Balers baseball team stacked with strong arms
They say that pitching is the key to winning baseball
championships. If that’s the case, the San Benito High athletic
department ought to place its order for a championship banner right
now.
Balers baseball team stacked with strong arms
They say that pitching is the key to winning baseball championships. If that’s the case, the San Benito High athletic department ought to place its order for a championship banner right now.
“I’m most impressed with our arms this year,” San Benito High varsity baseball coach Michael Luna said. “Right now, we have 10 guys who can pitch and I’m only going to need six so we are in great shape right now. My only real concern is our offense.”
On Feb. 1 the defending league champions Balers were given the green light to start practicing as a team. Last year the Balers posted a 29-9 overall record and advanced all the way to the Central Coast Section title game before losing to Valley Christian High School.
Although the Balers have played only a few games so far and many of the players have yet to join the team as a result of competing in winter sports, Luna is pleased with what he’s seen on the diamond so far. And this year in particular having a deep pitching rotation is going to be more important than ever as the league restructured its schedule to pave way for three games each week.
“With three games a week we’re going to need a lot of arms,” Luna said. “Over a nine week stretch, we will play three games a week eight of those weeks. To have pitching depth is a huge plus.”
The one pitcher the Balers will rely on most this year is right-hander Zach Canez – a senior who has been a regular starter since his senior year. Last year Canez posted an ERA of 2.20 overall and was 1.80 in league. He also had a 7-2 record on the hill.
In addition to Canez, Luna has the luxury of having 13 returnees from the last year’s team.
“I like the fact that we have one more year of experience,” said Luna, who will attempt to skipper his team to its third league title in a row. “I really like our arms. I’m just concerned about our offense right now.”
Luna shouldn’t be too concerned. Last week his Balers lost 5-3 to perennial powerhouse and defending section champions Valley Christian without having two of his top players in the lineup.
One of them was all-star second baseman Brian Haggett and the other leftfielder Kevin Burley. Both players play on the school’s varsity basketball squad and aren’t expected to join the team until sometime next week.
Last season Haggett led the Balers in homeruns, doubles and RBIs. Burley also has the size and bat speed to give the Balers added pop in the lineup.
“Brian will be our No. 3 hitter this year,” Luna said. “He’s a big RBI guy. I expect him to have an outstanding year. He also has a legitimate shot of playing Division I (NCAA) ball.”
The Balers also have another returning all star in catcher Kyle Zozaya, who has proved to be an excellent behind the plate.
“He is very, very good defensively,” Luna said. “He’s got great receiving and blocking skills. His arm is a little deceptive. It doesn’t look as strong as others but he throws a lot of runners out.”
Another returning all-league player is shortstop Ronnie Fhurong. The starting quarterback of the football team last fall, Luna is most impressed with his overall athleticism.
“He just makes everything look so easy out there,” he said. “Any ball that is hit to the left side is an automatic out. That’s how much confidence we have in him. He’s also a fierce competitor.”
Another player on the Baler roster to watch this year is senior third baseman Nathan Hopkins.
“He’s very solid and has a great arm at third,” Luna said. “He adds quite a bit to our offensive potential. He’s also hitting the ball really well right now. He didn’t play much last year but he has a lot of confidence.”
When Canez doesn’t get the nod to start, he is expected to see the bulk of his playing time in centerfield.
The other pitchers that will round out the Balers starting rotation are: senior Mike Sanchez, junior Steve Cabral, junior Jacob Eichhorn and Darrin Gilles.
Luna is impressed with Sanchez’ presence on the mound, as well as his ability to throw strikes.
“He doesn’t walk anyone and he gets a lot of groundouts,” Luna said.
When not pitching, Cabral will spend some time at first base.
“He’s got real good velocity – low to mid 80s,” Luna said. “His best pitch is his breaking ball. He fools a lot of hitters with that.”
Eichhorn is another right hander in the Balers’ rotation. He has an unorthodox motion that produces effective results.
“He is a sidearm guy who throws a lot of people off with it,” Luna said. “He couldn’t throw a straight pitch if he wanted to. He throws pitches that run away from right-handed hitters and others that run in on them. My only concern is with his ability to throw strikes.”
Another pitcher that could see some starts early on is Gilles. Although a freshman, Gilles has good velocity and stands 6-foot-4.
“He has a legitimate chance to throw 90 by the time he’s a senior,” Luna said. “Right now, he’s in the low 80s with a good breaking ball, and he’s working on a change-up. Physically, he doesn’t look like a freshman. He’s got a good presence about him on the mound that you normally don’t see from freshman players at the varsity level.”
Rounding out the Baler lineup is freshman first baseman Bryan Scott and outfielders Greg Huth and Abel Jacquez.
“I like our chances this year to win league and possibly get back to the CCS finals again,” Luna said. “It all starts with pitching and we have that. Gilroy, Salinas and Palma will all have good teams, but I told my players that it’s not unrealistic to get back to the Section finals. You just need to play good and have a little luck.”
