Former ‘Baler stars take baseball talents north; Spartans coach
eager to get pair into the mix
Hollister – These guys just can’t get enough of each other.
Friends for as long as they can remember and cousins to boot, Breyon Canez and Karson Klauer figured, Why put a halt to a good thing? After leading the San Benito baseball team to the Tri-County Athletic League championship as seniors, the recent graduates have both decided to take their talents north to San Jose State University.
“I’m pumped. It’s a whole ‘nother level,” Klauer said. “I think (going to SJSU together) is going to make it a lot easier on both of us.”
Said Canez: “I’m glad that I get to play with my cousin. … I think the chemistry has been there all along and it just keeps growing.”
Canez and Klauer shared league MVP honors after their standout senior seasons. Canez, a left-handed pitcher and first baseman, was a perfect 7-0 in TCAL play, compiling a minuscule 1.97 ERA, while also batting .406. Klauer, a second baseman, won the league’s Triple Crown, batting .508 with four home runs and 30 RBIs as the ‘Balers’ No. 3 hitter.
Sam Piraro, San Jose State’s head baseball coach, was thrilled he was able to lure the pair to the South Bay.
“We’re extremely pleased to have both Karson and Breyon into our program,” Piraro said. “We think they’re two outstanding competitors, number one. They’ve proven to be winners throughout their careers in high school.”
San Benito head baseball coach Michael Luna said the players’ choices will bode well both for them and for their new team.
“I think you’re going to be hearing some good things about them in the next year or two,” Luna said. “Those two guys are going to do very well over there.”
Piraro spoke of another benefit of bringing Canez and Klauer to his program.
“I’m anxious to have both of these young men concentrate on one sport now,” said the Spartans’ coach of the athletes that also played football at San Benito. “Now, we get an opportunity to utilize them in one sport only. I think it’ll be a benefit to them.”
Both former ‘Balers cited earning an invitation to a Division I program as the fulfillment of one goal, but also the start of another.
“I just always try to make it to the next level,” Canez said. “My new goal is to … play. We want to have an impact on our team.”
“I’m going to put in the work,” Klauer said. “There are going to be a lot of guys out there who are great and I’m going to get to see how I do against them.”
With voluntary strength and conditioning already underway this summer, Piraro hopes to get his new athletes in the mix as soon as possible. With Canez’s crafty talent on the mound and Klauer’s solid bat and versatility in the infield, the San Jose State coach is eager to see just how far the players can go.
“I think they bring a level of competitiveness,” related Piraro, who said Canez and Klauer will enter a wide-open competition for spots on the 25-man traveling roster with all Spartans, including returning starters. “They know how to win. And they’re very young still. There’s going to be a lot of (room for) growth and development for them.”
Luna said the players’ unassuming manners and intense drive to succeed will bode well as they enter the collegiate game.
“They’re sleepers,” the San Benito coach said. “They’re two guys that slip under the radar. I think San Jose State really got the better end of that.”
Whether it’s on the field or off, Canez and Klauer can often be found in each other’s company. And as their adventures at San Jose State begin this fall, there they’ll be. Together.
The two have already plotted out the many advantages of staying close to home, namely giving their families the opportunity to come see them play, being able to hang out with old friends … and take advantage of mom’s cooking.
“Me and Karson were talking,” related Canez. “We could come home for dinner if we didn’t feel like cooking because it’s that close.”
Teammates. Friends. Cousins.
Too much of a good thing? Puh-leeze, they say.
Oh yeah. They want you to know they’re going to be roommates, too.
