Seeking a fifth straight TCAL title, the Balers return plenty of
varsity experience to this year’s team.
HOLLISTER
It’s a different year, but the storyline surrounding the San Benito Haybalers remains practically unchanged.
The pitching staff is deep, and the expectations are high. Anything else would be a complete digression from recent years.
For a team that has won four straight Tri-County Athletic League championships and compiled a 59-7 record in the process, keeping the results in line with the past has turned the Balers into one of the more consistent programs in the area, as well as the circled team on just about everyone’s schedule.
Fending off the opposition for a fifth straight league title won’t come easy, of course, despite what the past may suggest. However, San Benito’s dominant league run can only provide a mental edge that the opposition is simply unable to replicate.
“There is a sense of calmness and confidence,” said San Benito manager Michael Luna, who enters his sixth season at the helm for the Balers.
With each of the last five seasons under Luna resulting in 20-plus win campaigns, including last year’s 26-5-1 overall mark that ended in the Central Coast Section Division I quarterfinals to Bellarmine, San Benito’s track record has managed to carry over from one season to the next.
Aiding that transition this year will be the team’s varsity experience, which is perhaps the biggest difference from last year when San Benito lost 11 seniors to graduation and returned just a single all-league selection in catcher Kyle Zozaya. The numbers still equaled a 26-win season, although varsity experience was severely lacking at the start.
This year, although it lost five all-league selections, San Benito returns 11 players to the roster, 11 players who know full well what San Benito baseball is all about.
“Having 11 guys return from last year is a big plus,” Luna said. “Experience plays a huge factor … just being around varsity competition.
“They know what I expect of them. They have a real good understanding of how the game is played at the (varsity) level and that’s where experience plays a huge role.”
San Benito’s return crop is most apparent up the middle, where Spencer Brann will be behind the plate, Trevor Fabing and Ricky Garcia will be holding down the second base and shortstop positions, respectively, and Mark Hurley will anchor the outfield in center.
Hurley and Fabing received honorable mention in the TCAL last year, while Garcia was a first team pick after hitting .409 with 12 RBI. Isaak Ramos, a second team selection last season who will play at third, first and DH, returns after batting .358 last season.
Atop the hill, the Balers boast three returning hurlers to their starting rotation in Darin Gillies, Bryan Granger and Kyle Vallejo.
“Those three guys can shut people down and put teams away,” Luna said.
Already, the junior Gillies, a second team all-league selection last season, tossed five no-hit innings against private power Valley Christian in the season opener, and picked up the win on Tuesday when San Benito smoked host North Salinas 15-5 in the TCAL opener.
The Baler ace was pulled after just four complete innings as San Benito held a 12-1 lead over the Vikings. He finished with six strikeouts, allowed four hits and gave up one unearned run.
Despite the 10-run victory, though, the Balers were unable to end the game due to the 10-run mercy rule after grabbing an 8-0 lead through one half-inning and a 12-1 lead through four innings.
With expectations high as usual, Luna was “very disappointed” the team couldn’t close North High out sooner.
“We wanted to make a statement to the league, that there is a reason we’re the four-time defending league champs,” Luna said. “Unfortunately, we didn’t get that done.”
And San Benito’s eight-run opening frame almost didn’t happen. But Hurley’s one-out grounder to the second baseman resulted in a fielding error that scored Fabing, and Ramos’ 2-RBI single over the shortstop’s head then extended the inning and put the Balers on the board. Nick Acosta followed with a 2-RBI single into left field, and San Benito tacked on two more runs behind Viking errors and Baler stolen bases.
The first inning lasted 52 pitches and approximately 40 minutes.
“We talked about competing against the game and not really the competition,” said Luna, who noticed a lack of urgency among his team after it posted an eight-spot in the first. “There are things you have to do as a player. After the eight runs in the first inning, we did relax a lot mentally.”
Grabbing a comfortable lead in the first frame won’t come as easy against some of the better TCAL teams like Salinas, Palma and Gilroy, however.
Although the Chieftains lost plenty of talent from last season’s runner-up team that went 14-4, they return closer DJ Slaton. And for lack of a better reason, Palma is still a team to be taken seriously because it’s Palma.
Meanwhile, youthful teams last year like Salinas and Gilroy return a dugout-load of talent this season, with the Mustangs taking the early edge after defeating the Cowboys 6-5 in the final inning of Tuesday’s league opener.
Anchored by southpaw Taylor Chris, who is signed on to Cal State – San Luis Obispo next season, as well as Michael Hartman, who tossed a no-hitter against Alisal last season, the Mustangs will be led by first-year head coach Johnny Ramirez.
“Gilroy was a lot of pitching, and that’s gonna be their strength,” Luna said.
San Benito (1-0 TCAL, 3-2) will look to counter with its starting three, as well as a bullpen that will include Justin Schlie, Dustin Rovella, Cooper Sepulveda and a closer’s role between Garcia and Fabing.
“I like our pitching staff,” Luna said. “The way our schedule works out, it looks like it plays into our favor a little bit.
“We can match up our best three guys in our favor anytime we face Palma, Salinas and Gilroy.”
And earning season sweeps over those three teams, which San Benito has nearly done the last four years, would all but guarantee a fifth league title.
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San Benito will host North Salinas on Friday at 3:30 p.m. Bryan Granger will get the start on the mound for the Balers.
