I don’t believe I’m throwing anyone for a loop when I say that
this town loves its baseball. It seems to be a fact that,
collectively, Hollister shares.
I don’t believe I’m throwing anyone for a loop when I say that this town loves its baseball. It seems to be a fact that, collectively, Hollister shares.
And to be honest, it’s wildly refreshing.
During my first couple of days on the job, my phone was ringing off the hook with callers questioning why I wasn’t covering Little League.
Little did I know, the baseball teams in this area are good. Really, really good, from the top on down. And it’s not just at one level, which is usually the case in other towns and areas.
For instance, at the high school level the San Benito Haybalers finished runner-up in the Central Coast Section this past season. Their manager, Mike Luna, was recently named coach of the year by NorCalPreps.com
At the Babe Ruth level, the 14-year-old All-Stars won the championship in the Central California State Qualifier Tournament on Thursday.
They defeated Tracy 10-0; they defeated Manteca 10-0; and then, to top it off, they defeated Modesto 14-2… in Modesto!… in the championship!
For those scoring at home, that’s a 3-0 record, with San Benito plating 34 runs to their opponents’ two.
And don’t forget about the 15-year-olds, who after suffering a narrow defeat to Lodi on Monday, have simply battled back to the championship round from the loser’s bracket. They took sweet revenge over Lodi on Friday, and now sit in the championship game against Manteca today.
Since their loss to Lodi on Monday, the 15-year-olds are 3-0, and have outscored their opponents 41-3.
Even the 13-year-olds, who last week won the championship in their state-qualifying tournament, flat-out crushed their opponents. In the championship game against Manteca, they won by a football-like score, 24-0.
“The youth baseball, it’s just an incredibly successful program in San Benito County,” said Noel Provost, manager of the 15-year-old Babe Ruth team on Thursday after his team defeated Tracy 19-1. “These kids just play well.”
You can say that again.
But I think I really began to see the level of importance Hollister puts on its youth sports when I saw the amount of Little League All-Star teams the town has.
At first, to be honest, I thought having 10 different All-Star teams for four different age groups was a bit, well, overkill.
Ten teams?
For four age levels?
Really?
But then I realized both the American team and the National teams were winning, and they were advancing, and suddenly, you have the case as we have today in the 9-10 age group and the 10-11 age group, where Hollister American will face Hollister National for all the marbles.
It almost seems unfair for other towns, but when both teams are in the championship, there really is no argument against it.
To be successful at the top, you need to be successful at the bottom. One helps the other. Sports are practically year-round now, and you can’t expect to be successful if you pick up a baseball for the first time one week before tryouts.
And from what I can see, this town is extremely supportive.
“I think it has to do with the culture of the community,” said Adam Breen, manager of the 9-10-year-old Hollister National-A team. “The parents are supportive of their kids, and I think the history breeds success.”
And it’s history across the board. The softball team has won the past two Central Coast Section titles, and the Hollister Heat youth softball is a success as well.
In a way, the whole baseball scene has a very “I’ll scratch your back if you scratch mine” feel to it. Kids in San Benito see the success of the high school baseball team, and sign up for youth baseball as a result. On the other end, Coach Luna has essentially the high school equivalent of a minor league system, where players can come in as freshman more fundamentally-sound after a life of youth sports.
“It’s not a year-round thing, but they are getting more games in and they are also getting some pretty good coaching as well at that level,” Luna said. “I’m always keeping an eye on the young talent for selfish reasons.
“But they have an understanding on how to play the game…They have a good grasp on how to play the game the way I want it played. It’s going to make my job a lot easier.”
Dedicated and skilled athletes entering the high school level undoubtedly make Luna’s job easier, and to see it like this, working like a well-oiled machine on all levels, is a refreshing thing to see.
But as a precautionary note, unfortunately, I don’t think they’ll allow 10 baseball teams at the high school level.
Contact Andrew Matheson at [email protected].
