After at least 10 years, the Babe Ruth 16-18-year-olds All-Star
team returns; will play Tracy in state tournament
Hollister
It has been at least 10 years since the San Benito Babe Ruth dressed a 16-18-year-old All-Star team, but that will all change this Saturday when the team takes the field against Tracy at the Central California State Championships in Modesto.
Providing another option from the high school team, San Benito will be 15-strong for their upcoming six-team double-elimination state tournament, which will be held at Grace Davis High School.
Despite being absent from the All-Star landscape for the last decade, though, San Benito, with its strong history of All-Star success, will most likely have a target on its back, nonetheless.
“San Benito baseball will typically put out some pretty good teams,” manager Steve Gessell said. “If our pitching holds up, we’ll do well.”
Gessell, who will coach the team with Jeff Palermo, feels defense and hitting is where his team will excel. In fact, the latter was in full force at a recent practice, Gessell said.
During batting practice this week on the Babe Ruth field at Veterans Memorial Park in Hollister, San Benito players were launching balls well over the center field fence, sometimes even reaching the nearby Little League field that sits just beyond the 350-foot marker in dead-center field.
“The kids were jacking them out,” Gessell said. “I made them switch to the opposite hand so they wouldn’t hit them over there.
“The team looks good. We’ve got some real good talent.”
San Benito, which played with two different teams during the regular season (the Storm and the Sidewinders) will dress 15 players, including David Alvarez, Joshiah Beltran, Tim Christensen, Adrian Diaz, Trevor Gessell, David Jacquez, Jr., Wade Jacobson, Fred Larios, Eddie Orozco, Derek Palermo, Adrian Perez, Nick Phelps, Kyle Prewett, Jonathon Rudolfs and Lance Villaseñor.
San Benito will play Tracy at 5 p.m. in Modesto Saturday. The winner will advance to Sunday’s contest against Dinuba at 5 p.m.
“Pitching is gonna be the tell-tale story,” Gessell said. “We’ve got plenty of arms, but the season was hard; we didn’t have a whole lot of games or have a lot of practices.
“From what I’ve seen in the past, I’m guessing Tracy will be the toughest team we’ll face. We’ll go at them with two fists.”
