Over the years, the San Benito High baseball team has proven to be one of the best programs in the Central Coast Section.
There’s only one thing missing from the Haybalers’ resume: a CCS playoff championship. San Benito has gotten oh so close in the last three years, having reached the Division I title game in 2011 and 2012 and the semifinals last season.
“That’s the ultimate goal, to win a CCS championship,” fourth-year Balers coach Billy Aviles said. “We’re looking to take the final step this season.”
San Benito, which had its seven-year run as league champions snapped last year, has a talented and deep 26-player roster featuring four players — center fielder Josh George (Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo), pitcher Jacob Trujillo (Cal State Bakersfield), right fielder Dylan Yamasaki (Chico State), and pitcher Hunter Haworth (Chico State) — who have already committed to Division I programs.
In addition, a couple of other players are receiving heavy interest from D-I schools.
The Balers, who were 5-2 overall and 4-0 in MBL Gabilan Division play entering Thursday’s game against Salinas, are so deep that Aviles said whenever he brings a player off the bench or from the bullpen, there’s little or no dropoff in talent and production.
“The way I look at it is the only other schools as deep in talent as us are the West Catholic schools,” Aviles said. “The guys who I pull off the bench are all quality guys, and I’ve got four or five pitchers who I can roll out there and feel confident that they can shut lineups down.”
Indeed, if the team’s early-season results are any indication, it’s going to be a long year for the opposition. On March 18, Greg Steinbeck, Trujillo and David Werolin combined on a no-hitter in a 9-0 win over Monterey.
The trio struck out six, walked none and needed only 73 pitches to complete the no-hitter. Monterey’s only two baserunners came via San Benito errors. In a 6-4 win over Gilroy on March 12, Steinbeck struck out nine of the 14 batters he faced, a dazzling display of power pitching at its finest.
“I think he struck out the first seven hitters he faced. It was crazy,” Aviles said. “Greg pretty much manhandled them.”
Haworth is an imposing 6-foot-3, 200-pound power pitcher, and Trujillo is a 5-9 left-hander who also throws hard, consistently clocking 85-87 mph.
“The great thing is all three guys pound the zone for strikes,” Aviles said. “They throw hard, they come after guys and they have control.”
In addition to the Big Three, Brandon Granger, Justin Goodwin, Tommy Hernandez and Werolin are expected to see a lot of innings, either in starting or relief roles. The Balers also have a stacked lineup, even though they’ll be without the services of their best hitter, George, who is out for the season after undergoing hip surgery.
“He’s the best hitter in the CCS, so it’s a big blow for the team and a bummer,” Aviles said.
Shortstop Cody Freitas also missed several games starting in the first week of March after he had an infection that forced him to spend five days in the hospital.
“We don’t know when we’ll get Cody back, but we hope it’s soon,” Aviles said.
Despite missing two of their top position players, the Balers are still strong up and down the lineup. Garret Kelly has taken over in center field and has hit leadoff, and Andrew Breen is an impact player at shortstop.
In two games against Gilroy this season, Breen went a combined 4 for 5 with three RBI and five walks, giving him a robust .833 on-base percentage. In Yamasaki and first baseman Connor Fabing, San Benito has one of the best 3-4 hitting combinations in the section.
Both players are clutch run producers, and Fabing has the capability to hit monster home runs, as he did in the team’s first game against Gilroy.
“I think that ball just landed,” Aviles said three days after the fact. “It was a bomb.”
The Balers are solid at just about every position, with catcher Zack Moeller, third baseman Junior Rodriguez, left fielder Danny Gonzales and second baseman Tony Amaral.
San Benito also has plenty of speedburners, with Breen, Kelly, Freitas and Yamasaki all capable of putting pressure on defenses with their ability to fly around the bases.
With no shortage of talent, Aviles said the key to the season will be the players maintaining a team-first attitude.
“With so many kids on the team, there can be distractions,” he said. “But what I like about this team is they’re all working toward the same goal, and that is to win their last game. If we can keep the kids focused, I’ll feel really good about our team. We’ve come close to tasting it (winning CCS). Now we really want to taste it.”
oward the same goal, and that is to win their last game. If we can keep the kids focused, I’ll feel really good about our team. We’ve come close to tasting it (winning CCS). Now we really want to taste it.”
