It was a package deal of the positive sort.

When Northridge baseball players Rhett Morgan and Mikel Huston visited Seward County Community College in Kansas, one of the most highly regarded junior colleges in the country, they harbored ambitions of being added to the Saints roster next season.

But they didn't want to be offered a scholarship only to ensure the other also would attend.

"Coach (Galen McSpadden) told us he wanted us as individual players," said Huston, a senior center fielder for the Grizzlies whose father, Mike, is the coach. "He didn't want one, just to get the other to come. He said we're completely different players but that he'd like to have both of us, so that meant a lot."

Morgan, a reigning All-Colorado selection at pitcher, concurred. And for Morgan, entering his senior season, the signing is a relief.

"Now I don't have to worry about who's watching or who's saying what in the crowd," Morgan said.

If people were saying things in the crowd last season about Morgan, odds are they were positive. He finished 8-1 with a 1.23 ERA and hit .425 with eight home runs and 28 RBI while doubling as a first baseman, as he will do in college.

And Morgan believes that, this year, can be better than last for himself and the Grizzlies, who advanced to the semifinals and have been among the final eight teams in Class 4A the past three seasons.

"My velocity is up from last year," said Morgan, who has hit 89 mph during the offseason after throwing mostly in the low- to mid-80s last season. "I feel that I'm in a better position than last year and that our team is better than last year."

If Morgan pitches well this season, being selected in the Major League Baseball amateur draft is not out of the question.

"I don't know if I'll get drafted, so I'm not too worried about it," he said. "If I do and it's a late round, then I'll probably still go to school. If it's high, then I'd have a decision to make."

If that scenario unfolded and Morgan decided to go pro, it would separate him from Huston, whom he has known "since we were 3 years old."

Odds are, the two will play together at Seward County next season while each refines his game. For now, the two will try to help Northridge take an elusive next step.

The Grizzlies went 18-8 last season and narrowly missed an opportunity to play in the 4A championship game against Northern League rival Broomfield. Cherokee Trail outlasted Northridge in a 14-8 slugfest that featured neither team's ace pitchers.

The day before, Morgan shut out Cañon City 6-0, winning a duel against the much-heralded Cameron Maldonado, who will play at Wichita State.

Morgan will take a wait-and-see approach, just as he is doing with the draft. That demeanor seems to define him.

"He's just laid-back and loves to get after it," Mikel Huston said. "During practices and other times, he'll joke around, but when it gets down to game time, he's all business. That's just how you want it to be."

NOTEBOOK

• Teams in the Jefferson County League probably raised an eyebrow when they heard junior third baseman Ryan Barban transferred to Ralston Valley. As if the Mustangs did not already possess a lineup replete with marquee players, the addition of Barban was intriguing.

Barban made a name for himself as a freshman, helping Green Mountain to the 5A semifinals as the Rams leadoff hitter and second baseman before having a relatively quiet sophomore season last year.

He joins a lineup that includes standouts Matt Skipper and Brian Chritz. Ralston Valley coach Shane Freehling expects Barban to compete for a slot on the all-state team this season.

• Though Matt Presley has gotten his college signing out of the way before the season starts, the Cheyenne Mountain shortstop still might have a decision to make at season's end. Presley, who has signed with Arizona, is a major league prospect and could be drafted as high as the first round in the amateur draft in June. Presley has been tearing up the Colorado Springs Metro League since he was a sophomore, mostly at the plate, although he has had some success on the mound as well.

• Another Colorado Springs Metro League school not to count out is Woodland Park. The Panthers won the Legion B state title in the summer and return seven starters, including five seniors. The Panthers went 11-9 last season but appeared on the verge of a breakthrough. Led by all-state infielder Jay Gromelski and pitcher-outfielder Troy Kane, who combined to hit better than .600 last season, the Panthers could challenge Liberty and Cheyenne Mountain for prowess in the CSML.

• The pitching in 4A might not be better than 5A overall, but there is no disputing that the majority of the top-shelf aces are in 4A. Bradshaw Perry of top-ranked Cherokee Trail is headed to Dallas Baptist; Cameron Maldonado of 2006 semifinalist Cañon City has signed with Wichita State; Northridge pitcher Rhett Morgan is bound for Seward County Community College and Zach Cleveland of Golden, perhaps the hardest thrower of all, is receiving an abundance of Division I looks. Another top-notch pitcher, Ralston Valley's Skipper, is only a junior.

• As Thomas Jefferson aims for its fifth consecutive Denver Prep League title, the Spartans will have an added luxury this season: a home field. The Spartans lost that convenience in late March last season because of district-mandated construction. Despite having to practice on a recreational field, the Spartans advanced to the state tournament with eight sophomores.

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