Gorman enters regional bidding for return to Legion World Series

In some respects, the Bishop Gorman High School baseball team already won a national championship this season.

But the No. 1 national rankings that the Gaels were handed in June by Baseball America, Rivals.com and others don’t mean much to Johnny Field.

The senior-to-be second baseman wants more than a national title in media polls and Internet rankings. Gorman, playing as the Southern Nevada Titans, hopes to take another step toward that goal when it opens the American Legion Western Regional on Thursday at Fairfield, Calif.

“During the (high school) season, it’s not like there’s a national tournament you can play,” Field said. “It’s all based on rankings. It’s good to win state and advance to regionals to play the top teams.”

If the Titans win the eight-team, double-elimination regional, which runs through Monday, they’ll advance to the American Legion World Series for the third time in four seasons and attempt to repeat as national champions.

No team has repeated since Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico, in 1973 and 1974.

“It’s a tough task, but I think if they could do it, this club would be remembered for a long time,” Gorman coach Chris Sheff said.

But before the Titans can play in the World Series, which runs Aug. 14 to 18 in Fargo, N.D., they’ll have to make their way through a regional they open against Albuquerque, N.M., at 9 a.m. Thursday.

“All the guys coming back from the World Series last year, they know what it’ll take to win a regional, and I think we’re ready,” Gorman first baseman Jeff Malm said.

The Titans (57-12) are coming off a 12-3 win over Reno in Saturday’s state tournament final. They’ve played two of the teams in the regional, going 2-1 against Kailua, Hawaii, and 1-0 against Greeley, Colo.

Sheff said right-hander Stephen Manthei will start Thursday and left-hander Joey Rickard probably will start the first game Friday.

If there is one area in which Sheff would like to see his team improve from the Legion state tournament, it’s pitching.

“We pitched well enough to win,” he said. “I think in the regional and the World Series, in order for us to win the whole thing again, our pitching’s really going to have to step up.”

Field, who has committed to Arizona, is batting .543 with 25 home runs and 124 RBIs. He leads a potent lineup also featuring Cory Welch (.487), Erik Van Meetren (.417) and Malm (.412).

Malm, a fifth-round draft choice of the Tampa Bay Rays in June, is undecided whether to sign a professional contract or fulfill his college commitment to Southern California.

He said he remains in negotiations and is unsure what to expect before the Aug. 17 pro signing deadline.

“I’m just taking it day by day right now,” said Malm, the Louisville Slugger National Player of the Year. “It could be any day I get the call that something gets worked out, or the deal could be off. I’m just playing games with (the Titans), and I’ll see what happens after that.”