April 13, 2012 > Men's Baseball: Irvington and Kennedy look toward winning season Men's Baseball: Irvington and Kennedy look toward winning season Submitted By John Suza, Photo by Mike Heightchew As cross-town rivals Kennedy and Irvington start the Mission Valley Athletic League season, both teams are hopeful that the year will begin on a wining track. The new coaching staff at Kennedy, Doug Friend and Chris Gomes, were excited to see a complete game victory from Frank Barrios. With a new set of pitches, the ball game was much improved over last year and kept Vikings hitters off-balance. Kennedy catcher C.J. Giles proved to be masterful behind the plate. Teammate, clean-up hitter and third baseman Emilio Ruiz, who lost his grandfather the day before and dedicated the game to him, had two hits and a sparkling defensive play. The Kennedy Titans, who have won their seventh game of the year are on track to their first winning season in many years. Anthony Babb and Fabio Torres are two up-and-coming players to watch this year. On the Irvington side, the Vikings achieved their fourth straight winning game this season and look to continue their streak. In the previous season, in a great team performance at Division I North Coast Sectional playoffs, they upset sixth-seed Monte Vista in eight innings before beating fellow underdog Bishop O'Dowd in 10 innings. Irvington eventually lost to Division I champion James Logan, 8-4. This year, the Vikings need captain Mark Mathias to perform well and help improve on their low hitting average. Mathias was the only member of the team to hit over .300 last season (.407). With Denny Martinez at the helm, the Vikings are looking forward to a good season.