Last March, Cameron Garfield and Brooks Pounders were gearing up for their season-opening high school baseball games at Murrieta Valley and Temecula Valley, respectively.  A year later, both Garfield and Pounders are still on the diamond, and still prepping for the beginning of something special.

This spring, it's for minor league baseball.

"It's been nothing but amazing," said Garfield, whose been training within the Brewers' winter program since January. "It's the same sport, but it's completely different than high school. As far as competition goes and how you prepare yourself, it's a completely different mindset."

The jump from prep baseball to pro baseball was a quick one for both Garfield and Pounders. Last summer, right after the high school season ended for Murrieta and Temecula in mid-May, they were picked up in June's amateur draft.

Pounders got the call in the second round from the Pirates, and Garfield was taken (also in the second round) by Milwaukee. Soon after, both packed up and went east to play rookie ball ---- Pounders to the Pirates' Gulf Coast League team and Garfield to Montana, to play with the Brewers' affiliate in Helena.

"Coming out here to Florida was tough at first," Pounders said of the move.

"You definitely have to grow up fast, but I feel like I've settled in now. I couldn't ask for a better coaching staff, and I'm learning a lot."

This spring, Garfield and Pounders are getting their first look at spring training.

"It's going well so far, but it's a lot of work," Pounders said. "It's a grind, but there's nothing else I'd rather be doing."

Pounders ---- whose being groomed as a pitcher and hopes to become a starter in the near future ---- said there's a lot of pressure each day to perform his best.

And each day begins early. At 7:30 a.m., Pounders and the rest of the 200 or so players in the Pirates' organization, are up for meetings and breakfast. Then it's on to the field by 8:30 or 9 a.m. for throwing, fielding and pitching practice. After lunch, there's more conditioning and training. In a couple weeks, games will begin each afternoon.

"I had an idea what spring training was going to be like, because my Dad went through it," said Pounders, whose father Brad played in the minors from 1984-1988. "There's 200 guys out here, and everybody's fighting for a job, so every day you have to go out there and compete. There's pressure involved, but I' m having fun in the process."

For Garfield, training began in January, because the Brewers have a winter program, and his daily schedule ---- with four to five hours each day on the field ---- has been similar to Pounders'.

"You have to learn how to deal with your body," Garfield said.

Perhaps even more trying than the physical exertion, is the mental pressure to succeed each day.

"I'm fighting to get to the big leagues," Garfield said. "But, to my left and my right, everyone is trying to get my job."

Garfield added that any worry about his future career disappears once he's on the field.

"The fun blocks out the pressure," he said. "Once I'm warmed up and stretched, the pressure goes away."

Likewise, Pounders can't imagine spending his spring anywhere else.

"There's nothing else I'd rather be doing and I'm thankful for the opportunity." he said.

Pounders expects to either begin the year in Single-A in Charleston, WV ---- with the West Virginia Power ---- or in short-season ball in State College, Penn. Last season, playing for the Pirates' Gulf Coast League squad, Pounders pitched in nine games, and started in four. He finished 2-2 with a 3.04 ERA and 20 strikeouts in 23 2/3 innings.

Garfield is also hoping to start out in the Single-A ranks, for the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers, but says he'll go wherever the Brewers' send him. Last summer, he played in 59 games for the Brewers' Rookie team in Helena and hit .299 with 21 RBIs and four home runs.

Other 2009 Valley grads who made the step straight from high school to the pros and are currently active in the minor league ranks include: Temescal Canyon alum Matt Heidenreich, who was drafted by the White Sox in the fourth round last June; Elsinore grad Jordan Drake, who was picked up late in the draft by the Angels; and Hemet alum David Baker, who is with the Orioles.

Et cetera

In college baseball, Temescal Canyon grad Matt Larkins, Hemet alum Mike Wolford, and Chaparral grad Robby Brantly are doing well at UC Riverside in their junior and sophomore seasons, respectively. Larkins and Wolford have aided the 7-4 Highlanders on the mound, while Brantly is hitting .325. … At St. Mary's College, Temecula Valley grad Brendan Kalfus is hitting a .355 clip for the Gaels in his freshman season, while Murrieta Valley grad Patrick Wisdom has two home runs for St. Mary's (3-6). … At San Diego State, John Pecoraro (Paloma Valley) has pitched 9 2/3 innings of relief for the Aztecs this spring and currently has an ERA of 1.86. … In men's indoor track and field, Nick Ross has been on a tear lately for Arizona. The 2009 Vista Murrieta alum set personal records in both the high jump (7 feet, 3 3/4 inches) and the triple jump (50-5 1/2) at the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Championships on February 27. He will continue on to the NCAA Division I Indoor Championships this coming weekend at the University of Arkansas.