5/2  OC 3 - Chandler 6

  What a great game this was. Wins and losses are tough but that was such a fun game to be a part of. Our kids battled their tails off and pulled for each other. That is the kind of baseball our kids should aspire to play everyday. Man the playoffs are fun!   Tanner Baker got the ball today after much going back and forth, but the thought was with them having 7 of 9 lefties, it seemed to make sense.  He competed very well giving up a solo run the 1st then really settling down til the 4th. In the 4th we run into a jam, so we go back to lefty killers, starting with Zach Humphrey who's dominant changeup got us a huge strikeout against their best player, then a fly ball. With Zach pitching so well we ran into a situation in the 5th when his spot came up in the order, but with 2 outs and no body on we rolled the dice and Zach wore a pitch to start a rally. Baker got a hit and another wild pitch gave us a run. Going into the 6th we felt if we could get out of it we would have Colby Wyatt to close the door. Unfortunately we ran into trouble with some shaky defense, but again when it seemed like we were going to open the flood gates, Wiz came in and got a chopper back to him and flyout to minimize the damage. In the bottom of the 6th we left bases loaded, 7th 2 runners on base so we had our chances.  All in all what a game in which so many players stepped up to their opportunities.  This is why you work so hard to make the playoffs for such a fun atmosphere.  If you could convince players and parents to believe in a team concept so much and play this way with energy all the time, it would really be something.

Alumni watch - Jade Bilbrey, Degan Harte and Brandon LeBoeuf snuck into the dugout for support. Great to see the old guys come see some new faces. 

Stepping up- Giorgio Thomas came into the game for some action at 3rd and a double in 8th. Nolan Gorman a double off the bench in the 6th. Trey Patnoe really hit a ball well off the bench. That to go with the relief pitching was great to see. 

Spring board- With 22 guys in the dugout and 16 of the eligible to return, you would hope this would be a great spring board to next season.  Hopefully we can take what we have learn and build off of it for the future. 

Playoff Hair - Corn rows and frosted tip all over the place. As well as a couple people going with the mullet fro. Tough to have an excited player coming into the dugout looking like princess Lea or the predator, but just happy for the kids to fully commit to the playoff experience. 

Seniors - Man I have really learned these past couple weeks, how much I really like this group of seniors. Just great kids to have around. Half of them of course wanted more opportunities, but they came to work everyday and never let the lack of playing time affect their ability to get better and perform well. I am really proud of Mason Brion, Jake Hatfield and Giorgio Thomas especially, because those three worked their tails off.  Zach Humphrey was a senior stud in the mold of Hunter Bilbrey, Tommy Lay and Tim Devito. Sometimes the Senior maturity just pays huge dividends for kids.  Dakota Solis and Aaron Prado were a great tandem of captains. They cared so much about their team and really did everything they could to advocate for each of their teammates. 

 

4/28  OC 13- Centennial 3

  Well this is why we love high school sports. A team that could only manage one hit last night, puts up 13 runs on 11 hits and 2 bombs.  What a game. The score doesn't do it justice because this was a back and forth affair with plenty of dramma. Of course it started in the first when Tanner Baker was thrown out at the dish, and the umpire was talked into throwing him out of the game. Seemed like a bang bang play up the line with no ill intent but sometimes even umpires get caught up in the moment.  With eventually 2 runs in the first I thought we would really settle in, but we just had a tough time putting people away, and gave up 2 runs on wild pitches.  For Aaron Prado to pick us up with a huge bomb was huge, after we were really struggling to get right on the bases.  After they tied the game in the 5th we really needed a rally in the 6th, well we got it. After a 1 out error got Alexander on base, Max hit a laser to left that would really get their pitcher off track. He proceeded to walk the next 3 guys to bring in 2 runs. Then after a pitching change, Bailin Markridge had a big 2 run single down the line. Just when you felt comfortable with a 7-3 lead, Garrett Arthur launched a ball down the line for a 3 run blast and finally some separation. We needed that with Colby Wyatt being on 3 days rest and us wanting to get him out of there.  Jake Hatfield was able to come in with minimal bullpen work to strikeout 2 guys in the 7th. 

Getting right- Aaron Prado had some fun swinging it today. Trey Patnoe came off the bench and hit a laser to the gap for an RBI. And Giorgio Thomas hit a double over left fielders head. 

I see you- Max Peters had a diving catch in foul territory. That kid has really improved his defense all year. Mason Brion came off the bench and launched a sac fly to right. 

Gameball- Garrett Arthur came off the bench in the first to hit a line drive up the middle and launch that 3 run dinger. He has been working his tail off for the past month and it is good to see him take advantage of his opportunity. 

What now-  Now we wait and see where the "Good Will Hunting" formula takes us for hopefully a saturday playoff game.

 

4/27  OC 0 - Sunrise Mt. 4

  This was a tough one to take as we knew we needed a win a make the playoffs then came out and managed just one hit. More demoralizing is the fact that we couldn't even get a runner to second base in this game. We took a thorough whooping.  Hump came out and kept their hitters in check through the first 2 innings but we still couldn't manage any offense not getting a runner on til a walk in the 4th, and our first hit in the 5th.  Every time we take a step forward with this group, we end up taking 2 back. 

Hope-  With this group hope is a funny thing. We tend to go from game to game and just hope that our luck changes and we start hitting. Yet we don't stay after practices or games and work on it. We just hope that something will click or that the other team will play worse than us. The players on the bench HOPE to see their name in the lineup the next day, yet none of them stay after for extra work to get better and show they deserve more.  Are these players oblivious to the groups that came before them? Do you think Zack MacPhee or Degan Harte or any one of our past warriors would settle for a game like this, knowing there is only one more game in the season that our playoffs depend on... and not spend the night in the cages making sure they had done everything in their power to get things right for the biggest game of the year??? 

Up against it-  We don't do enough Harvard math to know what needs to happen for us to the in the playoffs. All we can do is control what we can, which means to go out and take care of business tomorrow.  Everything else will take care of itself. 

 

4/24  OC 3 - Mt. Ridge 1

     We told the boys earlier in the week after hobbling to the finish line, that a victory Friday would make all the pain and anguish of the season go away. We stood as a group and paused to take it in and really enjoy the moment.  In situation when a rivalry is so big, seasons are measured by how you do in these games.  It was great to send these seniors out on senior day with a sweep of Mt. Ridge.  On to the game this was a hard fought game by both teams. Their pitcher really battled, and tried to take advantage of the strike zone, but Colby Wyatt was definitely the best player on the field today.  He made pitch after pitch to get their hitters to work towards our defense and overall our defense made enough plays to get the win.  In the first Dakota wore a pitch to lead us off and we were back to a similar situation we faced on Wednesday. This time we decided to go hit and run and Bailin did a great job of taking the pitch the other way for a double getting us 2nd and 3rd. Tanner Baker hit a hard groundball to drive in the first run and if not for a pretty good play at 2nd we would have had two. Again our inability to drive in runners in scoring position reared its ugly head as we left runners out there in 4 different innings, but we got enough done for the win.  In the fourth Max Peters got us a 1 out single to start things off, then Nolan Gorman worked a full count and walk on a wild pitch that got him to 2nd and Max at 3rd. After an intentional walk of Prado, another wild pitch would plate a run, then Bailin came up huge with a bases loaded groundball to the back hand side of ss that gave him no play except for a back pick at 3rd. We stranded some guys there but it was huge to get the 2 run lead going late into the game.  Baseball is such a fun game because even after 38 years of it, you can see a play that has never been seen before. In the 6th Colby throws a slider in the dirt for strike three that bounces off the catchers mask and out towards the mound. Colby luckily busted off the mound and threw the runner out at 1st. We were worried coming into the game about their lefty hitters but we kept them to an 0 for 8 day with 4 strikeouts. That was huge.

Fun finish-  Of course in this rivalry nothing would come easy. Colby thankfully struck out the first batter in the 7th but after a single it brought the tying run to the dish in the form of their best hitter.  Colby got behind 3-0 but pitched back to a full count and got a fly ball on a good slider for the 2nd out.  Ridge brought in a big pinch hitter but Colby threw him some nasty sliders for the final out on a strikeout and euphoria. 

Gameball- Colby Wyatt put himself into the conversation of past Ridge Warriors like Brendon Erickson and Owen Sanborn. 

Senior Day-  A fine group of seniors played their last games at the OC fields today. Pitchers Mason Brion, Jake Hatfield and Zach Humphrey have been great for this team this season.  Giorgio Thomas has battled his tail off and his energy is infectious.  Captains Dakota Solis and Aaron Prado went from filling big voids for us last season, to leading our inexperienced guys this year while showing them how to handle themselves on a varsity team.  Very proud of this group of young men.

Alumni shout-  Owen Sanborn and Wes Sutton were in the house. That Sanborn kid can will us to victory even from the stands.  Dave and Lillian Sanborn and the Harte family were out there.  Special shout out to David Sutton who turned 50. Allowed us to meet up with the Saenz, Bilbrey and Fogerlie families. Great to see all the old fans and catch up on their boys.

 

4/22  OC 0 - Liberty 10

 
   Today was one of the better pitching performances we have seen in the OC history. I would put it up with the Doyle no hitter from DV or the Burns almost no hitter from Ridge.  Their pitcher was pitching angry and really stuck it to us. High 80's with a nasty curveball is a tough combo, but the change up to the lefty's really made it tough to hit. We knew it would be a tough game so we would have to play perfect.  I am still shocked at some of the balls they hit. To go oppo 325 from a 9 hitter is pretty ridiculous but we had a guy do that last year as well, so you chalk it up to a bad day.  I thought we did some little things well in competing those first 5 innings. We executed a pitchout, we picked a guy on a 3-1 pick and we proved a couple times that we could get in with our fastball.

Slide-  We have struggled these last 3 games, so we have to find a way to stop the slide.  Usually this means that a player or two needs to step up and be a warrior for this team.

Feel good-  No matter how low you get, or how bad things are or how your season is going...Winning a rivalry game will cure all ills. We need to come out and take a W on Friday to get this thing back on track.

 

4/20  OC 1 - Mesquite 13

  Over the last couple seasons we have had some real battles with this team. Today was not one of those days. We could not get on track against that pitcher, and we are a team that really needs to feel the momentum of scoring first. Instead we got down in a 7-0 hole in the 3rd.  We seem to have that one or two plays every game where if we make it, we role and if we don't then the snow ball starts rolling down hill. On the other hand we have had teams make those plays against us, like the shortstop diving to his backhand to make the big play or there first baseman diving to his gloveside to steal a hit. With maturity and experience we will start to see a change in these young men.

Positives-  Jake Hatfield battled for 2 shutout innings today. Nico Burgarello hit his 3rd homer of the year, not bad for a sophomore.

Reality- We have to be able to flush this game and go to the next one. We have 4 games left and are fighting four a playoff spot, so no time to get down or sulk, we have to be ready to go play another real good team on Wednesday.

 

4/15  OC 1 - WC 7

  It took awhile for the dust to settle to realize that this was the first loss we have ever had to a Willow Canyon team. Again we were faced with players who were used to 10 running teams at the lower levels (when they have had them) and just came out flat.  Our guys just really think that teams are going to play bad against us and seem shocked when they don't.  Today we were just too darn nice. I love these kids they are all great people who I would allow my daughter to marry, but the competitive fight just has to improve. We were too nice on multiple tag plays tonight, so instead of letting them know that we were there and really applying the tag, we lost 3 of them. We just constantly gave momentum to the other team, and their pitcher ran with it. He did a good job of keeping us off balance all game and really dominated us as much as we have seen all year. Zach Humphrey was the hard luck loser today and I think if we make a couple different plays early, he would have had much better results. Keegan McCarville came on in the 3rd and did exactly what we asked of him in getting a routine groundball to 2b for what would have been a double play, except the ball shot over Dakota Solis and into the outfield for a double. That is when you knew it was going to be one of those days.

Where do we go from here?:  We have 5 games left, all against teams that are in the top 10 in the state. For a young team who likes the chase of the rabbit, we will see how our guys rise to the level of the competition.

 

4/13  OC 16 - Ttown 1

   Some will remember when these two teams played each other in the fall and went 10 innings because no one could score and we finally lost 2-1.  Well tonight we had much better production from our offense.  Our first 6 runs were scored with 2 outs which really deflates a team. Tanner Baker was really an offensive catalyst today with just spraying the ball all over the field. And Nico Burgarello was there to clean up the rest of the damage right after him.  In the first Nico hit that homerun to right field that just kept carrying over. Again with 2 outs getting these runs was big. A couple defensive miscues helped us to stretch that lead to 6-1 going into the 6th. But those who were there know that we really left some opportunities out there once again.  But in the 6th we made everything right with a breakout inning.  We started with a leadoff walk from Markridge and wearing one in the side handles from Solis. Then Baker, Burgy, Alexander and Max put consecutive hits together to bring in 5 runs.  A Gio sac fly, Keegan Single, Baker triple and Burgy single led to the rest of the scoring.

Pitching and Defense- We played real good defense, not giving them any momentum. Colby really showed some maturity on the mound tonight and he continually took steps to get out even when uncomfortable. Big Jake Hatfield took all of his hard work out to the mound and looked great with a big fastball, nasty hook and even his best splitty of the year for good measure.

Lineup change- We tried to get some guys a different look today with Baker going 3 and Burgy going 4. I wish it were true to say that the lineup change was the trick but that would be too easy and these are still high school boys.  We just need to keep them fresh and hungry, sometimes a change of scenery does this.  Always good to have our 3-4-5 hitters go 11 for 13 on the day.

Gameball-  Tanner Baker was all over the field today playing good defense, running the bases well and really hitting some lasers.  He has not so quietly got himself going really good right now. 

 

4/10  OC 4 - BC 6

    Again we didn't come out with much fight or focus, so that allowed BC to get some momentum and play out of their minds. We will have to get better at the little things.

 

4/9  OC 4 - BC 5

  This was a game of momentum shifts and we just couldn't get Uncle Mo to finish on our side. We got runners on 1st and 2nd with 1 out in the 1st and got nothing to show for it after a fly ball and pickoff.  Then on their end they have a guy on 3rd with 2 out and loop an RBI single over the 2nd baseman.  A walk and sinking liner later and they have 3 runs in the first.  Then we answer with 2 in the 2nd but our Mo is stolen again, when with bases loaded no outs Bailin hits a laser to 3rd that is caught and doubled us up at 3rd. Just a bad break because his secondary there made it impossible for him to get back.  Then in the 3rd we tie the game up on an RBI double from Nico Burgarello but get the go ahead run thrown out at the dish with 1 out.  Coach Burgy was kicking himself after, but that was a bang bang play and the kid made the throw of his life.  In the 4th and 5th we gave them runs do to walks and wild pitches allowing them to score on a squeeze and sac fly.  We closed the gap in the 6th with a run and guy on 2nd 1 out but just couldn't sneak a hit to get us even. 

Gamechanger- We just didn't minimize today like we usually do and we gave up 3 outs on the base paths. Tip your cap to that pitcher he was able to limit our offense with that curveball of his that allowed him to strand 11 runners on base.  I think if we could have taken a lead we would have been able to settle in and finish it out. Such is the game of baseball.

Ring the bell- Now we have to be able to come out tomorrow and get back on track. This was a competitive game that we had a chance to win, now we have to be better tomorrow. 

 

4/7  OC 10- NC 0

  This was by far and away our most complete game of the season. We were facing a tough pitcher who has had some success against our program in the past, but we came out very determined.  That Tanner Baker blast in the 1st really showed that our hard work was starting to pay off.  Then in the second we just put great barrel on the ball and ran the bases extremely aggressively. Trey Patnoe had a huge hit up the middle with guys at 2nd and 3rd. We totaled 12 hits today, a far cry from last nights offensive performance. Bailin Markridge, Tanner Baker and Nico Burgarello all had 2 hits and seemed to be on base all day.  Our plan at the beginning of the day was to change up our pregame work so that we would have more focus at the dish.  We spent a solid 20 minutes working some stations in the cages, then another 20 hitting on the practice field.  For the most part our guys took the hard work out to the field. 

Debatability-  Some people could debate the ruling of the official scorer about the lone hit in this game.  In the 2nd the first batter hit a chopper over the outstretched arm of the pitcher and in front of the bag at 2nd. Dakota Solis came thru to make the play but the ball stayed under his glove.  The official scorer felt like it would have been an unbelievable play to have been made, but Dakota himself, felt he needed to make that play every time and wanted the error. We went to the Big League veteran for the final tiebreaker.  

Defense- What could not be debated was that our pitching and defense were phenomenal today. Colby Wyatt pitched like the 2nd half of last year, just dominated the strikezone.  Nico Burgarello had a bare handed play up the middle and Tanner Baker layed out for the last out of the 3rd inning.  

Gameball-  He has been on fire for 2 weeks now, and finally Tanner Baker came away with the gameball. He launched his first homerun into the rockbed in right field in the 1st inning, then dropped another double down the line.  Great to see him catching his stride. 

 

4/6  OC 5 - DV 3

  Sometimes with high school kids they can watch a pregame and really lose their competitive edge.  I got the feeling today we just kinda thought they were going to play like the bad news bears and we just needed to show up and let it happen. Instead the Skyhawks played an inspired game catching most of our popups, and took advantage of some defensive miscues to make it a real game. From the first pitch I got the sense we were pressing to do too much.  We constantly were trying to get the guys just to take a breath, then settle in and do what we do.  Again as a team some times you expect to just come out and 10 run a team, which means when you are in a tie ballgame in the 6th you feel a little defeated.  Luckily our guys stepped up and got 2 big runs in the 6th and closed it out in the 7th for the victory.  Again in 30 games with high school aged players there is going to be some ebbs and flows, we just have to push through them. 

Offense- I thought their pitcher had some funk today, so Tanner Baker getting that hit in the first was good for us to get on track. He continued to hit the ball well today with 2 big hits. Aaron Prado's triple in the 6th was a huge play for us, driving in the winning run with a shot to the wall in leftcenter that just seemed to keep carrying.  Trey Patnoe was big today for us. Even from the first at bat he had an aggressive feel to him and it paid off with a big sac fly in the 6th to give us the 2 run cushion. 

Defense-  We gave them a number of opportunities to score runs with only getting 4 hits on the day, but in 2 big situations we were able to get double plays on line drives to Nico Burgarello at short, who proceeded to double the guy off of 1st each time. We will need to clean up the rest of it to have some success this week. 

Gameball- For the first time ever we gave the gameball to the opposing player. That darn centerfielder was a magnet today catching the first 5 outs of the game and ending up with 10 putouts today. He must have been exhausted from all that work so we thought the sporty thing to do would be to send him home with a gameball. 

Fan watch -  The Harte family was back out supporting the Eagles today as well as Pastor Don Wilson who was fresh off an Easter service with 55,000 + disciples.

 

4/2  OC 7 - Ironwood 4

  These games are tough because our guys have come up through the program seeing this team at different levels, so we assume this to be a no brainer 10 run victory.  It makes for a dangerous mindset at the varsity level because this Ironwood team is pretty good with 3 solid arms. They took Pinnacle to extras the other night and gave us all we could handle tonight. The tendency is to come out a little flat when you think it will be pushover, and we played like that in the first couple innings.  We kind of ran through the motions thinking the other team was just going to be worse than us. That wasn't the case.  What helped to settle us down was Zach Humphrey really pitching his way out of a fame in the first inning, and Nico Burgarello launching the first homerun of his varsity career in the 4th. This got us on the board with a lead and there was no looking back. In that big 6th inning we really had some competitive at bats with Aaron Prado working a leadoff walk, followed by a Nolan Gorman walk both of which were battled back from negative counts.  Keegan McCarville then placed a perfect sac bunt to load the bases. A wild pitch and walk later, then Tanner Baker had the big hit to drive in a couple runs. This ended the inning with a comfortable 6-0 lead.

Turning point-  Even after that lead the turning point of this game was probably in the bottom of the 6th. Hump got some dirt in his contact and struggled, loading the bases with no outs. Anthony Cosenza came on and the biggest pitch of the game was his first one, a 6-u-3 double play to Nico at short. This, combined with a tapper back to the mound, ended the inning and really crushed their rally.  The few runs they got in the 7th were just an after thought of us trying to get the last out while minimizing baserunners.

Gameball-  We do not take for granted pitchers putting up zeros until we score and allowing our offense to work. Zach Humphrey left the game in the 6th with a 6-0 lead. He has really bought into his pitching role this season and has been superb.

Coming around-  Tanner Baker really clutched up today with a perfect day at the plate: sac bunt, 2 singles and a walk. Trey Patnoe came off the bench and had a solid single to right with 2 strikes. Nolan Gorman again had a single and walk, playing above his age as a freshman. We are getting close to solidifying this lineup and having some good bats off the bench.  And Anthony Cosenza back off the disabled list should help out our pitching. Minus a fluke cueball hit in the 7th he would have been 5 up 5 down in this outing. This will be a big week coming up as we have 4 games: Home Monday vs. DV, Home Tuesday vs. NC, @ BC Thursday, Home Friday vs. BC.

 

3/31  OC 6 - Slope 4

   This was a huge game for us tonight. After playing 7 games in 7 days, then taking off a few days, the worry can be that kids come out flat on a change like spring break.  But our guys came out great and did many things right to get this W.  Austin Wiskow was again the man tonight.  He is so good with that changeup against lefties that we decided to run him out there for that last 3 innings of the game.  Some thought usually goes in to going to a closer at the end of that game, but Wiz was on fire so we decided to keep running him out there. As for the offense tonight we got the clutch at bat when we needed it. Nolan Gorman was first, with a big RBI single to get us on the board in the 2nd and move two runners into scoring position.  Then Keegan McCarville gave us a big ground ball RBI with one out to extend the lead.  Aaron Prado had a huge sac fly in the 5th to help us take the lead, and Tanner Baker a big sac fly in the 6th.  Those are clutch quality at bats that we were struggling to get earlier in the year, so great to see our guys doing it now.

Defense-  Nico Burgarello made some big plays up the middle and Ryan Alexander had a huge scoop in the 6th to end the inning. Aaron Prado's diving catch on a pop up was sweet to end the 3rd inning.  Keegan McCarville had some good plays and more importantly was very heads up in getting back to the bag to end the 4th on a rally killer 6-5.

1st Varsity hit - Freshman Nolan Gorman got his first hit and RBI tonight.  Kid passes the eye test and looks like he belongs at the dish.  This looks to be the first of what could be many hits in his O'Connor career if he keeps developing.

Gameball - Austin Wiskow was the man. 3 innings with 2 big K's and worked out of jams in the 6th and 7th.

 

3/26  OC 5 - Chapparal CO 4

  This game looked like a high school team playing its 7th game in 7 days.  The energy was just enough to keep things close, then we broke out in the 7th.  We continued our hot hitting in the first with a Tanner Baker single and Ryan Alexander 2 RBI double. Then a solo run in the 3rd and we couldn't get anything done until the 7th.  Strikeouts with runners in scoring position was again our nemesis but I think we are making some progress. In the 7th we were taking until we got a strike and were fortunate to get a 4 pitch walk. We wanted to bunt him over but after not getting him over we decided on a hit and run instead.  Tanner got a tough pitch but slapped it to the 3rd basemen advancing the runner. From there they brought in a righty to face Dakota. He absolutely crushed his first pitch for a double to the wall in left. I was thinking they may put Ryan on, but pitched to him and he laced that ball up the middle. A tough play for that 2nd baseman to make and a good walkoff win. 

Pitching-  We wanted to go with a short stint for Zach Humphrey so he would be ready for next week. That allowed us to get Mason Brion out there for a couple quality innings, then Dawson McCarville pitched a solid inning and 1/3 for his first varsity win.

Gameball - Dakota Solis had a big sac fly in the 3rd and that tying double.

Big picture-  We made some progress in the past 2 weeks. We are playing competitive baseball and doing things that make it hard to beat us. We also had the ability to get everyone into a situation to find out their capabilities. We are ready to move forward with this group and try to make a run to the playoffs.

 

3/25 OC 11 - Bentonville AR 8

  When you get into coaching high school kids, you expect some days like today, a rollercoaster.  We came out flat and unfocused in that first inning and it showed as they put up a 5 spot.  The good news is we have enough pride and fight that the boys wouldn't settle for that being the story of the day.  Instead we brought out the lumber and put together quality at bats all around the lineup today. I was really proud of Gio Thomas getting 2 big hits from a spot that has shown some offensive weakness so far this season.  Ryan Alexander had his timing down today and torched a ball to the gap, while Max Peters just fought and fought and wound up going 3 for 3.  Our baserunning was superb which allowed us to take extra bases in multiple scenarios.  In the big picture we are definitely getting better as we go, though with high school kids it is usually two steps forward and one step back...

Pitching -  We have to start off the game better. We will make some adjustments with routine and get back on track.  It is easy to forget that Tanner Baker has never really struggled on Varsity as he has been a spot starter for us on the bump since his freshman year. He will get through this and be a better pitcher for it. Jake Hatfield was a good change of arm slot that slowed down their offense a bit, and Keegan McCarville settled down for the game ending double play.

Grind -  Again a 2 week tournament gives us 7 games in 7 days so we are really getting after it with 16-18 year olds. There is bound to be some let down in those 7 games, lets just hope it was a 1 inning letdown and we can take care of business to finish strong on Thursday.

Weather - For all my Oregon friends it has been a lovely 84 degrees and sunny all week. This is the life.

 

 

3/24  OC 3 - Westview 5

   First things first that Westview team is tough.  They have a couple "guys" on their team and will finish real well in the state of Oregon this season.  When you play a team such as this you have to take advantage of situations and make plays. In the first inning we had bases loaded no outs, and came out of it with nothing to show for it. This didn't seem to hurt us too much at the time, but looking back now we needed to find a way to get a run or two across there.  Our guys still competed scoring 3 runs with 2 outs on the game. In the second Bailin Markridge continued his hot hitting with a single up the middle to score the first run. Tanner Baker did the same in the 4th with a 2 out 2 RBI single.  With a 3-0 lead heading into the 6th our goal is to get outs and minimize runs along the way. We need to take advantage of double plays against good teams because one it minimizes runs, two it minimizes pitches, and three it minimizes the number of times the lineup roles over. Today their best hitters got 5 at bats or 5 chances to do damage.

Pitching- Colby Wyatt was a competitor today.  We are working to get him straightened out a little bit, but let him know that he would need to compete until we got things completely right. Austin Wiskow pitched better than the result would show. Man he has good stuff and his going to be huge for us. Aaron Prado pitched a competitive inning, and probably deserved better. We have to make plays for him in that situation. 

Offense - Again that Westview starter was good, and that reliever was tricky following him. But we have to work to get more productive outs in these games. 8 strikouts is painful, but 3 of them coming with runners in scoring position is no bueno.

Grind- This game will help us down the road. The more we can play competitive against quality teams, the more we see we belong and need to snatch victory when its close.

 

3/23  OC 11 - Lancaster 0

  What started out as a stressful game, really loosened up into a well played game for us. We struggled on the bump to get ahead in the count, and we struggled at the dish leaving runners in scoring position in both the first and 2nd innings with less than 2 outs.  Luckily Bailin Markridge competed in his first start of the season and Max Peters broke up the dry spell with an infield single to get us on the board. Once that happened we didn't look back and put up a solid 5 runs in the 3rd inning with a 2 RBI triple from Nico Burgarello highlighting the inning.  From there we started to get the bats working, putting up another run in 4th and 2 in the 5th.  From there we got some young guys and bench guys involved in the excitement.  Zach Humphrey got an RBI on a HBP, then Mason Brion enjoyed the heroics with a bases loaded double off the wall, that looked like it was going out. 

Alumni-  Greg Saenz was in the dugout tonight, on an off day from the lopes at GCU.  He is getting some good playing time and opportunities there as a freshman.

Gameball- Nico Burgarello was 3 for 3 with 2 triples on the night. Very impressive for a young man who seems to be getting comfortable.

 

3/21 OC 1 - Fayetteville AR 0

  This was a team who really took it to us last season at GCU. Today we got a little payback with a huge 1-0 victory.  We went into the game with the mindset of measuring up to a team that is nationally ranked in the top 10.  We wanted to really see how we could compete against a team of this caliber.  Again our guys continued with the theme of the weekend and competed their tails off.  The starter for Fayetteville was really tough and only gave up the 1 bunt single through 6 innings.  But during that time the fight paid off as we got his pitch count up and wore him down a bit.  Both teams struggled to really get anything going.  The best chance for them came in the first when they managed to get the bases loaded. But Zach Humphrey got a strikeout for the second out, then a groundball to short to get out of the inning. From there he cruised through the next 7 inning facing only 1 more than the minimum. 

Dogpile-  In the bottom of the 8th with a 0-0 score and 1 out, Bailin Markridge, smoked a single up the middle. That kid has come so far in this early season. He was making plays all over the field in left and had 2 hits on the day.  We looked to go drag bunt with Tanner Baker on the first pitch, but couldn't get it down.  So to get the infield moving and our runner going, we went with a hit and run.  Tanner crushed the ball with a line drive over the right fielders head that we were lucky, didn't bounce over the fence. Markridge slowed a bit at 2nd to make sure it was going over the head, then put on the burners to score from 1st on the walk off win.

Gameballs-  Zach Humphrey pitched like a man today scattering 3 hits in 8 innings against a quality opponent. And Tanner Baker had the huge hit to drive in the lone run of the game, so both of them earned a gameball.

Alumni- Bryce Keffeler 10' and Anthony Willm 10' were in the house today rooting on the Eagles. They were even kind enough to remind the coach what this whole thing is all about... they bought me some fried pickles at buffalo wild wings for the victory. 

 

3/20 OC 3 - Crean Ca 0

 This game was all about Keegan McCarville.  In his first start on the bump in his varsity career, Keegan flat out dominated the game.  The momentum started in the first inning when a couple singles led to a bases loaded situation and 1 out.  Keegan got a ground ball to Aaron Prado at 3rd who threw home for the 2nd out.  Then the next batter hit a tapper out in front of the plate and Max Peters had the savvy to just field it and step on home to get out of the inning. After that McCarville seemed to be in control the whole way and beat a very good Crean team.  On the offensive side the Eagles worked to score a run an inning which worked in the first 3.  Ryan Alexander had RBI's in the 1st and 3rd innings and Garrett Arthur had a clutch 2 out RBI single in the 2nd.  I was really impressed with how our guys clutched up at the dish all day but especially those first couple innings to get Keegan the lead. 

Gameball -  Keegan McCarville was the man and we look forward to him continuing with this success going forward. These tourney games are a great time to see guys rise to the challenge in many different roles. We will need more outings like this from all of our guys on the bump to have some success playing 7 games in 7 days. 

Big time- Nico Burgarello made a half dozen highlight reel plays at short today that really kept their team from getting any momentum. The young sophomore is coming into his own. 

Big play - Bailin Markridge ended the game on a low liner to centerfield with guys on 1st and 2nd. Let it not go unnoticed that if he doesn't make that play this could have really given them some momentum. Great to see a kid playing so much more aggressive this season.

 

 

3/20 OC 12 - Sprague 2

  We really started off slow in this one, giving up a 2 spot in the first, and not hitting a hard ball in play until the 3rd.  Dakota Solis really got things going for the offense with a 2-out RBI single in the 3rd to cut the lead to 1.  This helped to calm the dugout, knowing that scoring runs was possible. So after another zero on the board in the top half, we put up a 5 spot in the bottom.  Aaron Prado had a big RBI as well as Nico Burgarello. The big momentum shift came when Bailin Markridge dropped down a drag bunt with 2 outs, which started us up for two big runs with 2 outs in the inning.  In the 6th Tanner Baker led off with a triple and started a rally that resulted in 6 runs based on 4 walks and 2 hits.  This was a big win for us to get back on track. After the past 3 games this was a huge game to get our confidence back. Very proud of these guys to grind through adversity.

Gameball - Dakota Solis was clutch at the dish and in the field in this one. This senior captain is starting to really lead his team.

1st pitch-  An emotional first game back, and wouldn't it be that we play the old alma mater and school where my dad coached at for 18 years, Sprague High School. Ironically, the processional actually did a loop thru their campus on Monday.  So the former first lady of Sprague seemed like a natural choice to throw out the ball. Diane Baumgartner threw a strike to her grandson Billy Bob, who did his best to knock it down. 

Alumni- Jake Conroy 06' was out to watch... another team, but always good to have him out at the yard.

 

3/17  OC 3 - Chl 11

    This is the first game I have missed in 13 years of being the head coach at O'Connor.  Tough to be 1200 miles away while your team is fighting.  I was lucky enough to have about 12 pages of text messages and updates.  Apparently this wasn't the best game we have had here at the OC and players and coaches are getting frustrated.  For the first time in 13 years I am the one reminding everyone to take a deep breath, believe in the process and keep grinding it out.  I have seen the highs (22-0 start in 13') and the lows (0-7-1 start in 02) and I firmly believe that what we do works. This goes for the coaches and the players. We will do the same thing we have done as coaches for 13 years to develop a competitive team.  The players will grind it out and through the cloud of dust will rise 12-15 players who are ready to play our kind of baseball.  If I hadn't seen it all over the past 13 years I would be right with these kids and coaches searching for answers, but my mentor taught me to step back and see the big picture.  That mindset was instilled in me at a young age and was rejuvenated this past weekend at my fathers/coach/assistant coach/mentors funeral. His motto during our championship year in 95' was "just play baseball and good things will happen."  With a little hard work that sounds easy enough.

 

3/13  OC 0 - Mt. View 6

  This was a decent Toros team who really had some clutch hitting on the day, scoring all their runs with two outs in the innings.  Now this is part good for them, and part bad for us. We just have to be better.  Our goal is to improve our baseball maturity and savvy.  We just have an inexperienced team that really needs to learn on the fly.  We are getting into offensive counts at the plate (3-1, 2-0) and rather than making them pay or coming out of our shoes, we are taking defensive swings or swinging at pitchers pitches in hitters counts.  On the flip side tonight we just couldn't make pitches when it mattered.  Our hitters felt like the zone was huge, but as pitchers we just couldn't work off the plate. So when we had 2 strikes on a hitter or were in pitchers counts, we just couldn't throw balls off the plate or in the dirt. Instead we bail them out with a pitch out over the plate.  Multiple times we had 2 outs and a base open, but gave them pitches to drive.  This will get better because it has to. Our players won't accept situations like this to keep happening because we have too much pride and fight.  Now its back to work and back to the grind to get better these next two weeks so we can come out with a big April, and thus a fun May. 

 

3/11  OC 0 - Pinnacle 4

   We just could not get anything going offensively today.  Wish we could have carried over some of those runs from yesterday. Such is the life in high school baseball. One day every is hitting, the next day hits are hard to come by.  It is tough on our offense to get down multiple runs, so that first inning giving them a 3 spot really hurt.  Getting down 4-0 early really limits what we can do offensively because outs become so precious at that point. Tip your cap to them, they made pitches and made plays.  Also I was proud of the fight our boys showed. We even brought the tying run to the dish in the 7th for good measure.  Every game is going to be a tough game, we just have to keep fighting to beat a team like this. 

 Pitching - Solid effort from Zack Humphrey who really competed today to give us 5 strong innings and a chance to win.  Jake Hatfield then came out and threw 2 dominate innings of relieve. I am proud of how guys are coming off the bench and taking advantage of their opportunities.  

Grind-  Every game at this level is going to be a tough game.  There just aren't any push overs at this level. So day in and day out we are going to really have to fight and compete to have a chance to win.  Good for our kids to see what its like to have to fight for what you want every day. 

 

3/10  OC 11 - VV 4  Big day offensively today.  The fight and grind we are looking for started from the beginning as we had 5 of our first 6 guys get on base with 2 strikes. On the day we had 8 guys get 2 strike hits.  This is the kind of confidence and fight we have been looking for.  The worries of coming out flat were squashed right away with that first inning.  With a lot of inexperienced players on the team, we tried to emphasize that having energy every day is a key.   Again Bailin Markridge was an impact player today with 2 huge doubles to keep the momentum and drive in 3 big runs. 

Offensive -   Dakota Solis was a difference maker today getting on and starting rally's in 3 different innings. Colby Wyatt also got back on track today with some clutch hitting and 3 RBI's.

Pitching-  Colby didn't have his best stuff but was effective in our out accumulation mode. Austin Wiskow was nasty tonight. 9 players up 9 down for the junior hurler. He was one of our nastiest pitchers in tryouts so we knew it was a matter of time before his confidence matched his stuff. Hopefully this is the kind of outing to spring board him to a season of success.

Gameball- Max Peters came in like a wrecking ball today going 3 for 4 with 2 doubles and 3 RBI's.

Shoutouts - Coach Kiepke was out at the yard today to root on the Eagles. Also a special shoutout to one of our former Eagles Gaylen Bartlett who is back in town and all growd up with words of encouragement for the coaching staff.

 

 

 

 3/6  OC 7 - MR 5

    After much debate we have decided to bring back the coaches corner, for all of you who have followed over the years, and couldn't be let down.  This was a tough week on many fronts.  With the passing of my father, Coach Bill Baumgartner on Tuesday, then the tragic accident that took the life of a former Mt. Ridge player, Corey Burke,  Thursday night, it was definetly a tough week.  This game would do a lot to heal many hearts.  It was a fun and energetic game played hard by both sides. 

Energy -  Questions have been raised about this team and their ability to take the next step and really compete.  We showed flashes of that capability tonight. We had guys fighting at the plate and making tough pitches in tough situations. Garrett Arthur, Keegan McCarville and Bailin Markridge were examples of that tonight. As the 7-9 hitters they got on base a combined 8 times in this game.  But no fight was better than the battle Aaron Prado put together to lead off the 7th. After getting down in the count, he worked it to 3-2 laying off some tough pitches, then lined a double over the 3rd basemans head to get the tying run to 2nd no outs in the 7th.  This team followed that lead and continued to fight in the 7th. 

Execution-  When a sign is given the coach/players look like magicians or idiots depending upon execution.  Today in that 7th almost everything we touched turned to gold. The hit and run basehit from Bailin to score the tying run was textbook.  Then to have Trey Patnoe come off the bench and drive in the go ahead run was awesome. 

The Stars came out-  Former players and VIP were all over the place today including Noah Kelly (14), Brandon LeBoeuf (13) Cooper Gray (13) Tyler Abrego (13) Josh Moody (07) Sutton parents (booster prez 12), Harte parents (14).  The biggest celebrity in the house was former assistant coach Dan Weber.  For the first time since he moved north 8 years ago coach Weber was back in the dugout.  Coach Weber helped to set the foundation for what the program is today, with his work and dedication in those first 5 years of our program.  Glad he could be there to see how far the program has come and the most recent win over Ridge, since he was there for the first one, and many not so close before that. 

 

 

 

 

5/10  OC 2 - Mesquite 9

  What a fun and exciting 8 innings of baseball. There were so many exciting things to be a part of and we are so thankful we had the opportunity to be there.  We talked earlier in the week about taking risks and how it makes you vulnerable to heartbreak, but I would take this risk of the state playoff spotlight any time.  The game really had some momentum turns all around, but here are some highlights:

  Cameron Ming started on 3 days rest, only the 2nd time in 12 years that an Eagle has come back on that short of rest. With our backs against the wall we had to go with our best and he was a warrior giving us everything he had through those 4 innings.  We will miss his pickoff move the most as we got 2 big pickoffs in the first inning, and a Nate Easley back pick at 2nd on a routine base hit to leftcenter. Something that had parents and coaches scratching their heads was after we brought in Colby Wyatt to dominate the next 2 innings, we were able to keep Cameron in left so he never left the field, and was able to come back and get the last out of the 7th inning. 

  After giving up a sac fly in the 8th to give up the go ahead run, we appealed the runner left 3rd base early (by about 2 steps) and the umpire agreed to punch him out.  

  As previously mentioned Colby Wyatt really pitched well going 2 2/3 strong innings. As a sophomore we are hoping he will really develop the next 2 seasons with all the experience and development he has earned this year.  

  Again it was such a fun game to be a part of. In the 9th we just couldn't get the big play to end the threat, and for the 2nd game in a row the wheels fell off. That didn't diminish our season or the game. I am proud of each of these boys. I think we will look back in the next few years and realize how much this group really overachieved and accomplished.  Proud of our Eagles!

 

5/8  OC 2 - Liberty 5  3rd round of playoffs

    A tough one for the Eagles today as we let one slip away.  You could feel the danger of the inevitable about to happen with each opportunity we didn't take advantage of. We had runners on consistently early in the game but couldn't get the big play to break the thing open. As a result we let the momentum slip away and allowed for a team to take advantage of us.  In the 6th we just did a lot things that we hadn't done the first 5 innings as one bad thing led to another. We couldn't get the break or the tourniquet to stop the bleeding.  Tip your cap to them for getting the big hits when they needed them. 

 2 options  As a team we can feel down about ourselves or point fingers, or we can pull together and fight for one another and keep this thing going. We will find out the choice we have made on Saturday at Maryvalle. 

Fans in the stands - Allie Burgarello changed her plane flight to get there for the game. Boeuf, Bilbrey, Harner, Abrego all paying a grip of money to support their former club. 

 

 

5/6 OC 2 - Centennial 1   2nd round playoffs

    A great ballgame today with a classic pitchers duel that took only 1 hour and 10 minutes to finish. We had great confidence going in with Cameron Ming on the mound, and new we only needed to manufacture some runs to get this W.  Their pitcher is a top notch guy who really gives us fits, but the longer you see a guy like that, and the more pitches he throws in one weeks time, the better chance you have to get a break. In the 2nd we broke thru to score the first run.  Marco had a big one out single then stole 2nd on the first pitch. Coach Easley has free reign to send guys from first, and picked a great time to steal a bag.  With 2 outs Nate Easley drove an 0-1 pitch to deep right center field for the RBI double.  We kept the pressure on with more opportunities in the 3rd, and 4th, before getting the 2nd run in the 5th.  We kept forcing the issue with stolen bases and trying to push the envelope on a sac fly with Hodg at 2nd.  I got a little too greedy trying to get him home on a sac fly with him at 2nd.  Eventually the aggressivenss paid off with a base hit to left by Ming scoring Keegan McCarville from 2nd.  When we were up 2-0 the confidence was bubbling over, knowing how good Ming was throwin it.  After pitching out of trouble in the 6th he cruised to the 1,2,3 7th. 

Great effort-  Tanner Baker started in left field tonight and sold out horizontally for a fly ball down the left field line. The ball just barely kicked off his glove for the first hit of the night.  Great to see our players going all out for each other. 

Gameball - Cameron Ming throws a gem with 9 K's and drove in the eventual winning run.  

Shirts-  Playoff shirts were donated and given out to 300 fans for the game tonight courtesy of Xtreme Apparel and Mark Daus. This year we made those shirts a little more cost effecient by extending the season. 

Alumni Watch - The longest knecks west of the Mississippi showed up today, with Brian Carr (in professional attire) showing up with former Booster club president Pat Carr.  These kids are so mature now and growed up. 

 

 

4/29  OC 0 - Centennial 3

  Sometimes when the snowball is rolling down hill it is tough to put the heals in the ground and stop it. Their pitcher today was working quick and changing speeds and rather than slow things down, we just kinda got outta his way and let him plow through. Tip your cap to him he threw good and knew what he was doing.  On our end of things, we did our part as well, only giving up 1 hit!!  The game of baseball is very humbling. We can have one inning of 2 walks an error and the lone hit and lose 3-0.  This builds character I guess and hopefully drives us to work in the next couple days. 

Time to wait-  Now we sit back and keep checking out the standings for the next 2 days until the selection show on Thursday. Then we get a plan of attack together and go put things to work.

 

4/28 OC 5 - Sunrise Mt. 1

  This was a really well pitched game by both pitchers. Each team had their chances early in the game but just couldn't get the clutch hit. We had runners in scoring position in each of the 6 innings of play, while we pitched out of a 1st and 3rd 1 out jam of our own in the 3rd.  It really felt like a day when we were going to have to scrape and claw for a victory. Noah Kelly started things off with a double in the 5th with the score tied 0-0. Great to see him have success just staying short and hitting missiles to right field.  After a Greg Saenz hit by pitch and Degan Harte walk, Marco Burgarello had a great 2-0 base hit to right over the 2nd basemans head for the first run.  I was mumbling under my breath for Nate Easley to take shorter swings and let his barrel do the work then BAM he hits a blast to right. I didn't think it was going out but was sure we would get some runs as it was over the right fielders head. When the umpire started waving his finger I couldn't believe it.  

Gameball- Nate Easley is in rare company hitting a ball out to the opposite field at our yard. All I can remember is Travis Lane pulling off the feet in the 2nd round of the 2008 playoffs vs. Nogales. 

Neighborhood-  Some players pass Liberty, Sunrise Mt., and Ridge on their way to school so it is good to "win the neighborhood" and beat them in succession.  This is what sports should be about, just competing against kids from the neighborhood in a healthy manner. 

Warrior - Cameron Ming pitched his tail off as he battles back from illness. He really pitched his way out of a jam or two tonight to pick up his teammates.  

 

4/25  OC 19- Mt Ridge 6

  Nothing is ever easy at their place. When we found ourselves up 10-0 in the 2nd I was mentioning to coach Easley we need to keep our foot on the gas. It was only last season that we went back and forth for a 3 touchdown to 2 victory. I know when you're in a rivalry game with wind blowing out no lead is safe.  Our guys just did such a great job offensively of working counts. We had such good at bats and were rewarded with 12 walks!  Then we did a great job of getting clutch hits to drive in runs at key moments. Having Cameron Ming back at the top of the lineup really brings an energy to these guys. He had 2 hits and 3 RBI's on the night. All 9 starters had at least 1 hit. Always nice to come out and put up a bunch of runs, especially on a night when both offenses were really clicking. These 2 teams combined for only 10 total hits in 9 full innings earlier in the season, but today both teams were squaring up the ball. 

Turning point-  Hard to believe but I think the difference in this game really came in the 3rd inning. After they had kept us off the board maintaining momentum with the game stuck at 10-5, our defense made some great plays to keep them from a big inning. For the first out Greg Saenz ran all the way to the foul line in shallow left field for an amazing basket catch that kept the hitter from a double. Then Nathan Easley ran a ball down over his head for the final out of the inning on what would have surely been a triple.  Little innings like that just keep momentum going in the right direction. 

Gameball - Nicko Ortega had a 2 RBI double to the wall. He has been really stroking the ball in practice so good to see him taking that to the field. 

Alumni - 2012 grads Josh Fogerlie and Wesley Sutton were in the house along with 2013 grad and current student in Florida, Owen Sanborn, and 2013 grad Cooper Gray.  Thanks for the support and good karma, since most of those guys had their best games in this rivalry.

 

4/23  OC 3 - Liberty 2

   What a great game for the fans, a pitchers duel, but with action each inning. Tip your cap to their starting pitcher who went 7 strong innings. We really did a good job of knocking on the door each inning but just couldn't get the clutch hit to break thru.  Our guys did a good job of getting on base with 4 walks and 4 hit batters but we just had trouble time and again of getting em over and in. Dakota getting the clutch hit in the 6th really changed the game and made us believe we could win this thing. 

 Gameball- Dakota Solis was really clutch tonight, after trying to figure things out his first 2 at bats, he really stepped up in his last 2 at bats. We talk to our guys about flushing one at bat and getting ready for the next so that we can have a productive 3rd and 4th at bat, and he did that tonight. 

Defense- Time and again we pitched out of jams. Baker had multiple runners on in the 2nd, 3rd and 4th, but only gave up to 2 runs to keep us in the game.  Then Degan Harte pitched out of a bases loaded 1 out jam in the 5th, and guy at 3rd 2 outs in the 8th. I was hoping at some point our guys would feed off the momentum and in the 8th we finally did. 

Clutch- Colby Wyatt had another big RBI in the DH role. Wyatt Fernandez got the call to the show this week and played 4 solid innings at 1st base.  Corey Wilson came off the bench to get a clutch bunt down in the 8th to get the winning run in scoring position. Great to play these kind of games and come out on top

 

4/21  OC 2 - Mesquite 3

  A well fought game from both teams in which we had a ton of highs and lows. The optimism comes from competing with a solid team on the road for 8 innings, having a young Colby Wyatt step up with the emergency start and pitch his tail off, and Nicko Oreteg throwing his longest and best outing of the season.  The negatives come from just making the game so hard by not making the little plays, and just letting at bats snowball at the dish.  We only managed 4 hits against a pretty good pitcher, but our outs just weren't as productive as they can be. Degan Harte was huge to get that big double in the 6th to keep us in the ballgame. We just have to execute the offensive plan a little better, like we have done the past 8 games.  

Impact player- Their 3rd baseman number 12 was the difference in the game. He made two barehanded plays on Austin Brakebill bunts, that Austin will be safe on 8 out of 10 times. Then to get that last base hit off the handle and give a headfirst slide into first base for the victory, you have to tip your cap. 

Next man up- Sports are just like life, and when thunderbolts happen, it is all about the next guy stepping up and taking advantage of his opportunity. We have prepared for this all year long, tho you never want an illness to keep an impact player out of the lineup. Our guys will just have to take the bull by the horns and get the job done.  

Welcome back - Although a hard luck loser in the stat column tonight, it was great to see big #24 Nicko Ortega have his good stuff and mentality tonight. He was competing and busting inside on guys hands. He is going to be big for us the rest of the way out. 

4/17  OC 5 - Valley Vista 2

    What a roller coaster of a game today. Valley Vista is a team that is very talented and played a good game. We just happen to create a few extra opportunities, and got the benefit of a couple calls.  I felt like Corey Wilson was so dominant tonight. That may have been the best he has thrown for us in these past two years. We have had a few "excitement" free games in a row so apparently we were just trying to create our own excitement with those 5 erros.  Corey really cruised early, taking a no hitter into the 5th inning. At this point our defense really made the game difficult with 3 errors that led to 2 runs. What may not go noticed is that Greg Saenz made a fantastic play up the middle to end the inning and put a torniqet on the bleeding.  Offensively we didn't hit their starter like I thought we would, but did a good job putting runs on the board towards the end of the game. 

Turing point- With only a 4-2 lead in the 6th and runners at 1st and 2nd, Corey Wilson induced a 5-4-3 double play to get out of the jam.  This got us into the 7th with the lead, and allowed our offense to go scrape accrossed another run in the bottom half. 

Gameball- Corey Wilson was a man tonight going 6 innings with 6 K's and only giving up 1 hit.

Amazing plays-  In the 7th with the tension starting to climb, Cameron Ming caught an errant throw and fell to the ground at 1st.  He proceeded to throw the ball from the seat of his pants to a covering Greg Saenz at 3rd base who decoy tag got us the 2nd out of the 7th.  To end the game Aaron Prado ran all the way to the fencen on the visitors side to catch the final out. 

Great week - With varying teams with talent this week, and dealing with high school kids who ride the emotional roller coaster, it was great to see us step up and win all three this week. This really sets us up for next week, where we will have the opportunity to measure up against some of the toughest competition in the state.

 

4/16  OC 13 - Willow Canyon 1

  I felt like we kinda struggled to get the clutch hit early, including leaving the bases loaded in the first with 1 out and got no runs.  Facing a lefty who was effectively wild we kind of got into a funk at the dish. The remedy to any funk is to run out all the pitchers who don't think too much and just swing it. So with a 2-1 lead we bring in Colby Wyatt who gets a base knock to right, and Corey Wilson got a bases loaded (living the right way) hop over the shortstops head for a 2 RBI double. From there the flood gates opened and we strung together a couple triples and another single in the inning for the 7 runs. Needless to say this was the turning point in the game. In the sixth Nate Easley got right with a laser double to the gap, Austin Brakebill got a two RBI double and Noah Kelly finished the scoring with an RBI to rightfield.  

Split in half- The first half of the game we struggled, but from the 4th on we played really good baseball, running the bases well, and putting together quality at bats. Gotta keep carrying this to the next game.  

Gameball- Austin Brakebill was 3 for 4 with 2 doubles, a triple and 4 RBI's. On top of that he had the hustle play of the night as well, by backing up an overthrown backpick of 1st, and throwing the hitter out at 2nd for the first out of the 3rd inning and maintaining our slim lead.

Appreciation- A couple knuckleheads in the stands for the opposing team, does nothing but help me to appreciate the parents and fans that we have.  The situation only gets worse when people aren't pulling on the same end of the rope in a program. 

 

4/14  OC 7 - Ttown 0

  Cameron Ming was dominant on the mound and our guys did a great job of making plays. Greg Saenz played solid defense and Aaron Prado made a great throw to bang a runner at 2nd base.  This is a tough ball club and again a team that really has challenged us mentally in the past. They tend to play their outfield deep and challenge us to be disciplined enough to stay within ourselves and not try to do too much. We did that tonight.  Aaron Prado drove in the first run on a clutch 2 out single in the first. In the 3rd Noah Kelly got things going with a crushed double to the right center gap. He was driven in by Greg Saenzwho was then driven in by Degan Harte to put us up 3-0. Cameron was good enough that 3 runs seemed like a large lead today, but with scrappy teams like coach Richardson runs out there, we didn't think any lead was safe. So even up 5-0 in the 6th, we still bunted 2 runners into scoring position so that they could be driven in on a Ming double. 

Gameball- Cameron Ming was very composed on the mound tonight.

Turning point- I think when we picked off the runner in the 3rd to end the threat, then Noah Kelly launched the double to right, that we really settled in. It was almost as though Noah showed everyone that if we stay back and hit the ball where it is pitched, that we could outdrive them anywhere. He has been swinging a good bat for a couple weeks, though again many of them are reaching gloves around the warning track. 

 

 

4/11  OC 10 - BC 1

  You could almost just cut and paste this writeup with yesterdays. Again we came out and swung the sticks, stringing together the first 7 hitters in the second inning getting on base and putting up 6 runs. Aaron Prado had a big double in the inning and mulitiple players bypassing a bunt execution for a single.  Austin Brakebill had a huge at bat in that inning drawing a bases loaded walk while working about 8 pitches out of them.  Degan Harte continued to stay hot, getting 2 hits in the second inning and a big double to center in the 7th.  We maintained a 6-1 lead into the 5th inning when Austin Brakebill had a huge 2 out RBI on a drag bunt base hit. Then in the 6th Degan launched the double and was moved over on another Max Peters single, then scored on a Burgarello single.  Brakebill finished off the scoring with a 2 RBI double. Of course we left some guys out on the bases and just couldn't get in that 10th run to end the thing early. 

Pitching- Colby Wyatt didn't have his best location, but really battled to give us a solid 5 innings. That kid has battled thru sickness all week.  Degan Harte came back after a couple weeks off and threw 2 real good innings.

Gameball - Nate Easley was a perfect 4 for 4 on the day and did something that has never been done before here at the OC. For 2 games in a row he proceeded to take 2 bases on a passed ball. After scoring from 2nd last night, he went from first to third today.

Perspective-  Coach Mac does a great job up at the BC and it showed today when he made a lifetime memory for all involved in pregame as his manager was able to throw to 3 batters and also hit an inside the park homer. Big picture things are getting done up at the BC and they should be proud of their team for that.

Making progress- We have been really making some strides offensively.  Last year our downword spiral was started with that lefty at North Canyon dominating us. That put enough doubt in our minds for us to struggle hitting the rest of the way. This year we had a great week scoring 10 runs 5 games in a row. The next challenge will be to see if we can improve on our battle with the pesky wolverines from Ttown this week.

 

4/10 OC 10 - BC 1

  With help on the vision from coach Mac we decided to bring trophy to the rivalry, much like college football games. We settled on an old antique train bell that will be painted the school colors of the winning team, and rang behind home plate by the winner of each game.  It is a fun and healthy way to continue a rivalry that dates back to 2006 when BC was first opened.  Today our boys came out and answered the bell in order to ring it.  We started hitting from the beginning of the game but couldn't get anything to come from it, as we were doubled off 2nd by a line drive in the first, then thrown out at the dish to end the inning in the 2nd. But our guys stayed patient and kept hitting, then good things happened.  Austin Brakebill drew a 1 out walk followed by a Cameron Ming bunt base hit.  Noah Kelly then gave us the lead for good with a 3 run bomb over the scoreboard in left. In the 4th we piled on with 4 more runs as the 6-9 in our lineup all got base safely.  Again production from the bottom of our lineup was huge today. 

Baserunning-  We were a little hesitant at times just because we got a guy thrown out at the dish in the 2nd. We have to keep being aggressive and taking some risks. Nate Easley took that to heart while stealing 3rd the pitch went to the backstop so Nate continue to hustle and scored from 2nd. Never stopping or hesitating is key to good baserunning.

Pitching - Corey Wilson was very effective today striking out 9 and commanding the zone. This allowed him to expand the zone.

Gameball- Greg Saenz leadership was off the charts today. He went 0-4 but was pumping guys up and leading them. He smoked some balls again and didn't get rewarded but his leadership was a difference. He actually lined out and as the guys were coming to pick him up, he was pumping them up and congratulating them on their at bats. Eyes off of himself and on others is something that we hope will be contagious.

Alumni Watch - Cliff Shepard circa 2006 flew in from Louisiana for the game. His nephew was recently born so he flew out and happened to catch a game.  A firefighter in Shreveport, Cliff was one of the best hitters we have had come thru this program. His 3 doubles in a game vs. San Luis in the playoffs in 06 are one of the better highlights from the program.

 

 

4/8  OC 12 - North Canyon 2

  This was a big time victory for us and I think one of the funnest games to coach on the season. We were short handed coming in, so our focus was ramped up and our guys understood that we needed to do the little things to win. We also had a little more on the shoulders of our big time hitters and they responded very well. We came out fighting with 4 straight singles to start the day, but I was a little nervous that we couldn't punch another run across. Luckily we continued to fight and put up 2 more in the 2nd. Colby Wyatt was big for us today as he used his momentum from the bomb the previous night to get 2 big hits out of the 4 hole. He was under the weather all game but competed his tail off for the team.  We did so many little things right today that would go unnoticed in the scorebook. Nicko Ortega had a huge ground out to 2nd to move a runner over and help us get 2 more runs in the 6th. Aaron Prado had 2 big 2 strike base hits to keep the ball rollin. Time and again our players fought to get the job done for each other.

Bottom Half- Our 8 and 9 slots came up huge today. Dakota Solis and Austin Brakebill combined to go 4 for 4 with 2 sac bunts, a walk, hit by pitch, 5 runs and an RBI. Really helps to turn the lineup over when we have guys fighting and being productive 1-9.

Mound work-  On the toughest mound to pitch on in the state with a 70degree slope, Tanner Baker and Keegan McCarville were dominant. When Tanner had bases loaded no outs in the 2nd and got a pop up to center, Punchout and ground ball to get out of the inning unscathed, the momentum was huge. Keegan came in and looked really good establishing his fastball then snappin the curve.

Gameball - Greg Saenz was a man today. 2 singles and a triple to right center, but his best contact may have been a laser he hit up the middle with 2 runners on, but the 2nd baseman laid out to rob him.

Nate Parry Moment - In 2004 one of my favorite players of all time came strollin in at 2:01 for a Ridge game that required the team to be there at 2:00. He sat next to me on the bench that day. We owe it to alumni like him to keep the integrity of our expectations for years to come.  The little things will be big things in these kids lives so we better prepare them now.

4/7  OC 13 - Deer Valley 2

  Cameron Ming threw one of his best games of the season today, setting the tone and dominating the game. We got a little sloppy on defense otherwise he probably throws a shutout. He did a great job of getting 10 big punchouts.  We really smoked the ball today with 17 hits.  We took advantage of a few big errors on their part, but I feel good about us clutching up.  We have really been working hard in practice driving the ball to the gaps, and it finally showed in a game.  Noah Kelly really had some quality at bats today hitting a double to the gap to start the scoring in the first. It is great to see all the work he has put in these 3 years finally paying off with some extra base hits to the opposite field gap.  Degan Harte continued to smoke the ball with 3 more hits including a double launched to centerfield. Greg Saenz also stroked a couple balls. 

Bench hitters- We have a few guys who have been stinging the ball in practice and they all got into the act tonight.  Keegan McCarville had a base hit, Corey Wilson a triple and Matt Hodgson stung a ball to left. 

Gameball-  The highlight today was not just Colby Wyatt launching a ball off the scoreboard, but his teammates doing a solid job of gamefacing him in the dugout. The Cold shoulder lasted about 2 pitches then the dugout erupted with celebration. 

Get better-  Our guys really need to start playing fearless. In closer games we need to make those plays from the 4th inning, and take every extra base on balls in the dirt. We will continue to do work. 

 

4/3  OC 8 - Ironwood 0

    We knew going into this game we really needed to get back on track and play baseball. With 2 losses in a row their can be some negative thoughts and self doubt creeping in for a group of guys who only lost 4 games total last year.  We needed some guys to step up and set the tone for victory.  Corey Wilson got the job done on the bump, going 7 strong innings with 10 punchouts. Big for us to have him go out and put up zeros until we could get the bats going. We faced another lefty who changed speeds and tried to keep us off balance with a knuckleball. With patience and confidence we were eventually able to get to him.

Gameball - Noah Kelly was a one man wrecking ball today and very impressive with all of his at bats.  You can see the work he has put in really paying off. He stayed inside the first at bat and drove the thing to rightcenter for a triple, and topped things off with a 2 run blast down the line for a homerun.  That ball was about 10 feet fair the whole time. Usually that ball would hook foul, but he stayed inside the ball so well that it just stayed straight the whole way.  The umpire did a fantastic job of not having an ego and just doing what he could to make sure the right call was made. As a former coach for many years he really just wants the right call made for the kids.

Big week-  Next week we have 4 games, so we really need to start playing some good baseball and taking care of business. It all starts Monday with a game at Deer Valley, always a dangerous team.

4/1  OC 1 - Slope 2

     With the wind blowing in we just could not adjust and play the game the way it needed to be played today. 10 of 21 outs were in the air.  We failed to bunt the ball effectively in multiple occassions and just couldn't make the play to keep runs off the board. That is a tough combination to win a game with. There is just not much we could do right today, so we don't have much to say to the fellas.  The reality is that we just need someone or a group of guys to take a stand with their backs against the wall and do what it takes to win baseball games.  This is mental toughness at its core. 

Back to work-  Time to keep plugging away and working hard. We will have more situation like today to rise up to. All of our goals are ahead of us, so we continue to press on.

 

3/27  OC 5- Chap Co 10

    This is a tough game to end the tournament on. We just needed to make a play or two to win that game and when we didn't the snowball just kept rollin down hill. We played solid for 4 1/2 innings. I think when we had 1st and 3rd no outs in the bottom of 5th and couldn't score, we gave up momentum and they used it to pound us with 9 runs over those last 2 innings.  Colby Wyatt pitched great for the first 5 innings and we tried to stretch him out into the 6th but just couldn't make that big play to get us out of inning. I like how we kept fighting offensively in the bottom of the 7th but when you make 6 errors and have 4 wildpitches/passed balls, it is just hard to overcome. 

Lessons learned- We learned a ton with this tournament. Not all of the answers were to our liking, but I think we are prepared for this last 3rd of the season. We made improvements in our bunting/baserunning and picks, which will help us in all of the close games down the road. Now it is time to get back to a regular practice schedule so we can do the work it takes to improve and make ourselves better.

1st Varsity hit- Sophomore Keegan McCarville was hot at the plate today with a single in the 3rd and another one in the 7th. He will be a player to follow over the next couple years as an infielder and on the bump.

 

3/26 OC 8-Pine Creek 6

  First and foremost it was a tough experience to start the game, following a tragic accident in the previous game between Lake Oswego, OR and Fayetteville AR. A Lake Oswego player was struck in the face with a pitched ball, while hitting.  The game was cancelled, the amubulance was called, and the player was taken off the field in a stretcher. As of Wednesday evening the player was still having scans but was doing ok.

Playing baseball-  This was not our best performance today. We had a hard time commanding the zone on the mound, then had a hard time playing catch in the field. Those 2 things usually go hand in hand and they did today. We have to do a better job of throwing strikes, working fast and keeping our defense involved. We gave up 5 walks and had 3 errors which just doesn't make for a fun game to watch or be a part of.

Offense- We did a pretty good job putting up 8 runs today. As a coach we always want more, but for a team that has struggled to score runs early this season, we are very happy.  The tone was again set by Austin Brakebill and Cameron Ming putting down great bunts for hits to lead off the game. That just gets our offense energized, our team fired up, and gets the other team playing on edge. We also did a great job of stealing bases tonight. We had 10 stolen bases tonight including a perfectly executed delay steal by Colby Wyatt that scored Noah Kelly from 3rd.

Rare Air- Degan Harte hit a towering bomb over centerfield to earn the gameball today. There are only a handful of guys in the history of our program who have accomplished this feat.  He is really locked in early this season really staying on the ball and driving it from gap to gap.

 

3/25  OC 11- LO 0

    We have had some special moments in the history of this program, but none will measure up to what we got to be a part of today.  We were afraid if we told David he was starting, he might not show up to the game, so we left that spot in the lineup left open until after the anthem. David threw out a perfect first pitch, going 90 from the mound, and thought his responsibilities were over for the day. We explained to him that the team needed his help, we were missing a leftfielder and we wrote his name in on the lineup. It still didn't click til we told him he needed to sprint out to left and man his position.  With a signature tip of his cap, smile and jog out to left, it brought tears from many who had the pleasure of witnessing it.

Playing Baseball-  Back to the game, we came out and pitched it real well. Tanner Baker was back in his groove pumping strikes and letting the defense make plays for him. He went 5 strong innings in 40 pitches only giving up 1 hit, and even picked a guy off first base.  The offense backed him with a 6 spot in the first after we bunted to ball well, with bunt hits from the Brakebill and Ming, then some clutch hitting from Greg Saenz (2 RBI) and quality discipline (2 walks and a hit by pitch).  Nate Easley and Dakota Solis each had good RBI singles in the inning as well.  

Finish Strong- We got some quality late at bats with singles from Corey Wilson and Colby Wyatt, along with a laser lineout to center from Keegan McCarville. Garrett Arthur had an RBI groundout then Max Peters finished the game off with a double to right.

Welcome Back - Max Peters came off the IR today to catch after having a broken part of his hand since November. Max caught well and had the walkoff double.

Gameball- David Sederstrom brought the energy today.

 

3/24 OC 1 - Fayetteville Ar 4

  This was a quality Fayetteville team who came out ready to play. These are the kinds of teams and atmospheres we need to get used to playing against if we want to achieve our potential. Both lefthanders were tough from the get go and I thought early we did a good job of working counts and seeing pitches. But their lefty got tougher as the game went on and slammed the door on us.  I thought other than the one inning of them really smoking the ball, we did a good job of pitching tonight.  We have to get a little better offensively on being about to give a team at bat when we aren't hitting. We had 9 strikeouts which means for a team that had 4 errors, we gave them too many plays off.

GCU -  That field is 100 times better this year than years past. In my 14 years here in Az I have always wondered how the facilities couldn't be better than they were, but coach Stank has really put some emphasis into the field and facilities and they are top notch.  We are very appreciative to be able to play on that field.

Shovin it-  Freshman Anthony Cosenza had another appearance and dominated it again. He pounded the zone and struck out the leadoff hitter and 3 hitter in the 7th. Great to see a young Eagle have some success.

 

 

3/21  OC 8- Americas Tx 2

    The game is so much funner when you get a dominant starting pitching performance. Colby Wyatt got only his first start of the season (previous start rained out), and he made it stand, by shutting out the Trailblazers thru 5 innings. Colby didn't even give up his first hit until the 4th inning when we were already up 5-0. This allowed our offense to go to work and start hammering some baseballs. Degan Harte set the tone with a deep double to right center in the second, later scoring on Brakebills clutch 2 out single.  I thought the pitcher for Americas was legit. A lefty who could pound the outside or inside corners with fastballs, and spina slider, will win a lot of games this year.  I was really impressed we hit him as well as we did.  Tanner Baker got his bullpen on the field for the 6th inning, getting ready for next weeks start, and Cameron Ming did the same in the 7th. Now all our guys should be fresh and ready to go for next week.

Offensive-  Noah Kelly, Greg Saenz and Degan Harte really found their strokes this week. Noah hit 3 real lazers today, after a clutch single vs. Bishop Gorman the previous game.  Degan Harte has been on fire much of the year, but is really driving the ball right now. Greg Saenz hit his first homerun of his career on thursday and contined to find barrel.

Gameball- Colby Wyatt really swung the bat yesterday and was dominant on the bump today.

Cool things-  We started our 6th set of brothers in O'Connor histroy, in the same game this week, as we started Marco Burgarello at short and his freshman brother Nico at 2nd.  This is always a special memory these guys will appreciate forever and help to follow the footsteps of Hunter/Jade Bilbrey 2011, Kenny/Kyle Slattery  2010, Devin/Draye Turner 2009, Nick/Rick Byler 2008, Matt/Garrett Bridgewater 2008. 

 

3/20  OC 8 - Yreka 5

 We are trying to get a feel for the role that guys are going to play for us in the last 1/3rd of the season. In that spirit we pretty much had a hockey type shift change in this second game.  We are looking for a hitter or 2 that can make an impact for us, and some pitchers who can give us some depth. This tournament is a good opportunity for a lot of guys to demand more opportunities, by taking advantage of the ones they get.  Colby Wyatt was a player who took advantage of this today with 2 knocks and a laser on the only ball that got him out.  We did a good job of running bases and staying agressive, dictated by our early aggressiveness while trying to score from second on a failed pick play.  

Pitching- I thought Keegan McCarville threw a good game today. We needed to make a play or two and he could have been out of that game with little harm.  

Gameball- Anthony Cosenza as a freshman earned the save today going 2 innings and striking out the side in the 7th to shut the door.  

1st Varsity hits - Matt Hodgson, senior, ripped a single up the middle in the 5th. Marco Cotto, sophomore, had an RBI single in the 2nd inning.  And sophomore Colby Wyatt crushed a doulbe to the gap in the 2nd, for his first varsity hit, followed by his second, a single in the 4th. 

 

3/20  OC 6 - Bishop Gorman 5

    What a great ball game for the start of our tournament.  We came out really focused and prepared, as Corey Wilson came out pounding the zone and Greg Saenz started off the scoring with the first home run of his career.  But BG would respond with a big 2 out double to take the lead in the top half of the 2nd. We would manufacture a run the bottom half thanks to a quality at bat from Marco Burgarello to drive in a run with a productive out.  Then the wheels fell off a little in the top of the 3rd when we made some uncharacteristic physical and mental mistakes to dig a 2-5 hole.  The turning point of the game came in the 6th when we had given up runners to first and second no outs, then picked a runner off first, then back picked a 2nd runner that inning and got a flyout to end the threat. We kept the momentum with a Degan Harte double in the bottom half to cut the lead, followed by a Noah Kelly single to bring us to a 5-4 defecit. Again living life the right way in the top of the 7th we got a nice diving catch of a line drive from Greg Saenz to end the bases loaded threat and get us some momentum going into the 7th.

 

7th Inning Heroics-  Brakebill really worked his Ab to start that inning off with a walk. He fought and fought and it payed off. Nate was so good on that bunt that it looked too easy, but make no mistake that was real good baseball.  Then Cameron Ming just clutched up with the RBI.  We pinch ran for him so he would be ready to pitch if needed in the 8th, but after walking Greg Saenz, Degan Harte took the 1-2 pitch the other way for the base hit. There was no doubt we were sending the runner, and that rightfielder had a great throw to make it a close play, but Garrett Arthur had a great slide to beat it for the W.

Gameball - Degan Harte got the Victory on the mound while also going 3 for 4.

Alumni - Jake Harner, Tyler Abrego and even a Wes Sutton sighting! Glad he could carve out 5 minutes of his spring break for his guys. 

3/14 OC 10 - Mt. View 0  5 innings

    This game started with 20+ scouts out to watch a good looking pitcher from Mt. View.  Our boys stepped up to the challenge and pounded out 13 hits en route to the run rule victory.  From the first inning we really competed and worked some great at bats deep in the count. Noah Kelly helped set the tone by working a great at bat, flying out after working a full count with the bases loaded, ending the first inning with no runs.  This did help to set the tone of how we would compete at the dish, and we did the next 2 innings.  We time and again worked quality at bats and put the ball hard in to play, earning a little luck with some bounces off the bases and gloves.  We hit thru 13 players in the 3rd inning to get a big cushion of 8-0.  The way Cameron Ming was throwing, I felt very comfortable with him going and an 8 run lead. 

Game ball - Marco Burgarello had 3 hits, a run and an RBI, but his best play of the night may have been blocking the view of the shortstop on a chopper, causing an error and keeping the rally going in the 3rd.

Offense-  To say we were struggling at the dish would be putting it mildly, so all week we put time into making some little adjustments to get better. The time paid off and our guys broke out in a big way. Even some of the guys who didn't get rewarded with hits, put together some quality at bats that will pay off going forward.   

Spring Break-  Good to start the break with a W against a quality program. Now we need to get opportunities for more players and see who is going to earn themselves some innings going forward. 

 

3/7  OC 1- Mt. Ridge 0  9 innings

     This was probably the best pitching duel in the history of this rivalry.  In 2005 Cory Burns of the Lions, and the Eagles Sean Amerson locked horns for a great duel, with the Eagles coming up on the short end of a 1-0 ballgame and Burns throwing a 1 hitter.  Today was much like that with us not really squaring up a ball all game until the end.  We were constantly pitching out of jams throughout, while we allowed their pitcher to go 1,2,3 in 6 of his 8 frames of work.  The biggest jams cam in the 6th when the Mt. Lions started the inning with 1st and 2nd and no outs. Degan Harte got a big strikeout, then a lazy line drive to Greg Saenz at short, was turned into a double play to end the inning as he flipped it to Dakota Solis at second.  In the 8th it was much of the same with Cameron Ming starting out with runners on first and 2nd, then getting a strikeout, huge pickoff at 2nd base, and another strikeou to end the excitement.

Great Game:  That was uttered all over the yard tonight postgame. Both teams played a clean ballgame and fought all day.

Alumni watch: I urned for the days of Brennan Erickson hitting 2 bombs to carry us to victory, or Owen Sanborn hitting .800 against this team. But again great to see all the alumni out at the game. Every GCC team member was at the yard, and I even had a Brad King (10) sighting pregame.  Great to see these kids as somewhat grown ups.

Player of the game:  After fouling off 2 sac bunts, Dakota Solis crushed his 2-2 pitch to the right center gap. Nate Easley was on his horse and there was no way a coach was going to stop him from scoring.  The irony is that 8 times out of 10 I would have made him bunt with 2 strikes in that situation. Guess we guess lucky sometimes.

Perspective:   Tough enough to play with heavy hearts from being hosted by the Andy Hull foundation, but tragedy struck the Eagle nation again today.  Our kids really need to understand the finality of their decisions and understand this a not a video game that can be reset at a push of a button.  With experience comes responsibility, so the Eagle baseball program will reach out and help the community to pick up the pieces as best we can. 

 

 

3/4 OC 4 - Brophy 6

  Another great game and matchup. I like the atmosphere of showing up to a yard and 20 scouts are out to watch the 3rd base coach.  Under the lights with a couple hundred fans, you couldn't ask for a better scene in Arizona.  We faced one of the better pitchers in the state and an apparent early round draft pick, and rose to the challenge. The difference in this game was just the ability to make plays. When we are playing good teams we have to be able to go and take what we want and not expect teams to roll over instead.  Momentum is another factor we need to improve on. When we score runs, we need to put a zero up on the board the next inning. We will get back to work and improve in these areas and continue to compete.

 

Rivalry game- Only one thing can ease the pain of losing two games this week, and that is a rivalry win. Friday we host Ridge in the first of two games against them this season.

3/3 OC 2- Pinnacle 3

  This was a good ballgame to be a part of.  There was a real great intensity from both teams.  In the end they just got one or two more clutch hits than us.  We battled and played very well, some days in baseball you tip your cap, as a team just gets the best of you.  

Stay hot- Degan Harte is really hitting the ball well to start the season. Even his outs are right on the barrel. Lets hope we can keep the big bear going.

Target-  It is exciting to know that we are going to get the best effort from teams every time out. It makes for good baseball and will be fun to watch.

 

2/28 OC 4- Williams Field 0

  This was a very quality team and a big win for us.  The most important thing for the team is to be able to identify that we have another quality starter in, Tanner Baker.  He threw 3 different pitches in all counts, and kept the hitters off balance. His battery mate, Aaron Prado was just as good, going 3 for 3 with a homer and throwing out the only baserunner attempting to steal on the day.  

Pitching-  3 starters this week and still not one of them has given up a run. Pitching Coach Ryan Bicondoa is really working some magic down in the bullpen.  

Offense- Another good day to be an Eagle. 3 different times we got a bunt down that the other team misplayed, and we snuck a big stolen base of 3rd on a ball flipped back to the pitcher. 

Play of the game- Degan Harte came in with bases juiced and one out in the 6th with a 2-0 lead. That double play he induced was the key point of the game. 

Player of the game- Tanner Baker threw his best game yet in his short Eagles career. No walks and 3 strikeouts was real good. The ability to pick a teammate up after they made an hour was huge as well. 

 

 

2/27  OC 10- Kofa 0

     Corey Wilson was real good on the mound today going four strong innings and striking out 6.  It is always tough when we have guys on a pitch count or some kind of game limitation, because guys put in a lot of time and effort into their starts. Jake Hatfield had his first varsity appearance and after walking the first batter, got two big ground balls to get out of it. We still struggled a little at the dish today, not taking advantage of the opportunity to break the game open. I am hoping as we get deeper into the season and with stiffer competition we will be able to keep the foot on the throttle. We had a few real good swings on the ball early with Dakota Solis, Degan Harte (ground rule double) and Greg Saenz (triple), all squaring the ball up.

1st varsity hit - Dakota Solis led off the game with a triple for his first varsity hit and later doubled off the bag for good measure.

Experience-  Good to get some of these young bucks some experience. We have a drastic contrast of guys who have played varsity for 3/4 years and guys who are getting their feet wet for the first time. This tourney will be very beneficial down the road.

 

 

 

2/26  OC 3 - CDS 1

   The start of the new season brought some great atmosphere to the yard. The battle of two teams that have been going at each other in the first week of the season for the past 11 years.  Let us not take for granted that for the first 5 years of O'Connor baseball, this Aztec program would whoop up on us. It is good to get to the point these last 6 years were the games are very competitive.  2 of the better lefthanders in the state locked horns with Cameron Ming going against Garrett Poole.  Both pitchers threw well, with the Eagles defense helping Ming out a little more, which proved to be the difference.

Player of the game:  Aaron Prado. First game catching for us behind the dish and he handled the pitchers very well. Aaron also launched a ground rule double for an RBI in the 3rd that gave us a little cushion.

Pitching:  Our guys did a great job keeping their hitters off balance.  Pounding the zone and getting all 7 of the first hitters out each inning was huge in negating rally's.  

Baserunning:  We ran bases very well today. A strength of our is not necessarily in the stolen base column, but more in taking every extra base possible. 

Atmosphere:  Half the GCC team was in attendance today, along with 2011 alumni Tommy Lay. Good to see your young men come back to show their support. 

 

 

 

 

4/30  OC 3 - Desert Vista 4  8 innings

 
  We knew long ago that we could have a monster year, record wise, but it would always come down to 1 single elimination game to advance to the double elimination tournament.  Unfortunately that happened to us today as we end the season with a 29-4 record.  There was great atmosphere out at the yard today with hundreds of students and parents in WHITE OUT support of our boys.  Ultimately some of our offensive shortcomings all season long, were apparent again today. It felt almost like the tolleson game in that we just could not make the offensive adjustments. We had 11 pop ups/fly balls in the first 18 outs. We just did not put the pressure on them to make plays early. That being said, the 7th inning was pretty magical. Owen Sanborn led off with a single up the middle. Then with 2 out and a guy on 3rd some special things happened. Stan Gawelko laced a ball to 3rd that got through the wickets. Brandon LeBoeuf stroked a base hit to left, Cooper Gray knuckled a ball between the pitcher/1b/2b for an infield single. Jade Bilbrey then tied it up with a drive in front of the shortstop and 3b for a RBI infield single. Suddenly the game was tied with runners at 1st and 3rd. Marco Burgarello has been big off the bench all year, and almost had the winning hit on a ball in between the pitcher and catcher. The pitcher made a good play on the ball and barely threw him out.

Extras- In the extra frame Dvista just stepped up and earned the victory. Those 2 guys at the top of the order were tough and had a couple big hits to lead off that inning. I was real impressed that Degan was able to come in and pitch us out of that inning with minimal damage after coming in with bases loaded no outs. Again in the bottom half their pitcher made a good play to get us out and made good pitches to finish off the game.

Fans - Great to see everyone out there supporting us. Tough to come up short but that is a part of life and our boys were strong enough to face that reality. Hopefully these boys showed everyone that you can pick up the pieces after a tragedy and keep livin.  When you have done the toughest thing in your life, wins and loses are easy. 

Seniors- A great 8 group of guys this season who developed so much as players and people. They will be missed.

Year- What a year. Another great team that I would have loved to keep coaching for another couple weeks. Now we have to pick up the pieces and finish off the school year.

4/22  OC 10- BC 0

 
 Great way to end the regular season. Some people were starting to worry that we had gone into a funk, but just remember that we are riding the roller coaster of a 16-18 year old.  To come out in a must win game for both teams and get out of there with a 10-0 victory in 5 innings is huge.  We don't know have power points are going to work this year, so we just assumed if we wanted any chance of a top 8 seed, we needed to win today. Jade was solid on the mound, going back to his strength of bustin guys in and keeping guys off the bases.  Defense was solid, but Jade never allowed them to really sting the baseball.  On the offensive side I think the game really changed when we got multiple bunt hits to start the 2nd, then Cooper Gray came up with a bases loaded double to drive in 3 runs. Again a clutch hit in the 4th broke the game open, when with 2 walks in front of him, Greg Saenz hit a bases loaded double to clear em. 

Gameball- Jade Bilbrey only allowed 1 guy to reach second base and had 2 hits for good measure.

Offense- Our baserunning was pretty good today. They have a solid catch and throw guy behind the dish, but we worked well just taking the extra base on outfield arms and Cooper playing him at 2nd.
Again Adam Alvarez stayed hot at the dish with 2 hits, while Brandon LeBoeuf again proved he won't get out if the ball touches the grass.

Wait and see- I am not smart enough to figure out power points, so we took care of what we could, now we will sit back and see where it all plays out.

Getting better- A week ago I was visiting coach McDonald in the hospital. This week he was out there coaching. Good to see all the thoughts and prayers helped and it was only a migraine. Wish him a speedy recovery.

4/19  OC 15- Ironwood 11

 
  What an ending to a crazy week. We put up 40 runs this week and went 2 and 2.  Tyler Abrego got the start and threw very well. Allowing us to get the bats going and creating some momentum. He came out of the game and the wheels fell off. Nicko Ortega worked the 5th for his first outing of the year and was greeted with poor defense.  We have just allowed ourselves to play teams into big innings this week. Earlier in the season we did such a great job of minimizing damage and this week we certainly maximized. Before you knew it we were all tied up at 10-10.  Degan Harte was planned to work the 6th and 7th tonight since he was so fresh from a 2 week layoff. He threw well but again we ran into trouble in the 7th. With a 1 run lead we hit the leadoff guy, but again do a good job on a bunt to get the lead runner. A strikeout later and we were ready to get out of the game but just could not finish the inning. Next thing you know they have bases loaded. We walk in a runner, but then Degan comes up huge with a strikeout to end the threat. After being up 10-4 it is amazing we were in that situation were we had to get a K in the 7th to continue the game. That was one of the biggest outs of the season for us.  Degan then led off the 8th with a line drive single, backed by a Cooper Gray single.  Adam Alvarez, who loves playing at Ironwood, drills a triple the gap to score both runs and eventually allow his run to score. Jade Bilbrey finished off the inning with an RBI single to give us the magical 4 run lead. Degan would finish it off from there with some solid defensive plays from Greg Saenz in the 8th.

Offensively- We finally made the adjustment on the 3 game of facing a soft lefty, and stayed inside the ball, while getting down some quality bunts. We managed 21 hits with that philosophy today.  Our boys want that Ttown game back with this same philosophy.

Time of year- It is the time of year when it doesn't matter how we do it, we just have to win. We have taught everything and seen every mistake, and at this point we are who we are. We just have to do enough to overcome our shortcoming and win ballgames.

Gameball- Adam Alvarez was huge tonight. Catching 4 tough pitchers while going 4 for 5  and just crushing the ball.  His one time he didn't get a hit and still stung the ball enough to reach on an error. Great to see a senior have so much success as the seasons end draws near.

Power points- I am not good enough at mathematics to figure out how we will look by next week. All I know is we have to win Monday to have a chance to finish in the top 8.

 

4/18  OC 0-Ttown 2

 
   Our first shutout since March 14th 2011. Tough pill to swallow after some of the pitchers we have seen this season. In some respects we tip our cap to that team. They did what we have done for many years, take advantage of teams that aren't willing to make adjustments and let their frustrations play right to the defense.  They literally only covered 2/3rds of the field today and just threw the ball up there and asked us to make adjustments. We didn't.  Hopefully this will be a Rocky Balboa moment where we kind of see what made us such a good team in the first place and get back to that. Corey Wilson threw a great game today going all 7 and minimizing the damage other than the 3rd inning.

Take away- When a team beats you like this you have to learn from them and see if you can implement what they do into what we do. They ran bases very aggressively. We couldn't keep them from stealing 3rd. We need to loosen up out their and look to take the same advantages. They were tough. They made some tough plays out their and were not timid. Another attribute we would love to have.

Coaching- Coach Richardson is the best coach in the state, year in and year out. He gets more out of his talent than any one around.  He is also a good friend of the program who was at the church in December to pay his respects.

Parenting- When mom's in the stands, including my own, can watch these games and speak about how we havn't adjusted to a slow pitcher working away 2 games in a row, we have some issues. We need to get rid of the stubborness and frustration, and make adjustments to take what the other team gives us.

Circle the wagons- No one is giving up or laying down after our 3rd loss in 30 games. We just keep working, keep fighting, keep preparing these boys and good things will happen. 

 

Tolleson is year in and year out the best coached team in the state. Coach Richardson gets more out of his talent than everyone else, and the players on that team do such a job of self policing. 

4/16  OC 3- NC 8

 
Baseball is a very humbling game-  For the 2nd day in a row we just could not make a play to get us out of a jam.  It almost seemed like we were just going to show up and run rule a team, then just did not fight once we figured out they came to play. Take nothing away from them, Coach Palmer and his staff do a fantastic job to get the most out of their talent.  But it just felt like we were a country club team today, instead of a team with some grit and fight.  We have to take a page from Rocky and get back to what got us here in the first place.

Don't believe the hype- Public Enemy was very much correct. We talked with the fellas that it is ok to appreciate the hype and even listen to the hype, but if you rely on or believe the hype, you will not show up with fight day in and day out and get beat like this.  We need to get back to the underdog mentality that got each of us here in the first place.  I would prefer to do so with out having to lose a bunch of game in the process.

Appreciation-  In the big picture we get this is high school baseball and really enjoy the success and notorioty we have recieved this year. A #5 national ranking on Maxpreps is really cool. #6 in collegiate baseball is awesome, but that just means we have to fight even harder, knowing that every team is gonna come out and give us their best. We have to take that next step to have success but not let it spoil our effort or focus.

Positive note- Top notch postgame birthday cupcakes today to celebrate Noah Kelly's birthday. 

4/15  OC 22- Ridge 11

The good-  We absolutely pounded the ball today, getting at least one hit from each guy in the lineup, en route to 22 hits on the day.  We stole 5 bags against a good catcher and had 6 walks to only 2 strikeouts. Offensively we played one of our best games of the year against our rival.  To think in that first inning we had 2 outs and no one on, then strung together 6 hits in a row for another 3 runs.  Our guys had a lot of fight at the dish working great counts. Cooper Gray and Brandon LeBoeuf really busted out today to account for 6 runs from the bottom 2 in our lineup.  For our seniors to get a sweep of the Mt. Lions this season, it is an achievement that is so sweet and we don't take lightly.

The bad- Time and again we put up crooked numbers, but we just couldn't put up enough zeros to finish them off early. We really relied on our offense to pick up our pitching today. We allowed 4 walks and 3 hit batsman which you just can't do with big leads.

The Ugly- Defensively we just couldn't make that play to put them away.  We had 5 errors on the day but probably 2 or 3 other plays that could have been gamechangers and allowed us to pull away earlier. Hard to feel bad after scoring 22 runs and run ruling a good team, but we were gonna need every run today.  Our guys are better than that, and I think we get into the snowball rolling down hill affect. It seems like at least our 3rd game with the wind howling out. It is tough on both teams to minimize runs in these conditions.

Gameball- Owen Sanborn. Again 5-5-5-5 on the day. Amazing accomplishment for a kid who probably hit over .750 against these guys in his varsity career.

Perspective- Thoughts and Prayers are with everyone in Boston. We realize we just get to go out and enjoy a ballgame under the safety net of our country. Times like these remind us of how other parts of the world deal with this unsafe feeling everyday. 

 

4/12 OC 11- Centennial 0

 
 A great game to coach today. Quick and easy with no late game stress to work the cardio.  Corey Wilson was real good on the bump today and the defense played great. Offensively we really did a great job of working our plan today. Coach Easley had a good emphasis for the guys to hit within their strikezone and the boys did it well. That second inning had a bunch of clutch hits from Adam Alvarez leggin out a ball to short, followed by Brandon LeBoeuf doing the same. Jade Bilbrey, Cameron Ming and Degan Harte all followed with clutch 2 out RBI's. 

Lineup- Getting to a point with our 12 hitters where we are really tinkering trying to get guys hot in the lineup.  This week a number of guys took advantage of their opportunities.  Tough with a short game like this to get all our guys the atbats and innings we were looking for in a 4/3 inning split, but we will take a short victory everytime.

Gameball- Cory Wilson threw very well for the victory.

Prom- Hopefully the boys represent us well this weekend and are prepared for the stretch run of our last 5 games in 8 days.

 

4/9  OC 4 - BC 3

 A real clean ball game today through the first 6 innings. Of course we don't like easy games so we made things interesting in the end to finish at 4-3.  Cameron Ming was real good on the bump today, pitching through some adversity from behind the dish. He made great pitches when he needed to, including in the 2nd when he left the bases loaded by getting a groundball to short.  From there he cruised through the next 4 innings til he would need some final magic in the 7th.  With so many 1 run games under our birth, there is a sense of calm amongst our team when we are up against the wall.

Offense- We did a good job of manufactoring runs today. Degan Harte had a big sac fly in the 1st, Cooper Gray drove in a run on infield single in 2nd, and Stan Gawelko sac fly in the 3rd. 

Gameball- Cameron Ming competed on the bump and had 2 big hits.

Special attendance- Clayton and LeAnne Hull were at the game today and recieved a birthday gift in the form of a memory book from the players today. A constant reminder that this season will never be measured by wins and losses, but more by how our boys and fans persevere through the toughest times. 

4/8  OC 9- DV 2

 
  Great to come out today and swing the sticks, after a tough game on Thursday. 13 hits in a game is pretty impressive, and good in weather like that to just come out and stick it to em.  The game really changed in the 2nd when with 2 runners on, no outs and 1 run in, Jade got a big strikeout and a 4-6-3 double play to get out of the inning. That allowed us to go out and get another run, then Jade cruised through the next 3 frames.  To minimize in that inning was huge for us. We had big hits all night playing against their wind shift and allowed us to get into scoring position.  The game was put away in the 6th when Owen led off with a single, Stan stayed hot with another single, and after them throwing a ball on a sac bunt attempt, we cut Greg loose on a 1-0 pitch that he lined into rightfield. The outfielder misplayed it into a double, then as Greg attempted to advance to 3rd, the catcher threw the ball into leftfield for an inside the park.... bases clearing single.

Get work in- Colby Wyatt and Jake Harner got much needed innings in today, taking their bullpens to the field.

Gameball- Stan Gawelko continued to smoke the baseball with 3 line drive base hits and a stellar day of defense. Great to see a senior really get rewarded for all of his work.

 

4/4  OC 3 - North Canyon 2 in 8 innings

 
  A pitchers duel today with Cory Wilson throwing real well again today not allowing a walk over 5 innings and giving up only 1 run.  He was matched inning for inning by Matt Drake of North Canyon, who gave up 2 runs over 7 innings.  We did a great job to get that second run on an infield single that scored Owen Sanborn from 2nd base. Other than that we just couldn't get right with that kid on the bump. There were some game changing moments including the bases loaded catch at the track by Brandon LeBouef to end the 6th inning with a 1 run lead.  That ball club is much improved and will be competitive in all games they play the rest of the way.

Get right- I felt like we were tentative or cautious today. Rather than coming out free and easy, we were unsure of how things would go.  Not something you would expect from a team which has won so many 1 run games. Having a couple days to practice is the best thing that could happen to us.

In attendance-  John Doran, former coach at Chemekata Community College and current pillar of the Helena Montana community. Since I was 10 years old John and I played baseball every year together on some team until age 21 in college.  Great to have a friend I havn't seen for 7 years in the stands to catch an Eagles game.

Gameball- Superfan Joey Panek was all over the yard getting foul balls today and earned the gameball.

Clutch - Nate Easley's leadoff double to rightcenter with 2 strikes on him to lead off the 8th was huge. Owen Sanborn, Greg Saenz and Adam Alvarez all legged out some infield plays that either scored runs or kept us out of some double plays.  Alvarez was not to be denied in that last at-bat as he slid head first to win the game.

 

4/3  OC 6 - Pinnacle 16

Reality- 1. We were not going to go undefeated. 2. You can't play a team of this caliber and make 5 errors, miss spots pitching and make defensive lapses.  3. Every mistake we have made this season was taken advantage of today including not backing up throws properly, not getting the tough out on a solid hit ball, and not hitting the relay man. They seem like small things, until you play a team like this who makes you pay for it. 

Perspective- 1. With what these boys have gone through in the past 4 months, to start 22-0 is amazing. 2. It will be nice to get back to work and not have people pat us on the back so much.

Chances- We gave a good hitting team 10 extra at-bats after would be 3rd outs in 5 innings. We can't go toe to toe with a team like that and just play gorrilla ball. We have to beat them by pitching and playing defense.

Superstitions- When watching pro football I am the most superstitous guy around. But when coaching I know that we are either good or we are not. So no one should beat themselves up over wearing new underwear or coming to the game or missing the game. 

Back to work- If we preach not to let 22 wins get to us, we shouldn't allow 1 loss get to us. We get to get back on the horse tomorrow and have fun playing baseball.

4/2  OC 6 - Ridge 3

 
  When playing in a rivalry game, it doesn't matter what your record is, the only thing that matters is how you do against your rival.  Ohio St. vs. Michigan, Oregon St. vs. Oregon, Alabama vs. Auburn and O'Connor vs. Mt. Ridge.  All records are out the window and the only thing that matters is this game.  The first 5 years of our program we couldn't get over on them, so we charish every victory in this rivalry. After a tough first half inning I think it helped us to breath and relax a little when we were able to score a run to match them in bottom half. Both pitchers cruised for the next 2 1/2 innings until we got a run in the 4th.  Degan Harte had a hustle double in the 4th that led to a run, then hit a laser single to drive in another in the 5th.  A turning point of the game was with Jade Bilbrey on 3rd base and with a 3-1 count, Cameron Ming drove a 2 out triple to right center.  This gave us a 4-1 lead after the 5th.  After a big double play to end the top of the 6th, we got clutch hits from Marco Burgarello (double) and Stan Gawelko (single) to score 2 more much needed insurance runs.

Gameball- Cameron Ming gave a warriors effort today. After colliding in practice with Jade we didn't know if he could play until about 2:30. But he pitched with a lot of heart and had a couple big at bats as well.

Minimize- With a 6-1 lead and bases juiced, Degan Harte came on to get us out of the game by getting out the next 3 batters.  The only thing that could hurt us in that situation was free bases, so Degan did a good job of challenging those hitters.

Clutch- Reads like a broken record but Marco Burgarello and Stan Gawelko were huge with those 2 out insurance runs in the 6th.

Crowd- Standing room only today. Great to have the support and feel the energy.

Ins and outs- Big league today to ask a girl to prom in between innings of the Ridge game. Lots of confidence from a kid hitting about .750 in his career against Ridge. Also a tough game to coach against one of our own in the opposing dugout. He is one of us and will always be treated that way. Wish him the best.

 

3/28 Game 2  OC 5 - Grand Junction 0

  Makes for a fun day when we can come out and throw 2 shutouts. Cory Wilson threw his best game of the year today, going 5 strong innings without getting in much trouble. He has real good stuff and trusted it today, while pounding the zone.  Tyler Abrego continued to show his swagger on the mound with 2 K's in his inning, and Degan Harte again shut the door in the 7th. That is a pretty good formula for success. Offensively I felt we did a lot of good things and really smoked some balls right at some guys. That is a quality ball club we played with a physical presence.  They will win many games this year and we will notch it is a high quality win.  

Offense- We came into the tourney with a list of guys who we needed to get right during this 2 week tourney, and overall seem to have done so. Owen Sanborn smoked some balls today. Greg Saenz drove a ball to deep center and Brandon LeBoeuf used his speed to get 2 hits while stealing 3 bags. 

Tourney- We just wanted to be playing as good a baseball when we got out of these games as we were going in. Needless to say with a remarkable 11-0 record for the tourney, we really are playing better. We do some things in a game that just make it hard to beat us. Including making good pitches and working counts on the offensive end.

Gameball- Cory Wilson had 6 K's in 5 innings today.

Break- With high school kids we try to balance our team and keep them fresh. Hopefully guys can enjoy their 3 1/2 days off and be ready to go with a big week coming up next week.  

3/28  Game 1 OC 10 - Denver Christian 0

  A tough matchup today between us and a 2A team. But the game was clean of errors and we had a chance to get some guys into the lineup to enjoy a game of baseball in sunny weather.  Everyone was able to get into the game and have some kind of success. Offensively we only had 5 hits but took advantage of 9 walks and 2 HBP.  We played this game due to a team pulling out late from the tourney and our schedule accomadating. 

Big Victory -  This was victory #200 in the program. Over 10 years that would be an average of 20 wins a season which is very respectable.  This was a great victory for our team and all the alumni who have put in time over the 10 years. We take for granted victories at times now, but I remember the first varsity season when we had to grind to a 13-18-1 record and snuck into the playoffs as the 4th seed in our region. 

1st Varsity Hit- Aaron Prado launched a double to left center. He has a promising future for the Eagles as a sophomore.  

Gameball- Retiring Athletic Director Mike Cornish got the 200th gameball today as his vision for the program has been instrumental in our success. 

 

3/27  OC 6- Piedra Vista NM 1

  A strange game when you have one team hitting with wood bats. In the state of New Mexico they use only wood bats all year long. So it would be tough to ask kids to go buy aluminum just for this tourney, as it would be tough to ask our kids to buy wood. So the coaches agreed that each team would just work on their own thing with their own bats and play a good game. Jade Bilbrey was good on the mound today, no matter what they were swinging. He pitched out of a couple jams hold a good hitting team to 1 run.  Offensively we did a lot of things right, getting on (8 walks), getting guys over and getting them in (RBI's from 4 different guys). All in all a solid W for our guys. 

Gameball- Max Peters caught a good game and had 2 hits to pace the Eagles.  Big for him to clutch up with the 2 out double down the line to give us a 2 run lead. 

Tourney-  Another good day at the yard with 6 games on our fields today and looking forward to 5 more tomorrow then a well deserved 3 day break for all. 

Crowd- Another solid spring break crowd as the boys are getting a little love from a lot of different people. The highlight of the day was having a special guest to talk shop with in former head coach at Chaparral, current Yavapai pitching coach Jerry Dawson.  Always good to spend time and soak up knowledge from such a good coach and mentor to the program.  

 

 

3/26 OC 11- West Albany OR 0

 
Great job offensively in the 8th game of an 11 game tournament to go out and score a bunch of runs and minimize the effects on our pitching staff. Cameron Ming was able to cruise after the first inning and by the time we looked up, we had a rule shortened ball game. Make no mistake this Bulldogs team is solid and will win a bunch of games this year. They won't make those same mistakes in a month, but we did a great job of taking advantage of them.  We especially did a magnificent job of getting clutch hits with 2 outs, as we accounted for at least 5 of those runs with 2 outs on the board.  When you are dealing with 24 high school kids it is a process to try to get them all going right at the same time, so we are continually putting work in as players and coaches to achieve more success.

Gameball-  Adam Alvarez was tough behind the dish, taking a ball off the inside of the knee, and was clutch at the dish with 3 big RBI's for us.

Success- The trick now is to make sure that sucess sharpens us and doesn't spoil us. We need to keep working and being appreciative as a team for all our or fortunes.

Celebrities- Pastor Don Wilson was on hand to watch some of his boys play the game today, and stuck around to talk shop with the coaching staff.  He has a great athletic and leadership mind.  On the other side of the spectrum "little" Bill Davidson from BC Hop Farm was in the house to watch his nephew coach. He can be found on many Widmer commercials in the northwest.

Tourney- Great crowds and fantastic volunteer help really make this a fun week. It is a lot of hours for everyone but it is well worth it.  Special thanks to all the freshman and JV boys rockin the mic, working the scoreboard, and cleaning up fields.

 

3/25  OC 5- Tualatin 2

   To start the second week of the Coach Bob Invitational with a W is always a good things. Jake Harner got his first start of the year and worked through some things in those first 3 innings. He was our best guy out of the pen last year, winning us many big games, so we have to get him going again. Offensively we showed good discipline against a pitcher who will be tough to beat for them this year.  He had a nice loose arm action and could throw his changeup and curveball for a strike. We did a good job of working his counts in that 4th inning. This was really the first game in a while when I felt like we could be a little comfortable and didn't play ourselves into pressure situations. Again our goal this week is to get guys right physically and mentally so we are ready for power point games next week, highlighted by our Ridge game on Tuesday.

Hitters - Greg Saenz had a couple big hits and Noah Kelly looks to be getting right at the dish. Just some big disciplined at bats by a lot of guys today.

Gameball- Colby Wyatt looked his best of the season today. Locating his fastball and challenging hitters.

Alumni- Tualatin is the high school of an all time great OC assistant coach in Dan Weber. Good to get a W against those guys.

 

3/22  OC 7- Mullens Co 6  10 innings

 
  Another great atmosphere and crowd for a wonderful night of baseball.  Of course we would do it no other way than in dramatic fashion.  Each inning we were just waiting to see how it would unfold and who would clutch up to be the "guy" tonight.  In those first 3 innings I really felt that if we could just not walk anyone, make any errors, or implode mentally, we would cruise to victory. As luck would have it all 3 things happened.  We ended up on the night giving up 6 runs on 6 SINGLES!  Usually a recipe for disaster but we were able to get our minds back together and pull out another victory. 

Who are these guys-  We brought up 2 guys to give us some innings this week, and havn't had to use them until tonight.  Aaron Prado and Colton Baudhuin pitched like they had done it all year.  Aaron threw 5 strong innings pitching in and out of jams all evening.  He pitched out of bases loaded 1 out jams in the 6th and 8th, and 1st and 2nd no outs in the 9th. Pretty impressive for his first varsity outing.  Colton Baudhuin came on in the 10th and threw gas by the guys to pick up his first varsity win.

Better mentality- It was expressed to our players that we will be mentally tough and not show our displeasure with umpires or situations, otherwise we won't be on the field. We represent our team, our school and our family's when we step on that field.  Wins and loses are not important when compared to the character that our players need to represent for all of the people who support us.

Special Thanks- There are a few people to recognize who made this a special night. 1st to Coach Andy Stankiewicz and Grand Canyon University for letting us use their facilities.  2nd to Coach McDonald at Boulder Creek for setting us up with a fun experience, especially for our seniors. And finally to Marc Mur who teaches at Sandra Day O'Connor and spent his first night of spring break announcing the game for our boys. He has taken time out from his family and life to follow these boys and root them on.

Gameball- Austin Brakebill. Clutch bunt to win the game for his teammates and a great catch in left to end the  8th inning with the bases full.

 

 

3/21  OC 5- Broken Arrow 4  9 Innings

  Of course the championship game would come down to the wire just like every game we have played in this tournament.  Another solid team we were up against and another "keep fighting" attitude from our players = our 15 win on the season.  Stan Gawelko has been swinging it out of his mind with 3 big RBI's today.  We have kept the plan the whole tourney, giving guys days off to keep everyone fresh due to an abnormally high volume of games, and still every guy who is called upon tends to step up their game.  Max Peters was strong behind the dish again, not allowing any extra bases.  Again it comes down to us being able to do the little things, like bunt, to really do damage.  When we do the little things right we are tough to beat. 

Pitching- Willy threw his best game of the year, going 5 strong and allowing our bats to put up some runs for him.  Tyler Abrego threw with some great confidence and didn't hurt himself in that 7th inning. You tip your cap when guys can get some clutch hits against you.  Degan Harte really battled to get his 2 1/3 innings in. He was getting tired but continued to make pitches to give us a chance to score a run.

Broken Arrow-  I would like to give big props to that team. Last year at this time I was fed up with playing them, but this years team was all class and their coaching staff was much improved.  It was fun to play them again and win or lose that is the point of high school athletics.

Game ball- Stan Gawelko had another huge day for us.

Perfect day- The best day ever. March Madness starts up, 84 degrees in Arizona, kids out after 3rd hour, Mrs. Burgarello catered lunch, win the championship, pizza courtesy of Wilson's and top it off with Billy Bobs first t-ball practice. We are living the blessed life. 

 

 

 

 

3/20  OC 11- Bishop Gorman 10

  Another great game for the fans today.  On the 2nd annual "spread the word to end the word" game of the year, the boys did not disappoint the big crowd. This game went back and forth with us stealing momentum and giving it right back in the next half, throughout the game.  This was a tough team and our guys had a lot of fight in them to consistently battle back. After taking a 4-0 lead with help of an Alvarez double, Gawelko 2 RBI single, and Cameron Ming bomb, we gave the mo right back by giving up 4 in the 4th. Down 5-4 we had a chance to just role over, but the boys actually won the inning by getting 4 of our own to take an 8-5 lead. Degan Harte had a huge 2 RBI double to give us the lead.  After giving the lead back at 10-8, we were just "setting them up" because apparently our boys love the dramatics. In that last inning things got a little crazy, but we kept our wits about us and come up with a dramatic dogpile victory.  

Last inning- Crazy good at bats from Jade Bilbrey (3-2 single) Nate Easley (sac bunt E-1) and Marco Burgarello with another late inning hit (single RBI). Then Stan finished it off with the big base hit.

Crazy play- The BG's tried to pull off a hidden ball trick with no outs runner on 1st and 2nd, but forgot that it can't be done with the pitcher on the dirt, let alone him standing on the rubber. That was a big balk because it saved us a sac bunt.  

Strategy- Some would argue to walk the bases loaded, or even bring in a 5th infielder, but that is what makes us enjoy coaching (hindsight thinking).  

Gameball- Stan Gawelko had 2 hits, 2 runs and 3 RBI's including the game winner. Great to see for a senior to step up and win one for us. 

Straw Hats- Always good to see the scouts out to watch a team we play against, and even better to see us show well for them and steal some spotlight. That is a good chance to measure up against a quality opponent and make a name for ourselves. 

Next up - We are in the Championship game vs. Broken Arrow Oklahoma. Lets hope we can get one back for Ryan Silva and the other alumni who have had some fun against this team.  

 

 

 

3/19  OC 3 - Quartz Hill 1

 
What a great game played by both teams. It is so fun in the spirit of competition to play a team of this caliber. I though this was by far the best pitcher we have seen all year, and probably the best team overall. Our guys were up to the challenge in many ways.  We are using this tourney as a good tool to measure ourselves against the best teams in the nation, and today we measured up very well. I was so proud of our guys battling at the dish against a pitcher who was solid, as well as battling on the mound and defensively.

Defense- Austin Brakebill ran down a couple balls out in center that were very impressive.  We are very fortunate to have 3 true centerfielders on the team, and Austin really took advantage of his opportunity to make an impact today. Degan Harte 5-u-3 DP in the 5th was a real game changer as they were knocking on the door. Nate Easley gunned a runner down at 3rd to eliminate danger in the 3rd for the first out of the inning.

Offense- Degan Harte had a day off yesterday and put some work in, and it made a big impact today. Owen Sanborn really battled in his at bat, as did many players. Think about a kid like Max Peters just battling as a freshman against a kid throwing 90. 

1st Varsity hit- Tyler Vanderham took advantage of the big start to hit a laser to right for his first varsity hit. Good to see him get healthy and get some looks.

Gameball- Cameron Ming got the ball if nothing else than for the fact that he ran down a pop up in the on deck circle for a big out. We worked on that last week and he showed guys how to get it done.  On the hill today, Cameron really had to pitch against a formidable lineup. That 3 hitter could hit so we were glad to not have him come up in that last inning.

 

3/18  OC 9- Santa Fe 8

 
Although it is painful to give up all the free bases, 5 walks 5 wild pitches 3 errors, it is encouraging to see our boys will themselves to victory again. This one was so difficult because we just didn't seem to make the big play to end the damage, or get the big hit to give us the cushion necessary.  Jake Harner was back in relief for only his second outing of the year and made some progress.  Greg Saenz took some quality at bats at the dish.  Brandon LeBoeuf was again roaming the outfield with ease out in center.  Adam Alvarez took a pounding once again behind the dish but came thru it and had a good hard fought game.

Offense- I think the kids hate it, because they know we will use it more often, but the bunts were real good today. Jade Bilbrey put a couple down that were just real tough to get him out on.  Noah Kelly had a bunt that worked in his favor, as well as Brandon LeBoeuf getting a bunt base hit today.

Gameball- It is so tough to come off the bench and get a big hit, but Marco Burgarello did it again. He just stays so locked in with working charts and staying plugged into the game.

 

 

3/16 OC 13- MBA 3

 
Man we are consistently finding a way to win, even with only about half the lineup really locked in.  11 games in 14 days will give us a chance to find out who can take advantage of their opportunities and set us up for the final 3rd of the season. Corey Wilson pitched out of some self inflicted tough innings today, and Jake Harner finally came off the DL just in time to get us out of a bases loaded jam in the 5th.  Jade Bilbrey stayed hot with 2 hits, accounting for 4 runs, and Owen Sanborn also kept his string of positive at bats alive.  As a team we did a good job today of taking extra bases, stealing some bases, and just continuing to work the counts to get quality at-bats. This MBA team will be much better as the season goes, they just don't get a lot of time to practice with that big orange thing in the sky as much as we do.

Gameball- Max Peters caught a tough pitcher today and gave us 4 quality at bats today. Again taking advantage of opportunities.

Taking advantage- Marco Burgarello got on 4 times in his first start of the season, and made some good defensive plays.  Austin Brakebill got another hit off the bench, and Nate Easly was on base 3 of 4 times. 

 

Shoes-  Make no mistake even for a team that is 11-0 we still have as many issues as anyone. We don't kid anyone that we deal with some of the same stuff on and off the field as an 0-11 team.  We need to keep working to get better each week

 

3/15 OC 10- Ironwood 3

  
 We played very well today against a much improved Ironwood team. Tanner Baker was great on the mound, staying with in himself and pitching to his plan. Our defense is really good when we work fast and keep them anticipating. Brandon LeBoeuf was a stud out in centerfield making multiple diving plays in center.  It is a good game when you can get a bunch of kids involved, playing quality innings and getting quality at-bats. We really wanted to push the lead to 10 runs to shorten the game and save innings for our pitchers, but just couldn't get that final run or walkoff hit.  Now we have to measure up against some of the best teams from a variety of states across the country. This will also be a mental challenge for our boys to see how we can do just playing games. Typically our guys need some practice time to stay sharp so we will really have to find some balance in the next two weeks, to keep us fresh.

Offense- Jade Bilbrey had our best drag bunt of the season for a base hit, and Owen Sanborn stayed hot with 2 doubles and 3 RBI's.  

Gameball- Tanner Baker earned it, going 5 strong innings and really limiting the offense of Ironwood. 

 

 

 

3/12  OC 5- Pinnacle 4

 
  We are so fortunate to have our learning experiences, still end in victory.  Today was a game that we needed to have, to see how we would respond if we got punched in the mouth.  Our boys proved to each other tonight, that they wouldn't quit and would fight til the end. In the process I think we are starting to develop a little trust and mature a bit.  This game was not with out frustration, from our passive attack at the dish, to our inability to dominate on the basepaths.  But in the end we have to be happy with the heart that our guys showed and the ability for so many guys to get in and be successful in their roles. The biggest negative of the night was that I thought the count was 2-2 so I was screaming at Nicko to get back on third instead of scoring the winning run. Luckily when both dugouts emptied to shake hands, we could enjoy the dramatics. 

Offense- Time and again I felt that we were taking defensive swings with less than 2 strikes. Sometimes even guys who are 9-0 need to be reminded that they are good. Eventually in the second half we took some better hacks and even got 7 walks on the day. Cameron Ming was real good at the dish getting on base all 4 times, with 2 walks, a single and a double.  Noah Kelly made some great adjustments and squared up a couple balls, while also getting down a good sac bunt. 

Pitching- This Pinnacle team is a team that has the capability to really swing it. So for Freshman Colby Wyatt to come in and get a shutout inning in a close game, and Senior Tyler Abrego 2 shutout innings, was just huge for us.  These experiences for our guys will hopefully pay big dividends for us at the end of the season and beyond.

Gameball- Like a 4 year experienced senior and team captain should... Owen Sanborn clutched up with the game tying hit of the night. What a statement a kid makes to his teammates when he really struggles in his first 3 at bats, but has the maturity to "flush it" and come up huge when it counted. 

Alumni watch -  Bumping into Ryan Skube (06-08) at the WBC reminded me of the first meeting between these two teams in (08) when he hit a walkoff single to take us to an extra inning victory.  Also good to have Bryce Keffeler rocking the gunshow on Monday, as well as the whole Sutton clan making their first appearances at the yard these last 2 nights. 

 

3/11 OC 4- BCP 3

 
A fun but ugly game today in which both teams look like they hadn't been on the field due to rain in 3 days.  A combined 6 errors led to 5 combined runs in the first four innings.  The ball was being thrown all over the yard. Luckily we got the help of some of those errors as well, as we put on a bunting clinic in the 2nd.  Owen Sanborn had a great, drag/sac bunt to get on safely. Jade Bilbrey then put a tough one down that dropped over the pitchers head, then was thrown away by the 1st baseman.  We put 3 sac bunts down in a row with good results, and actually called for 5 bunts in a row due to the 1st baseman being back and we could have driven in a run, with a chance on being safe.  The pitching was real good again for us, stranding runners all day.

Gameball- Tyler Abrego. With guys at 2nd and 3rd in the 6th, Tyler struck out the last hitter to maintain the lead.

Offensively- We just havn't been able to get that clutch hit to break things open against this team, in two games now.  We were constantly giving up at bats, trying to lift or pull balls that didn't need to be.

 

Alumni watch-  Wes Sutton and Bryce Keffeler were in the house today, as they take some time off from bearing down in Tucson. 

Postgame- Compliments of Darlene Baumgartner, the boys were spoiled with their favorite graham cracker dessert to celebrate a certain coaches birthday.  Good stuff.

 

3/6 OC 13- Kingman 0

  
  You could copy and paste every coaches corner of games played in Kingman and it will say the same thing. Tough to travel 3 hours on a bus, get off and play in 50 mph winds blowing in, with umpires that know every kid by first name.  The big thing about this trip on a yearly basis is that we have to go there and find a way to get better.  Tough task but we did have some guys make some real good improvements. Nate Easley was real good at the dish with a couple knocks, including a bases clearing double.  Brandon LeBoeuf did a good job of running the bases and getting 2 early steals.  Some guys just squared the ball up well, although with the wind didn't get rewarded like they would in another town.  It will be sad to see this game off the schedule for years to come...

First Varsity hits-  Nate Easley started off with an infield single for his first, but then unloaded a double down the line for good measure in his next at bat.  Max Peters got on the board with a base hit to left, I am thinking he will have many more in his 4 years to come.  Tyler Abrego got in on the action with a laser to right center to pick up an RBI as well as his first hit.

Team- Great to see everyone getting involved in the game and having success. It is a fun trip for the players who get to bring snacks and music on the bus.  In n out burger to finish the night is a solid closer to the Kingman trip.

Gameball- This trip couldn't have been a success without the sunflower seeds from David Sederstrom. He always knows the best time to come strong with the seeds for the fellas on a big road trip. He also kept up coach Burgarellos tradition of having one person with white pants on in the dugout. 

Motivation- Coaches and motivational speakers can now take a break for a couple days because Mt. Ridge is up next and if you need to be motivated to play them, then you need not show up on Friday. Lets hope the weather holds.

 

 

3/5  OC 3 - Brophy 2

  
 This week is going to be a great test of mental toughness and it started tonight with a big game under the lights at Brophy.  Both teams came out with great energy and it had a playoff type feel tonight. It is always good to see that our guys are going to get fired up to measure themselves against good teams, that is a sign of a competitor.  Cameron Ming was real good tonight on the bump pitching himself out of trouble in the last couple innings. It will give the fans and coaches heart trouble, but it is very beneficial for us to play and pitch in tight situations like this one.  Degan Harte also needed some work in a tight situation and really pitched when things got tough rather than just throw. This is going to help him out tremendously as the season goes.  As a team we are trying to develop some trust in each other and learn our roles, and games like this really enhance that process.  After doing the book and realizing we had 11 hits, I would love to see more runs on the board, but Brophy pitchers did a great job of making pitches when they needed to.

Offense-  Austin Brakebill was great tonight on the bases, running with confidence and stealing 2 bags.  His run was the eventual winning run that probably wouldn't have been possible without stealing 2nd.  We are finding our way a little and trusting ourselves to be better not luckier.  When you see us play team offense like this, you can see why coaches expect this every game out. We tend to do more team offense against good teams, but naturally worry about our own agendas against pourer teams.

 

Gameball-  Adam Alvarez caught a great game, working his tail off to keep the Broncos from getting any extra bases. Ming is tough to get a jump on so for Adam to block everything, it really nulifies the running game. Also as a bonus Adam had 2 knocks on the night. 

 Excitement- 
I get super excited on games like today when we have night game and the younger teams play before us. Things look good on the farm with the JV pounding the ball and putting up double digit runs.  The frosh were in a close game and broke it open at the end.  The players are playing the game well at all levels, which helps us sustain the program in the future.  

2/28  OC 4 - WC 0

  
Great to go out today and throw another shutout. The pitching staff has been unreal so far this season (knock on wood), especially without 2 of our top guys throwing yet.  Jade Bilbrey got his first start of the year and looked really sharp.  A win is a win right? Well we have to hold ourselves to a little higher standard if we want to be a great team this year. I felt we had some baserunning blunders that really kept us out of big innings, and offensively we gave up too many at bats. Time and again we were trying to get out and around the baseball, rather than staying inside and driving the ball.  We have to be better if we want to achieve the goals we have.

Gameball- Jade Bilbrey proved today why he and Cameron will compete for ace of the staff. He was sharp today getting groundballs and striking out 7 thru 5 quick innings.

Faces in the crowd- A big shoutout to Brett Remsey(11) for showing some love and coming out to support the players at practice on wednesday.  Great kid of the program.  The Edwards family was out to watch the game today. Conrad Edwards was coach B's 12 year old All-star coach. Great to have long time family friends out to watch the team.  Coach Garrison was out to support the boys today. Always good to have a guy with so much baseball knowledge around to give his insight and pour into the fellas. 

Willow- Take nothing away from that team today. They have a lot of heart and Coach Martin does a great job to get the most out of his guys. Coach Martin is a big friend of the program, who paid condolences at the church right beside us, and we will root for the Cats every time they aren't in the opposing dugout. 

 

 

2/26  OC 11 - DV 0

 
 The boys came out with some real determination at the dish.  Clutch hitting was the key today, as the Eagles really battled some counts and got some great 2 strike quality at bats as well. Deer Valley really didn't play bad today, our boys just did a good job at the dish with plate discipline and attacking in hitters counts.  Cameron Ming put up zeros after we scored which helped to keep the momentum in our dugout.  Not much to say after the game other than to congratulate the guys for coming out with such focus. 

Crazy plays - In baseball more than any other sport, I feel like you can have an "I have never seen that" moment on a daily occurence. Today we got two of them.  First a long sac fly just beyond the right field foul line, led to 2 players scoring because the outfielder made a diving catchand struggled to get the ball back into play.  That play may only be topped by Owen Sanborn getting hit in the leg, the umpire calling that he leaned into it, then the 2nd base umpire declaring the pitch was a strike because unknowingly the umpire called it a strike.  Confusing I know but that is baseball.

Gameball-  Degan Harte got the sac fly with 2 strikes, then hit a lazer to center to score another run. 4 RBI's on the day. 

 

2/23  OC 7 - Gila Ridge 2

  
Gila Ridge always seems to give us fits in some way.  I always feel like we are just going to blow them out of the water, but they find a way to stay in it and keep in the fight.  Tanner Baker was huge on the bump in his first high school baseball game.  For a freshman to come out and compete how he did thru 5 innings was huge for a staff who has been decimated by injuries. We always say that any adversity, just means another mans opportunity...

Stay Hot - Cameron Ming is really swinging it well this week with a double, 3 run blast and sac fly today.

1st varsity hit- Austin Brakebill got his first on an infield single up the middle.

Gameball -  Baker was so effecient that he only threw 50 pitches.  That ability to pound the gloves gets umpires to give you the benefit of the calls and the defense to make great plays for us.

Opportunity-  Stan Gawelko has come out in this early season and played fearlously like we have always thought he could. He had his hand in 12 of the 21 outs today and had 2 hits.

Winning-  We measure wins much differently lately.  A little thing like a senior snapping the ball to 2nd base to back pick a guy out after a play at first is a big win.  To see kids apply things instinctively that we have been working on for 3 years is good to see.

2/22   OC 10 - Kofa 1 

 
   Great W in our home opener today.  It is tough to really get an offensive rythm when a pitcher is just wild enough against us.  It takes some patience to believe as a team that we will break through and we did just that.  We pounded out 9 hits and ran the bases well for 7 sb's.  Cooper Gray was locked in at the dish today in the leadoff spot getting on 3 times and driving in 2 runs.  Defensively we got a little more confidence to our step and made some good plays. 

Gameball -  Colby Wyatt was real sharp today earning an illustrious 3 inning save.  His tempo was awesome so we made good plays behind him.

1st Varsity Hit-  Marco Burgarello got his today, coming off the bench and squaring up a ball to leftfield. 

Observation-  If these boys put as much effort into all parts of life, as they will to ensure they have walk up songs working over the speakers, then they will be successful.  It took the combined efforts of about 13 players to diagnose problems, solutions and finally got the music working by gametime. 

 

2/21  Game 1 2013  OC 5 - CDS 0

   What a great start to the season.  After not playing up to our best capabilities on Saturday, the boys really worked hard the last couple days, and the improvement was noticeable.  Pitchers pounded the zone and our defense made solid plays all day. The defense stranded runners all game, including a big double play in the 3rd to get out of the inning against their best hitter with a 2-0 count. Cameron Ming started the offense with a solo blast in the 1st, and we did a great job of manufacturing runs all game.  Greg Saenz had a great sac bunt in the 2nd and Adam Alvarez clutched up with a big sac fly to keep the momentum.  2 runs in the top of the 6th courtesy of Ming and Kelly back to back singles, a double steal and big Degan Harte RBI single, gave us the cushion we needed. 

Pitching:  Tyler Abrego was real good in the 6th. If he can pitch to his zone the kid is really tough to hit.  Degan Harte made some great adjustments on the bump and really PITCHED the 7th. 

Offense:  We have a style of play that will pay big dividends in the long run. That means that some times we will have egg on our face in the short term, but long term our aggressive baserunning will be big in our development. The coaching staff will sleep just fine at night with aggressive baserunning outs.

Take for granted:  Wes Sutton was the starting catcher for 4 years so many would think that a dropoff would have to occur, but Adam Alvarez was great behind the dish today. He block just about everything and worked his tail off. His year of apprenticeship is looking to pay off this season.

Gameball:  Cameron Ming. Great first day to the season for a Pitcher to produce more runs than he gave up.

 

5/10       Round 6               OC 1 – Mesquite 4

                You would have thought our best pig died, the way people were offering condolences after this one. Shoot we just finished the season 22-12, finished 4^th out of 59 teams, and lost to a heck of a ballclub. I was just as proud of our guys tonight as I was on Tuesday when we won the game.   There are times when you tip your cap to the opposing pitcher, and this was one of those times. He worked fast, threw strikes and had a nasty slider. He carved through us in the first 2 innings and allowed their offense to scrap a 3-0 lead together.   We kept fighting and got a single run in the 6^th, after giving up a run in the top half. We kept at it and didn’t give up, but just couldn’t break him and lost 4-1. I felt like we were really challenged mentally today and didn’t deal with the adversity quite like we were capable of the past 2 weeks. Maybe we felt our backs against the way and pressed a bit. 

Great Season-  This was the epitome of TEAM all year. A colleague of mine said it best when he mentioned after the game that we have no real superstar, but just a large number of very above average players.

Seniors -  The seniors were very confident at Senior Dinner that we would put a run together and their leadership was the big reason. I was so proud to coach this group. 5 outstanding ballplayers and greater men.

Josh Fogerlie – Competitor, determination, great person. Just a few adjectives to describe one of the finest young men I have ever coached.

Austin Daus- Self made man. He outworked the competition and developed into an above average outfielder who can really hit.

Michael Gonzalez- Leader. He pulls for his teammates no matter the circumstances. Came out of no where to be a stud outfielder and pitcher.

Brendan Erickson- No player has grown more as an individual in my coaching career. You wouldn’t even recognize him from his sophomore year. No player has ever been grilled as much as Brendan has been thru in this program. So proud of his development as a man.

Wes Sutton- As a four year starter, rock, captain, it will be very difficult to imagine coaching a game without this man behind the dish. His selflessness and love of the game will be a lasting legacy.

Great job Eagles you gave us a great ride!  4th place out of 59 teams is outstanding.

5/8         Round 5               #3 OC 5 - #1 Pinnacle 3

                The magic continued in today’s playoff game. The players couldn’t have executed the game plan any better. We went into the spacious Phoenix Municipal stadium with the concept that we were going to hit the ball in front of their outfielders and let them try to hit it over our outfielders.   Jade Bilbrey set the tone early going 3 up 3 down in the first 2 innings. That allowed us as the visiting team to get on track offensively and score first. Brendon Erickson walked to leadoff the 2^nd, was bunted to 3^rd on a perfect drag bunt by Josh Fogerlie, and scored on a Greg Saenz sac fly.  In the top of the 3^rd we got 3 consecutive 2 out hits from Erickson, Sanborn and the big one coming on a 2 RBI double from Cooper Gray. Not wanting to pull away we did give them 2 runs in the 3^rd, and a run in the 5^th to tie it up. In the 6^th Cooper Gray drilled a triple to the left center gap and scored on a Greg Saenz hard hit ball to 2b. Following a 3 up 3 down inning, highlighted by a towering 409 foot shot to center that Brandon LeBoeuf hauled in at the wall, we tacked on an insurance run in the 7^th. Daus led off with a single, got to 2b on a passed ball, advanced to 3^rd on an Erickson groundball to 2^nd, then scored on a wild pitch. From there it was all Jade and his defense to close the door.

Gameball - Jade Bilbrey was fantastic in sticking to the plan. If you want a formula for success in the stadiums here it would be. 13 of 21 outs on flyballs/popups, 0 bbs, 0 Hbp, 76 total pitches.

Big time effort- Cooper Gray showed up ready to play today going 3 for 3 and only a homer shy of a cycle. Brandon LeBoeuf might have been the best player on the field today running down flyballs all over the place that may have been out of most high school yards, and getting on base 3 times.

Miscellaneous- Up next Mesquite 4:00 Thursday at Dodgertown. Coach Renning promised to shave a Mohawk if we made to final 4. Playoff beard longer than hair on head is a good sign. Extra Dry. Temps getting to triple digits this week, guessing the pool is warm.

Alumni – Congrats to former OC playoff warrior Brian Carr who was named Player of the Year for the American Midwest Conference on behalf of William Woods University.

Cut down the nets - The Eagles are in the final four baby!

 

 

5/5         Round 4               OC 2 – Chap 3

 Another game filled with Dramma. I was so proud of the fight our boys showed in this one. We faced a tough lefty, but we worked to get a guy on 2^nd less than 2 outs in the first 2 innings. We did a good job of breaking him down then got after him a bit in the 6^th. On our defensive side we really worked to battle out of some huge jams. Gonzo got the start and he made some of the biggest pitches of the season to get out of bases loaded 3 innings in a row without giving up a crooked number.  Jake Harner came out of the pen and got two huge outs to minimize the damage and pick Gonzo up in the 3^rd. Then Nicko Ortega came out and dominated for 3 innings.  We had them frustrated, with the fact  that we just kept hanging around like a bad rash. So in the 6^th down 3-0 we decided to make our move. We worked bases loaded with 1 out and ran off their starter (a trainwreck of a moment that was embarrassing for the game of baseball), but just couldn’t get a knock in that big yard off their reliever so had to settle for a 3-1 deficit to enter the 7^th.   After an Owen Sanborn leadoff single and Jade Bilbrey walk, we were again in position to pounce with 1 out.   Greg Saenz hit a groundball to second and Jade broke up the double play causing the throw to go wild and Owen Sanborn to score.   In trying to advance on the throw we were thrown out for the 3^rd and final out.

Risk Reward- Down one in a big yard it is so important to be on 2b so that a single can score you. With only being on first it will take 2 hits to score a guy. I will take the aggressive style of play.

State of the game – True baseball fans have really been cringing at the state of baseball in the playoffs. It is hard to watch players chucking equipment, dropping F bombs at will, and cussing out their coaches for taking them out of a baseball game. I worry how this generation will handle true adversity in life (i.e. family, money, relationships) if we allow them to carry themselves like this in a simple game. Win or lose I would never trade our team for any of the ones we have seen.   We have our bumps in the road but the lesson is always being not and never ignored. What we tolerate we accept.

5/3         Round 3               OC 5 – Mesquite 1

 What a great ballgame and atmosphere. We played our game today, free easy and aggressive, and it payed off. Cameron Ming grew up before our eyes tonight. He threw all 3 pitches in any count for strikes and really competed. Our players pulled for each other all night and picked each other up when necessary. After giving up a solo run in the 2^nd, we answered back with 2 of our own in the 3^rd thanks to a great sac bunt (thrown away) by Jade Bilbrey and a towering ground rule double by Noah Kelly. In the 4^th we continued our assault with a leadoff Brendon Erickson, then 2 perfect (misplayed) sac bunts by Owen Sanborn and Greg Saenz. A couple wild pitches and a Sac Fly from Wes Sutton later and we were up 5-1 heading into the 5^th. This is where things got interesting because Mesquite is such a good team and really had some fight. After 2 quick out they loaded the bases with a single, double, walk which brought up their best hitter. Cameron made a great pitch and got a groundball in between 1^st and 2^nd . The huge part of the play was that Ming sprinted to cover first and we got out of the inning with an abnormal 4-1. After a clean 6^th Brendon Erickson came in to close things out in the 7^th. The play of the game may have come with guys on first and second we got a chopper to shortstop Greg Saenz who glove flipped to 2b. The ball was dropped but the umpire ruled it to be on the exchange so we had 1^st and 3^rd with 1 out and a 4 run lead. Brendon would make some spectacular pitches to end the game with back to back strikeouts. 

 

Gameball-  Cameron Ming threw 6 quality innings and really had them off balance.

$10- A large amount of money to attend a baseball game I know, but no movie or drinks or video game purchase, would have been worth the excitement fans got to experience tonight.

Next – Chaparral on Saturday at 4:00 pm Phoenix Muni.   Andre brut.

5/1         OC 10 – Trevor Browne 6

 This is playoff baseball!!! There is gonna be a fight every time out and tonight was just the same. After our typical early deficit, we started clawing and got 2 runs of our own in the 2^nd to even up the score, helped by a Sac Fly from Fogerlie and RBI double from Sutton. Jade Bilbrey was huge today putting up zeros from the 2^nd – 6^th innings. It really allowed us to settle in offensively. Noah Kelly hit a bomb in the 3rd to get us the lead that we would never relinquish.   In the 4^th it was Noah Kelly again with a big 3 run blast to give us a 6-2 lead. Knowing that the Bruins still had some fight in them it was big for us to tack on some insurance runs in the 5^th with help from a gonzo RBI single, and 3 in the 6^th with help from a 2RBI single from Erickson and RBI single from Sanborn. In the top of the 7^th after a strikeout to start, the bruins showed some real fight with 4 singles a double and a 3 run homer. So with the score 10 -6 and bases juiced Brendon Erickson got a strikeout and a comebacker to the mound to end the game.

 

Gameball- Noah Kelly was huge today going 3 for 4 with 2 HR’s and 4 RBI’s. 

Alumni-  2011 Grads Tyler Rose and Tommy Lay were on hand and former scorekeeper/team mom Gabbi Wheeler spoiled the coaching staff with a batch of brownies.

Atmosphere – Between the 100 student passes handed out for the game and 200 free t-shirts (thanks to Mark Daus) this was a great rockin crowd. Glad we could treat them to some winning playoff baseball.

Traditions – Players went Mohawks with some blue tint, no pool for divin, Andre^2, playoff beard officially more salt then pepper.

Perspective- Assistant Coach and Mentor Bill Baumgartner started chemotherapy today and to hear the joy in his voice that we won a baseball game on such a tough day for him was really special.

4/23            OC 7 – BC 9 

We tried to play with fire again but this time we got burnt.  Walks and poor defense led to an early 7-1 deficit and we just didn’t have the offense to get back.  Offensively we did string together a couple 3 run innings thanks to a Saenz single and Gonzo infield out, followed by Noah Kelly hitting a 3 run blast in the 5^th.  So as bad as we had performed we still found ourselves down only 2 runs at 9-7 after 5 innings.  This game was really no different than all our games the last couple weeks, we just couldn’t outscore our mistakes in this one.

Good for us-  This could be a good wake up call for us to understand when you are playing good, playoff calibur teams, we just can’t have sloppy play and expect to overcome it.

  

Playoffs- Now we sit back and watch power points for a couple days to see where, when and who we will play in the playoffs.

 

Alumni- Brett Remsey was in the house to watch our game.  Also one of my favorite parents of all time made his way out in Mr. Rodhouse.  What a great man to see once a year.

4/20      OC 9 – Ironwood 4

A great day to send out our seniors on a good note, for their last regular season home game. 94 degrees felt very warm and our bats stayed hot from the previous night. After giving up a 2 spot in the first our guys answered with 4 of our own with the first 5 guys reaching safely. We definitely hit better as a team when Wes Sutton leads us off strong and tonight he had a double to get things going in first. Degan Harte had a good sac fly and Brendon Erickson a nice double in the inning. In the fourth we continued the onslaught with 3 more, highlighted by a big 2 our RBI from Austin Daus and triple from Cooper Gray. After scoring 2 more in the 5^th thanks to Josh Fogerlie helping himself out with an RBI, Brendon Erickson came on to throw 2 shutout innings to finish the game.