The specters of Joe Borchard, Delmon Young, et al, hover over the program.

That's the way the Camarillo High baseball team likes it, too, figuring that success breeds success and hoping that star players yield, well, more star players.

"Oh, yeah. We know what those guys did," says senior shortstop/pitcher Garrett Rau. "We're just hoping to continue all the things they accomplished and have the same kind of success. This program has a great tradition."

Throughout the years, and a list of distinguished graduates that include Borchard, an outfielder with the Florida Marlins, and Young, the No. 1 pick in Major League Baseball's 2003 draft, the Camarillo baseball program has evolved into one of Ventura County's models of consistency.

That's consistently good, including the high-water mark in 2002 when the Scorpions won the CIF-Southern Section Division I championship under longtime coach Scott Cline with an 8-1 victory over Lakewood at Anaheim Stadium.

In coach Richard Jaquez's four-year tenure, his "worse" season was the first, in 2003, when Camarillo finished 17-11.

In 2005, the Scorpions ended up 19-10 and reached the Division II quarterfinals. A year ago, Camarillo won the Pacific View League title and advanced to the second round in Division II.

Here in 2007, the championship sequel might be in line.

"We want to go all the way," said junior first baseman Nathan Johnson. "We believe we can do it."

The Scorpions are playing like a champion, rolling up a 16-1 record, including 8-0 in the Pacific View League. They're dispatching opponents with the cold-blooded efficiency of a horror-movie villain.

Through 17 games, Camarillo has outscored its opponents, 184-57, while scoring in double figures in 12 games.

While Camarillo appears to have its league title all but secured, there's no letup either. On Friday, celebrating their new position as the No. 2-ranked team in Division II, the Scorpions hammered Buena, 14-5.

The players, in fact, are still upset that they're not perfect.

"We can't believe we lost to Saugus," said Rau.

That was in their third game of the season, a 11-7 defeat in the Easton Tournament. Since then, the Scorpions have won 14 consecutive games.

Jaquez said his team has thrived on exquisite balance, not only in the lineup but in all phases of its game.

Jon Erb is 6-0 with a 1.50 ERA, while Rau is 5-0 with a 0.68 ERA.

Rau, who hit two homers against Buena, is batting .448 with 19 RBIs; Jake Mahan is hitting .540 with 16 RBIs; Johnson is batting .429 with 18 RBIs; and Bryan Wilson's three-run homer against Buena lifted him to 21 RBIs.

Jaquez said one key to success is planning ahead. Make that way ahead.

Camarillo's coaches begin working with incoming freshmen each summer, incorporating the entire program into the Scorpions' way to play baseball.

"We're working on four-year cycles," he said. "This team is really the end of one four-year cycle, though we're going to have a very good nucleus with a strong junior class.

"Our goal is to be able to compete each year."

Jaquez said team success all begins with one factor.

"It's the players," he said. "We've been fortunate to have a steady stream of good players coming into the system. A lot of that comes from our youth program, the Pleasant Valley Little League, which is responsible for getting all these kids started."

The players, in turn, cite leadership at the top.

"We're getting great coaching," said junior second baseman Mahan. "They're teaching us the game, and they get us ready to play."

Rau is among the rare players who didn't matriculate in the Camarillo system. He transferred from Buena High before his junior year, and quickly settled into the program.

"Everyone gets along," he said. "Everybody is committed to winning. It's a lot of fun to play in this program."

The baseball players say they're also inspired by a friendly rivalry at their own school. The Camarillo softball team is 15-1 and ranked No. 2 in Division I.

"They like to make fun of us and tell us that they're going to do better than us," said Johnson. "Really, we're all friends and we kind of push each other to do better. We want each other to do well."

This year's team may or may contain a future major leaguer, like Borchard and Young.

But their are big dreams.

Rau was a key member of the Thousand Oaks squad that won the Big League World Series last summer in South Carolina. He intends to play community college baseball next year to pursue his quest.

"I'd love to get drafted some day and have a chance to play in the major leagues," he said. "The big goal is to win a championship and go on from there."