This year’s NABA title series between the Outlaws and the
Diablos kicks off today at the Babe Ruth field at Veterans Memorial
Park in Hollister
Michael Montoya, head coach and one of the many offensive powerhouses for the NABA’s Diablos, knows that the last thing his team wants to do is underestimate its opponent in this year’s championship series.
True, the Diablos have the youngest, and arguably the most potent, roster in the league, one that features more than a dozen former All-League selections at the ‘Baler varsity level, but the Outlaws have got a solid team as well.
The Outlaws are coming off a 2004 season that saw them lose only two games and make it to the championship series. This season, they’re out to prove that they can hang with a Diablos squad that seems destined to take the ’05 crown.
“We’ve got a bunch of good players on our team,” said Outlaws coach Alex Garcia. “We’ve got a lot of good hitters, which is good because we know (the Diablos) have some great pitching. I think that the key for us is to be smart on the bases and limit our mistakes.”
The Outlaws are making their second straight appearance in the championship series this season, a fact that is nearly baffling seeing as how the team has had only one organized practice all season long.
And only five players on the Outlaws’ roster were able to make that lone practice session.
Normally, the team would have access to the Babe Ruth field at Veteran’s Memorial Park at least twice a week for practice. But this year, the field was in use for the majority of the NABA season as Hollister played host to one of the Babe Ruth tournaments at the end of the season.
“It’s been a wierd season,” Garcia said. “We didn’t get to practice like we did last year. This year, we were beating the teams we were supposed to beat but struggled against others. And I think that our lack of practice time had a lot to do with that.”
The Diablos had no such problems. The team stormed through the regular season and then defeated the A’s 6-0 to advance to the championship series. The Outlaws are strong on the mound with Eric Diaz, a flamethrower who is consistantly throwing in the 90-MPH range, sidewinder Justin Patton, and Sonoma State’s newest commodity Jason Sims, who also sports an overpowering delivery to the plate.
But the team can also hit. Coach Montoya leads the league in home runs and boasts a batting average that hovers around the .700 mark.
Former Haybaler catcher Seth Hudson also figures to be a big contributer on offense and defensively behind the dish.
The Outlaws will rely heavily on Anthony Sopelo, who sports an average around .600, and Brock Prather, who blasted a two-run shot against the A’s in the semifinals, to put a lot of runs on the scoreboard.
The battle for the title begins tonight as the best-of-three series kicks off at 6pm at Hollister’s Veteran’s Memorial Park on the Babe Ruth field.
For the Outlaws, coach Garcia will start on the mound against Patton for the Diablos. ‘Baler fans who already miss watching Sims work his magic on the mound could get a look at the post-high school version of the league MVP on Sunday if the series goes that long as he will make the trip from Sonoma to start if needed.
