Seaside – For opening acts, this was beyond impressive.
Playing in his first games for Sonoma State University after starring at Gilroy High and Gavilan College in recent years, B.J. Collom wasted no time in making himself right at home at the plate. And terrorizing Cal State-Monterey Bay’s pitchers in the process.
Collom laid waste to whatever the Otters threw his way, finishing 5-for-8 with two home runs as Sonoma State rolled to a three-game sweep.
“I was seeing the ball well a couple of times,” said a modest Collom. “I was just going up there wanting to swing at the pitch I wanted to hit, not the pitch the pitchers wanted me to swing at. The couple of mistakes they made, I just took advantage of them.”
Taking advantage of them meant sending a drive soaring over the 370-foot marker in rightfield for a two-run homer in Friday’s opener, a 9-5 Seawolves’ win. It meant clubbing a grand slam to put Sonoma State up 7-1 in the first game of Saturday’s doubleheader. And it meant going 3-for-3 in the tail end of the twin bill as the Seawolves posted back-to-back 12-3 victories.
When the dust settled, Collom’s three-game showing read like this: Five hits in eight at-bats, good for a .625 batting average. Seven runs batted in. Four runs scored. Two home runs. And, for good measure, three walks.
“He had a phenomenal start,” said Sonoma State head coach John Goelz. “It’s a much different series if he’s not on our team. He seems to do well against everybody-hard throwers, soft throwers. He was really focused at the plate, just real dialed in.”
Collom’s blistering start shouldn’t surprise anyone familiar with the junior’s past successes on the diamond. The former Gilroy High standout stayed local to shoulder much of Gavilan College’s offense the past two seasons.
As a freshman for the Rams in 2004, Collom earned Coast South All-Conference Second Team honors as a leadoff hitter. Last season, he followed up with a First Team selection, one of four outfielders to receive the designation.
“That experience was really exciting,” said Collom of his Gavilan career. “I wasn’t sure if I would still play [after Gilroy High]. [Rams head coach Neal Andrade] helped me a lot with the little things.”
Goelz was thrilled to be able to bring Collom to his program, going so far as to compare the center fielder to former Sonoma State star and current Oakland A’s farmhand Tommy Everidge.
“Anybody who can hit third in college is a pretty darn good player,” said Goelz. “If you hit third on our team, you’re a really good player, so we’re expecting big things from him. Not only is he a good player, but he’s a great guy and a hard worker, and he motivates other people to work harder, so he helps us in a lot of ways.”
Collom was much more interested in talking about his new team-ranked No. 10 in Baseball America’s preseason rankings of Division II programs.
“We’ve got a lot of expectations to live up to, but I think we’ve got a really good squad,” said Collom after Friday’s season opener. “The team’s really good. It’s not just one guy, two guys. It’s the whole team.”
Asked to assess Sonoma State’s performance following the sweep, Collom said it was the ideal way to start the season.
“We got some wins under our belt,” said Collom. “It boosted our confidence, helped get our timing down, we got to get our pitchers in. It was about getting to know the atmosphere of Division II college baseball. It’s really going to help our team.”
The determination and drive Collom has used to excel at each successive level he plays at were evident in how he was anxious to improve on his sparkling debut.
“I still feel a little uncomfortable at the plate,” said Collom. “I’m still trying to get my timing down. It gets a little better. I’m much more consistent. My situational hitting gets a little bit better.”
That type of attitude-the eagerness to improve even after such a dominant showing-was one of many qualities that Goelz said make Collom a special player.
“It’s one thing to be talented … but he has a poise about him,” said the Seawolves’ head coach. “He keeps things in perspective. He’s just a real steady guy.
“Those are the type of guys that win you championships.”
