Cousins and former San Benito stars Klauer and Canez are
adapting to life and baseball at San Jose State University
San Jose – A year ago, Karson Klauer and Breyon Canez were busy leading the San Benito baseball team to a school-record 24 wins and a Tri-County Athletic League title, while earning a share of the league’s Most Valuable Player award.
That’s all changed a bit for the cousins.
They are now freshman roommates and teammates at San Jose State, with Klauer having earned the starting third baseman’s job for the Spartans.
“In my head, I thought I had the chance to start. I knew I’d have the opportunity,” Klauer said after Saturday’s 7-4 loss to Washington State..
The road is a bit different for Canez, who is red-shirting this season. He practices with the team and typically charts and clocks pitches at home games, but does not play in games or travel with the team.
Both players say they are enjoying the experience and are grateful to be there for each other.
“That’s big support,” Klauer said of Canez. “He helps me with extra work when I need it. It’s almost like having an extra hitting coach because he knows my swing better than anybody.”
The benefits are similar for Canez.
“If I have a problem or if I need extra work, he’s always there,” said Canez, who always calls himself Klauer’s biggest fan. “I always have someone to throw to.”
The season started slowly for Klauer – he went 0-for-5 in his collegiate debut – and included a four-game stretch in the middle where he only got one at-bat. But since then, he’s caught fire.
He’s now hit safely in eight of the past nine games, going 13-for-37 in that stretch to boost his average by more than 70 points. In the Spartans’ series with Washington State that ended Saturday, Klauer was 5-for-12 with a double and two runs scored.
His RBI single in the ninth inning Saturday raised his average above .300 and was also SJSU’s only hit in 10 attempts with runners in scoring position in the 7-4 loss. Another 2-for-5 day in Tuesday’s 10-6 win over USF had him hitting at a .310 clip.
Still, despite his recent success, Klauer realizes how much different the college game is from high school and that he has to keep working to improve.
“It takes a lot of extra work out there,” Klauer said. “There are some good, tough pitchers up here.”
Fortunately for Klauer, he’s had the opportunity to learn from some quality teachers, particularly on defense where he believes he’s made his biggest strides.
Former Spartan second baseman David Pierson has tutored him and current San Francisco Giants infielder and former SJSU third baseman Kevin Frandsen spent between several days during the offseason working with the team.
“He’s a good guy to try to model,” Klauer said of Frandsen, a four-year starter with the Spartans who is the school’s all-time hits leader. “He helped a lot, just with the mental aspect of the game more than anything.”
For Canez, this year is a bit tough mentally because he’s so used to being out on the field playing.
“This is really the first year since I was 3 that I took off,” Canez said.. “I’m going to go all out next year.”
One of the reasons the coaching staff chose to red-shirt Canez was because of an injury suffered during the fall. While sliding into second base at practice, he flipped over the bag and tore cartilage in his chest.
“It’s not a bad thing that I’m red-shirting,” Canez said. “I’m taking the opportunity to get stronger.”
Both players can’t wait until next season when they have the opportunity to take the field together.
“That’s going to be fun,” Klauer said.
They also both said they enjoy the college lifestyle, where they are learning to be more independent and responsible.
“In school, no one tells you what you have to do,” Canez said. “So you have to have self-discipline.”
But Klauer admits that it’s nice to still be close to home.
“It’s nice because I can see the family, the girlfriend and I can still get a good, home-cooked meal,” Klauer said. “And the laundry is awesome.”
