Baseball: Mater Dei could have a freshman starter

There are lots of good freshmen who will be playing varsity baseball this spring, and Santa Ana Mater Dei has one in infielder Brandon Perez.

Perez is expected to become the first Mater Dei freshman starter since catcher Jeremy Martinez. Whether he'll start in the Monarchs' season opener next Friday against Bishop Amat remains to be seen. But he did well in the fall, and Coach Burt Call is convinced he can contribute immediately.

"He has a good bat and good arm," Call said.

Mater Dei is ranked No. 2 in The Times' preseason rankings.

-- Eric Sondheimer