Former Baler co-MVP continues to hit and pitch
Hartnell Junior College freshman and former San Benito High pitcher Eric Diaz Jr. was selected to the All-Conference team.
Diaz was surprised to find out one morning before a class that he had been selected to the team. For the freshman, the move from high school to college baseball was an easy adjustment for the most part.
“It was everything I expected,” Diaz said. “For nine innings, it was all out. It was a good experience. The pitching was a lot tougher than in high school. The pitchers are smarter and have more pitches. Everyone is more mature.”
But that didn’t stop Diaz from continuing to hit like he did with the Haybalers, when he was the co-MVP of the league. Diaz had a .319 batting average and was second on the Panthers with 33 RBIs. He batted in the third, fourth and fifth spots.
“He did a great job getting quality at-bats,” said Hartnell coach Dan Teresa. “He did a great job under pressure and was the guy you wanted up at the plate because he would make contact.”
But Diaz wasn’t selected to the All-Conference team for his hitting proficiency.
It was his pitching that earned the freshman notoriety. As a southpaw, he was the workhorse this year, leading the team with 86.2 innings. After pitcher Ismael Gudino, from Gonzales High, had elbow surgery, Diaz became the go-to guy.
“All the coaches noticed the type of athlete he was and how he battled on the mound,” Teresa said. “He was a competitor and kept us in the games.”
Hartnell finished the season with an 11-14 record.
“We had an all round good team,” Diaz said. “We had a lot of guys who could help the team out in different areas.”
The highlight of the year for Diaz was the game against San Mateo, who was ranked No. 1 in California.
Both teams traded runs before San Mateo won. Hartnell was in the playoff race until losing four consecutive games late in the season.
One of the highlights this year was facing his former high school coach, Neal Andrade, who is at Gavilan College.
Diaz had one of his losses against San Jose City College. He had a 5-0 shutout going through six innings, while striking out 12 and allowing just one hit. But a couple errors opened the way for San Jose’s big inning in the seventh to win 8-7.
Teresa was one of the many coaches who heavily recruited Diaz out of high school. Diaz decided on Monterey Peninsula College instead of Hartnell, but he later regretted his decision. After the fall ball season, Diaz transferred to Hartnell.
“He told me that if anything went wrong or if I didn’t like it to give him a call,” Diaz said. “I didn’t feel like I was getting that much and working out the way I should. Coach Teresa is all hustle all the time.”
Diaz, who plans to be back at Hartnell next year, was asked to play with the semi-pro Salinas Packers this year, but chose to play for the Watsonville Agies instead because he said he felt it presented the best opportunity.
