Baseball: West Valley League title will be decided this week

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This is the week the West Valley League baseball champion should be determined, along with the No. 1 seed for the City Section Division I playoffs.

Chatsworth (23-2, 9-1) and Reseda Cleveland (19-6, 9-1) are tied for first place. Each plays three games this week, ending with the league-title decider on Friday at Cleveland.

The coaches are going to earn their pay by trying to set up their pitching rotations. Cleveland changed its rotation this past week to make sure that ace John Wilson will pitch against the Chancellors. That’s a wise decision.

But Chatsworth has decided to use its ace, Mike Renner, on Monday against El Camino Real. The more important game is Friday, because even if Chatsworth loses to El Camino Real, a win over Cleveland gives the Chancellors the tiebreaker edge and the likely No. 1 seeding for the playoffs.

Coach Tom Meusborn has confidence in his pitching depth with Ryan Cooperstone and Andrew Klausmeier available in support of Renner.

Cleveland doesn’t have the same pitching depth, and must play El Camino Real a week from Monday when it will turn to David Carver.

Regardless of what happens early in the week, we’ll know who’s going to win the West Valley title by Friday evening.

-- Eric Sondheimer