In Diego Fisher, Tyler Triano and Ryan Jameson, San Benito High has arguably the best starting rotation in the Central Coast Section. The three seniors are coming off terrific 2016 seasons, helping the Haybalers reach the CCS Open Division baseball championship game (they lost a 1-0 nail-biter to St. Francis).
With all three pitchers back and perhaps better than ever—they can all be considered aces—San Benito enters the season looking for that elusive section title. Despite a rich and storied history, the Balers have never won it all despite also reaching the championship game in 2007, 2011, 2012 and 2016.
“It’s time for San Benito to win the CCS championship for baseball,” said Triano, who earned the 2016 Monterey Bay League Gabilan Division Pitcher of the Year.
If the pitching trio repeats or surpasses their performance from last season, there’s an excellent chance the Balers will come through and earn one of the toughest team titles to win in the CCS. All three have verbally committed to play in college: Fisher with San Jose State, Jameson with Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and Triano with Cal State Monterey Bay.
Billy Aviles, who is entering his seventh year as the San Benito coach, said he doesn’t have to worry about his frontline starters getting complacent or suffering a dropoff in performance, noting all three of them packed on 10 to 15 pounds in the off-season.
“They’re coming in a lot more physical,” Aviles said. “They’re a very hungry group, and I don’t have to worry about them because they like being challenged and pushed.”
What makes this trio so unique is their consistency, as they only had a couple of shaky outings combined last season. Fisher, a 6-foot-4, 195-pound left-hander, yielded just 34 hits in 57 innings with a 1.47 ERA. Fisher had 65 strikeouts while also being a force offensively, as he hit No. 2 in the lineup.
Fisher hit .329, often coming up with hits at key moments. Triano, a 6-foot, 170-pound right-hander, allowed just 33 hits over 53 innings while striking out 48 with a 0.92 ERA. Jameson, a 6-2, 180-pound right-hander, pitched 19 1/3 innings and had a 1.45 ERA. All three were vital down the stretch and especially in the playoffs, when Fisher pitched a complete-game shutout against Bellarmine in the Open Division semifinals followed by solid outings from Triano and Jameson in the championship game against St. Francis. Not surprisingly, all three players said their individual highlights came from performing well in the postseason.
“When coach told me I would be starting against St. Francis, that’s when I finally figured out I had the potential to go somewhere with baseball,” Triano said.
Jameson also counted the title game as his highlight, as he struck out two of the four batters he faced in relief. The lone miscue was a breaking pitch that hit a St. Francis player with the bases loaded, forcing in the only run of the game. The pitch, in fact, wasn’t that far off the plate; however, the St. Francis batter didn’t make an attempt to get out of the way, and the ball clipped him on the arm.
“Even though I beaned a batter to walk in a run, I came back the next inning and struck out two guys,” Jameson said. “That kind of showed my attitude toward the game and how I don’t give up.”
All three pitchers throw the ball with tremendous movement. Fisher utilizes a fastball, curveball and changeup with devastating results. Whenever Fisher delivers a pitch inside, the ball runs in on batters, preventing them from making solid contact.
When Fisher throws pitches away from batters, they tail away late, making those pitches difficult to hit. Triano uses a fastball, curveball and changeup, mixing speeds nicely while challenging hitters from the get-go. In the majority of his starts last year, Triano threw first-pitch strikes at a high rate.
Jameson throws a two-seam fastball and slider with tremendous velocity and movement. Whenever Aviles brought in Jameson in relief situations last year, he was pretty much automatic in shutting down the opposition. Fisher, Triano and Jameson worked hard in the off-season to improve, knowing they couldn’t rest on their accomplishments.
Fisher made sure to work on his changeup and curve, and Triano incorporated a slider and two-seam over the off-season. Friendly yet intense competition runs deep with the three, as they compete in bullpen sessions and conditioning drills. In the bullpen sessions, the three have a competition on who can hit certain spots more often.
In conditioning drills, they’re equally as competitive.
“Tyler likes to think he’s the fastest out of us three, but I usually win the sprints,” Jameson said. “Tyler is probably the most competitive person on the whole team when it comes to that type of stuff. But it’s great because we all bond together when we’re conditioning.”
The three standout pitchers grew up together and get along really well, which makes the experience all the more enjoyable.
“We have strong relationships,” Fisher said. “We’ve always wanted to be No. 1, and it’s great because we root each other on every time one of us takes the ball. Ryan and Tyler are my best friends, and it’s a lot of fun when you can play baseball with your best friends.”
Most high school teams are fortunate to have two ace-type pitchers. The Balers have three, making them one of the favorites in the loaded Open Division.
