The last time Hollister High and Live Oak faced each other in
baseball, the Balers’ Nathan Rowe bombed a walk-off home run to
defeat the Acorns 4-3 in a 2002 Central Coast Section Division I
quarterfinal.
The last time Hollister High and Live Oak faced each other in baseball, the Balers’ Nathan Rowe bombed a walk-off home run to defeat the Acorns 4-3 in a 2002 Central Coast Section Division I quarterfinal.
On Wednesday, the two teams kick off the Tri-County Athletic League season on the Balers’ diamond. The first pitch is scheduled for 3:30 p.m.
Hollister (5-2) can expect the Acorns’ Ryan Muller, a hard-throwing righthander already ticketed for USF, to take the mound. Muller whiffed 20 out of a possible 21 batters in a 5-0 win over Santa Clara last week. The 20 strikeouts could very well be a CCS record.
Baler coach Neal Andrade is leaning toward Eric Diaz Jr. to pitch the league opener and sending Rowe to the mound at Live Oak on Friday versus Acorns lefty Kyle Bennett.
“I want the ball on Wednesday,” said Diaz Jr. “It’s going to be a great game. Live Oak will be out to get us. We know that.”
The Balers beat the Acorns (5-3) three times last season, all three times against Muller.
“He’s a gutty pitcher,” said Diaz Jr., who had seven hits against Muller last year. “He’s good, but he’s nothing this team shouldn’t be able to handle. The guys were talking about it today. He doesn’t scare us.”
Andrade moved the pitching machine up in Monday’s practice to emulate Muller’s upper-80s to low-90s fastball.
“We have to be ready for him, but we can’t let someone take us out of our game,” said Andrade. “We have to concentrate on what we do best.”
Live Oak coach Marc Cummins said that pro scouts have taken note of Muller, who stands 6-foot-1 and weighs 165 pounds.
“He was throwing his curveball over for strikes, too,” said Cummins. “There will be some scouts following him around for awhile, perhaps on Wednesday. He has great control and a great fastball. And he’s effectively wild.”
In the game against the Bruins, Muller allowed a double and hit two batters. The lone non-strikeout was a groundout to second. Other than that, nothing but Ks or backwards-Ks.
“We’re only as good as our pitching will take us,” said Cummins. “If our pitchers strike out 20 batters every game, I like our chances.”
Muller, the co-Pitcher of the Year in the Monterey Bay League last year, is also one of the top hitters on the club. Outfielder Bryan Jones and shortstop Dave Newton are two other of the club’s top hitters. Eleven players returned for the Acorns this season.
“This could be two of the top teams in the league going at it in the first game,” said Andrade.
“Neal does a great job with the program,” said Cummins. “I expect Hollister to be one of the contenders to win league. Salinas also has some good players coming back. Palma always has some good players. I like the way the league is set up with teams playing each other twice in the same week. They’ll be no cheap title. It will be more of a true champion.”
The first step to the T-CAL title could very well be taken on Wednesday.
