Karson Klauer was San Benito’s lone representative on the First
Team All-League team this year.
Karson Klauer was San Benito’s lone representative on the First Team All-League team this year.
Even though the Balers finished fourth in the league, Coach Derek Barnes said he hoped to have a few more players represented on the First Team.
Palma led the way with five First Team selections. Klauer was one of four out of the 14 First Team picks who were sophomores.
The Balers have 11 players returning next year, and Barnes said he expects several of the players to have solid seasons. Six seniors will be graduating.
Barnes said a big part of Klauer’s success this year was because he was virtually an unknown factor and teams didn’t know how dangerous he can be.
“He will be like Barry Bonds,” Barnes said. “If someone behind him hits, he will be fine. But if our team starts struggling, he will take a lot of pitches and draw a lot of walks.”
Klauer was almost automatic this year in clutch situations with runners in scoring position. He often shortened up his swing to drive in the run.
“He strives in those situations,” Barnes said. “He shows a lot of poise. That comes from being the quarterback for the varsity team. There is a lot of pressure there, and he probably felt like there was no pressure here.”
Hitting coach Eric Diaz worked a lot with Klauer to focus on staying back in his stance a little more.
“At the beginning of the year he was falling forward and was out in front of the pitches,” Barnes said. “He can get away with that to some extent because he is so strong. He does a good job of keeping his hands back, so he can see the ball a little longer even if he was hitting off the front foot.”
Rarely did Klauer strike out. He usually could recognize pitches and knew when to lay off, Barnes said.
Klauer batted .385 overall and .533 in league this year. In league, he had 17 RBIs and eight double. Overall, Klauer had 35 hits, 29 RBIs and 13 doubles.
San Benito did have four players selected to the second team – Justin Patton, Brett Fulgoni, Scott Mead and Anthony Synegal.
Patton picked up four wins in league play – two were against second place Gilroy and one was against front runner Palma.
Both Patton and Fulgoni were on the varsity team for three years. Fulgoni led the Haybalers with three home runs this year and was second on the team in RBIs.
“It seemed like every time he hit the ball, he hit it hard,” Barnes said. “We converted him into an outfielder this year, and he did a really good job.”
Mead was the most improved player this year, Barnes said. He was one of three players splitting time at second base early in the season. But he was moved to left field to take advantage of his speed and arm strength.
“He made some great defensive plays and made some great assists with his arm,” Barnes said. “He was probably one of the top outfielders in TCAL.”
Anthony Synegal had a down year offensively this year, but he led the team with 11 walks during the league schedule.
“He wasn’t given a lot of opportunities, and that might have hurt him a little,” Barnes said. “He was a big part of the team defensively behind the plate and will be something special for whatever team he plays for next year.”
Honorable mention went to Breyon Canez, Anthony Vasquez, Drew Quintana and Jason Sims.
Canez, a sophomore, played first base and pitched.
“He was probably one of the best defensive first basemen in the league,” Barnes said.
Vasquez shared time at third base and had some pop in his bat. Quintana played solid defensively at second base and had some key hits for the Balers.
Sims had wins over Salinas and Live Oak during the Balers’ winning streak at the end of the season to help push them into the playoffs.
Barnes expects Brian Rossi, Sims and Canez to anchor the pitching staff next year.
