch and Nate Fouts joining Esposito and Van on the first-team staff.

Gorman also placed outfielder Nick Didier on the squad, while Basic shortstop Mike Rose earned second-team recognition for his club's top honor.

Friday's first-round finale will pit Esposito against Chaparral (18-8), one of the area's top hitting ballclubs. The Cowboys will have their hands full with the Spartan ace after a season that saw him go 7-1 with a 0.72 ERA and 100 strikeouts in 58 innings.

Esposito was essentially a unanimous Player of the Year selection, with Cimarron coach Calvin Valvo prevented by rules from selecting one of his own players for the award.

"I'm happy for him," Valvo said. "He's a good kid, who worked his butt off and kept getting better."

Joining Esposito on the all-conference first team were Spartan catcher James Nepa and outfielder Mike Luczynski. Third baseman Dwayne Sparks and designated hitter Dan Habel represented Chaparral on the squad.