After establishing himself as one of the best pitchers in the Central Coast Section this past season, Diego Fisher was rewarded with an offer from UC Davis that he couldn’t turn down. Fisher, an incoming San Benito High senior, received an offer from the Aggies after taking an unofficial visit to the school on July 15.
Later that day, Fisher called Aggies coach Matt Vaughn to give a verbal commitment to play for the Division I program out of the tough Big West Conference, which had its third-place team, UC Santa Barbara, advance to the College World Series.
“My mom (Lisa) and I went into coach Vaughn’s office, and he gave me the offer,” Fisher said. “We were both in shock. I knew Davis was interested in me, but I didn’t expect an offer from them at that time. So once it happened, it was really amazing and cool.”
As Fisher toured the UC Davis campus, he could picture himself attending the college and enjoying the surrounding area.
“I immediately fell in love with the school,” he said.
A 6-foot-4, 175-pound left-hander, Fisher said Vaughn liked his ability to mix speeds with all of his pitches, including a fastball, curveball and change-up. Fisher was a picture of consistency all season. Haybalers coach Billy Aviles said Fisher made just a handful of bad pitches—not starts—all season.
Then again, Aviles wasn’t surprised with Fisher’s performance, noting the lefty’s composure on the mound and ability to pound the strike zone. What makes Fisher’s rise to prominence all the more impressive is the fact he suffered a seizure and a concussion early in the 2015 football season.
As the team’s punter last season, Fisher delivered consistent kicks, often times giving the squad great field position. Fisher had a seizure on Oct. 5, but he didn’t remember much of the episode.
“I just know they rushed me to the hospital (Hazel Hawkins), and when I woke up, my family, friends and teammates were all there, which was nice,” he said. “I kind of knew it was serious when I saw my mom crying.”
A week or two after the seizure, Fisher sustained a concussion in practice, the third of his career. That sidelined him for the season, but it didn’t take away his passion for the game.
“Of course baseball is my favorite sport, but I love football,” said Fisher, who is in great position to be the team’s starting punter again. “I grew up playing football, and it’s something I’m going to enjoy in my senior year.”
For the past 18 months, Fisher has taken pitching lessons from former Blue Jays reliever Mark Eichhorn, who lives in Aptos. Eichhorn was the 1986 American League Rookie Pitcher of the Year. There is no doubt Eichhorn is having a tremendous influence on Fisher’s pitching repertoire and demeanor.
“He helped me by breaking everything down and starting over from scratch,” Fisher said. “He added velocity to my fastball, and gave me a good change-up and curveball. He also helped me learn how to keep calm when I’m on the mound. He has made me a better pitcher and has had a lot to do with my success so far.”
Fisher has been playing summer baseball with Trosky Baseball, one of the top traveling teams in the Bay Area.
