Anzar High baseball coach Leroy Dozal has a rule of threes when
it comes to motivating the Hawks.
Anzar High baseball coach Leroy Dozal has a rule of threes when it comes to motivating the Hawks.
“I tell them to ‘play to have fun’, ‘play to get better’ and ‘play to win,'” said Dozal, who is entering his third season in the Mission Trail Athletic League after a year of club baseball.
Dozal and the Hawks (1-1) will try to emulate that philosophy this Friday vs. Greenfield when the 14-game MTAL season opens up. Dozal, who lost two of his top returning players from last season – Joel Lopez and Jason Perkins – to relocation, is partly in a rebuilding mode. He is also happy that the Hawks had just two non-league games due to tough economic times in regards to transportation.
“That gave us a lot more practice time,” said Dozal. “We really needed to work on some things. I like our defense right now. We’ll be strong defensively. And this team is the hardest working team I’ve had here. They work really together as a team and there is lots of bonding. That’s a vital key to building a team.”
Speaking of key, pitching could be key to the Hawks’ success. Two seniors who have been with Dozal since the inception of baseball at Anzar – righthanders Neal Ferreira and Jonathan Carabba – are the two main cogs in the rotation for now.
“Neal has great velocity, has a great curve, and a knuckle-curve that I think is ready to go,” said Dozal. “He’s already throwing in the high 70’s. He needs the confidence to throw in the 80’s. Carabba is crafty and needs to vary his speeds. He has to pitch corner-to-corner.”
Other hurlers who will see time this season are junior lefty Matt Wilkinson and 6-1 junior righthander Luis Marquez.
“Matt was a project pitcher on the team last year,” said Dozal. “And I didn’t even know Luis could pitch until my catcher told me he could.”
That would be sophomore Sam Stewart, whom Dozal dubs a “fierce competitor”.
“We could be as good as last year’s team or even a little better,” said Stewart. “It depends how quickly we come along.”
“Sam is intelligent with the game,” said Dozal. “He really gets after it.”
Here is a look at the rest of the Hawks with comments by Dozal:
1B – Mike Palmer (sr.) “He plays real good defense. He’s the most fundamental player I have.”
2B – Cody Rodgers (so.) Rodgers was runner-up for Freshman-of-the-Year in the league last year after hitting three home runs and .300. “He’s the best all-around player I have on the team. He fields, runs, throws, bats. He has all the tools. I expect him to play at a four-year program out of high school.”
SS – Ferreira when he doesn’t pitch. When he does it’s Rodgers.
3B – Jesus Perez (sr.) “He has a good glove. He’s a smooth fielder with an accurate arm.”
LF – Wilkinson. “Fast, speedy. One of the fastest players on the team. He was the most improved player on the team last year. He has elevated his skills tremendously.”
CF – Carabba when he’s not pitching. “The best outfielder on the team. He covers lot of ground.”
RF – Gavilan Gallardo (so.) A welcome transfer from Hollister High. Gallardo is the very first left-handed hitter ever to play for Dozal at Anzar. “He’s a true natural. He broke a collarbone a while back, came back, and didn’t miss a beat. I’m going to teach him to be a Kenny Lofton or Ichiro type. I’ll teach him to bunt and slash.”
Dozal plans on playing the short game this year.
“We only have four consistent hitters,” said Dozal. “We have good speed and strong baserunners. We’re going to make the other team play quick-catch. Have their outfielder’s come up throwing.”
Last year, the Hawks were just 4-10 in league.
“We earned the respect of some of the teams, but a couple of the heavy’s like Carmel and Pacific Grove,” said Dozal. “Our goal this year is to have all the teams respect us.”
