The Marmonte League baseball season has reached its midway point.

At 6-1 in league play, reigning champion Newbury Park sits atop the Marmonte standings, but only by the slimmest of margins. Thousand Oaks and Simi Valley are both 5-1-1 in league and each team still has a legitimate shot at the title.

Royal currently occupies the fourth and final playoff spot. The Highlanders are 4-3 in league and have cooled down slightly following a 10-0 start. Calabasas and Westlake are both 3-4. From here on out, any loss in Marmonte play could jeopardize those teams' chances of making the postseason.

Moorpark and Agoura are 1-6 and 0-7, respectively, and are likely building for the future. Still, both teams have several quality players and could serve as potential spoilers down the stretch.

With the local teams out participating in various spring break tournaments this week, it's the perfect opportunity to name our firsthalf Marmonte League AllStars. Here are the guys who've shined brightest on the diamond to date. And by the way, we will not be using the designated hitter. This is old-school baseball.

JANN HENDRY/Acorn Newspapers SUPER SOUTHPAW- Thousand Oaks senior lefthander Matt Bywater is allowing less than a run per seven innings. First base: Andrew Lambo,

Newbury Park

Although he rarely sees a pitch to hit during each at-bat, Lambo, the reigning league player of the year, still leads the Marmonte with five home runs. He's batting .500 and has almost as many RBI (15) as hits (16). His defense, often overlooked because of his offensive production, has been stellar as well.

Lambo is the heart and soul of the Panthers. He's a fiery player who often wears his emotions on his sleeve, which might turn some people off. Nevertheless, Lambo is the most feared player in the Marmonte. His name should be called early on in the MLB draft.

Honorable mention: Shane Kroker, Westlake; Jeff Forgerson, Simi Valley; Justin Fredlender, Calabasas; Daniel Payne, Thousand Oaks.

Second base: Harrison Kain,

Thousand Oaks

Kain, a senior, entered the week ranked second in the league with a .523 batting average. His .600 onbase percentage is phenomenal, and he's as surehanded as they come on the field, having committed zero errors entering the break.

Kain has been the best player at his position in a league that's packed with high quality second basemen. He's been so productive in the No. 7 spot of the Lancer batting order that head coach Frank Mutz has been reluctant to move him up. If Kain continues to play this well, he'll be in the mix for player of the year honors at the end of the season.

Honorable mention: Jack Marder, Newbury Park; Matt Orloff, Simi Valley; Mike Vinyard, Royal.

Shortstop: Cutter Dykstra,

Westlake

Expectations were high for Dykstra entering his junior season with the Warriors, and he hasn't disappointed. Dykstra entered the week leading WHS in home runs (three), RBI (13) and stolen bases (seven). His .300 batting average is probably a little lower than he'd like, though.

On the field, Dykstra's defense has been much improved from a year ago. He only had three errors during the team's first 18 games. He's already made a verbal commitment to UCLA.

Honorable mention: Cliff Quick, Royal; Collin Lavoie, Thousand Oaks; Miles Silverstein, Calabasas; Westley Wright, Moorpark. Third base: Adam Landecker,

Calabasas

Landecker has been the early season surprise of the Marmonte League baseball campaign. An unheralded first-year starter at third base, Landecker entered the break with a leaguebest .526 batting average. That's not bad for a sophomore.

For such a young player, Landecker's consistency has been outstanding. He hit safely in 10 of the Coyotes' first 13 contests, including seven multiple-hit games. If his defense continues to improve, the sky's the limit for this young ballplayer.

Honorable mention: Eric Bernstein, Simi Valley; Jett Bandy, Thousand Oaks; Jason Barmasse, Westlake; Michael Moris, Moorpark.

Catcher: Mike Schwartz,

Newbury Park

Like second base, the catcher position in the Marmonte League is absolutely stacked. Schwartz, a senior transfer from Santa Monica, gets the nod because of his offense.

With Lambo and Jack Marder hitting in front of him, Schwartz generally comes to the plate with runners on base, and thus far he's taken full advantage of those opportunities by leading the league with 21 RBI. He's also batting a robust .472 with 10 runs scored.

Honorable mention: Chris Hannick, Thousand Oaks; Alex Kurland, Calabasas; Jake Reed, Simi Valley; Justin Czyrklis, Royal. Outfielders: Richard Stock, Agoura; Kyle Jones, Thou

sand Oaks; Alex Birgel,

Thousand Oaks

Jones, a senior, would start in center field, with Stock in right and Birgel patrolling left. Stock's probably more of a catcher, but I wanted to get his bat into the lineup, so he's been moved to the outfield.

Jones is a solid hitter with good plate discipline. He's batting .370 with 11 walks. He can also steal bases and plays excellent defense in the outfield gaps.

Stock possesses a beautiful lefthanded swing, similar to his older brother Robert, who's now playing at USC. The sophomore leads Agoura in batting average (.467), home runs (three), RBI (17), hits (21) and doubles (eight).

Birgel barely beat out Westlake freshman Christian Yelich for the third outfield spot. The two players' numbers are very similar, but Birgel has more speed, and that gives him the edge here. Birgel is hitting .448 with eight stolen bases.

Honorable mention: Christian Yelich, Westlake; Brett Hale, Simi Valley; Mike La Rosa, Calabasas.

Starting pitchers: Matt

Bywater, Thousand Oaks;

Andrew Lambo, Newbury Park; Matt Magill, Royal; Jeff

Johnson, Thousand Oaks;

Tanner Peters, Royal

Bywater, a senior left-hander who will attend Pepperdine, has been incredible on the mound, especially during his past few starts. In his last two league games, Bywater nearly threw a pair of nohitters, allowing a total of four hits in 13.2 innings combined. Bywater has six victories with a .670 ERA and 31 strikeouts.

Lambo is another powerful lefty. He regularly throws more than 100 pitches during an outing, so fatigue is rarely an issue. Lambo is carrying a 1.00 ERA.

Magill hasn't allowed a run in 14 innings of work. Unfortunately, he suffered a left shoulder injury and hasn't pitched since March 16. Head coach Dan Maye said Magill could be back on the mound later this week.

Johnson and Peters have been outstanding as well. Johnson's ERA is at 1.59, while Peters has posted a 2.07 ERA despite not having a ton of wins for the Highlanders.

In the bullpen: Cory Goldsmith, Moorpark; Andres Ceja, Moorpark; Nick Barnese, Simi Valley; Nick Russo, Simi Valley; Drew Sandler, Simi Valley; Jordan Flores, Simi Valley; Anthony Montenegro, Newbury Park; Alex Gillingham, Westlake; Chad Kanner, Agoura; Chad Smith, Thousand Oaks.

Manager: Dan Maye, Royal

Maye led his team to 10 consecutive victories to start the season. On March 30, Royal handed Newbury Park its first Marmonte defeat. Those two accomplishments and the fact that he preaches constant teamwork have Maye coaching this All-Star cast.

Honorable mention: Scott Drootin, Newbury Park; Matt La Belle, Simi Valley; Frank Mutz, Thousand Oaks.