Bonita Vista High School baseball coach Vince Gervais admits this year’s team finds itself in another rebuilding season.
“Although we are a talented group, we are still very young,” he said. “We returned most of the players from last year’s team when the team was even younger.”
The Barons (6-6) do have a few select seniors to provide some guidance — Gustavo Perez and Sebastian Olivo. Four other seniors are all quality role players: Ken Daplas, Chris Andersen, Isaac Burow and Julian Cota.
The team’s two captains — juniors Omar Vega and DiMaggio Cazares — provide strong work ethic leadership, according to the BVHS coach.
“Offensively we are driven by gap hitters,” Gervais said.
Those players include sophomores Bubba Villegas, Nate Nankil and Eric Nakano and juniors Isaac Almendarez, Rumble Reyes and Alec Bruce.
“If our junior role players can find that magic to drive the energy of the team, we can compete with anyone,” Gervais said.
Those players include juniors Caiden Ragadio, Justin Snarponis, Mike Barajas, Derek Balancier, Stefano Maldonado and sophomore Ronald Vann.
“This is a fun group,” Gervais said. “Once they learn to stay Gold! (true to themselves and their teammates, and play strong up the middle of the field) and learn to let the ball travel offensively, their natural talent will explode and we will be a county team to reckon with. Our pitching is as deep as it ever has been in my 13 seasons, but we do not yet have that one guy. Hopefully that cream will rise to the top as this season progresses.”
Early season team leaders include Nankil with a .368 hitting average, Nakano with a .375 hitting average and Almendarez with a .357 hitting average. Gustavo Perez tops the team with 14 RBI, followed by Nankil with 13 RBI.
Nankil, Perez and Cazares each have blasted home runs this season; Snarponis is 2-0 on the mound with a 2.10 earned-run average.
The BVHS coach said team chemistry is more important than ever this season.
“Last year there was some undertones of dissent that worked from the inside out to poison the team chemistry; we are confident that the camaraderie with this group and the lessons from last year will keep these boys hungry and dedicated to the grind,” Gervais said.
The Barons posted a 2-1 pool record in the recent 68th annual Lions Tournament, defeating Reseda Cleveland (16-4) and Summit from Bend, Ore. (8-1) while dropping a 12-5 decision to eventual Premier Division champion Scripps Ranch.
“We played better in the two wins than we did in the third game,” Gervais recounted. “Three games in a row, we were a little banged up. Sripps Ranch played really well and wound up winning the tournament.”
Bonita Vista dropped to 6-8 on the season following Tuesday’s 6-0 loss to ninth-ranked Grossmont and Wednesday’s 2-1 loss at Helix.
Eastern exposure
Grossmont entered the game ranked ninth among section teams after competing in the elite Open Division at the recent 68th annual Lions Tournament.
The 144-team tournament featured as many as five games stuffed into a four-day span, stretching the pitching depth of many teams.
Grossmont finished 1-2 in pool play with a 10-5 loss to Clackamas (Ore.0, a 6-4 loss to Rancho Bernardo and a 2-0 win over Bishop Gorman, ranked third in the nation. The Foothillers no-hit the Nevada team to earn a gold star.
Grossmont wrapped up tourney play with a 9-1 loss to Elk Grove in a consolation game.
Elk Grove entered the tournament ranked eighth nationally.
“We played the four most challenging opponents we’ve faced this season besides Eastlake in that tournament,” Grossmont coach Jordan Abruzzo said. “We gave up a three-run homer with two outs in the seventh inning to lose to Rancho Bernardo. To play teams of that caliber and do as well as we did, it gives us some confidence for the rest of the year.”
The Foothillers (7-5-1) resumed play in the Grossmont/Metro/City Conference (GMC) Tournament on Tuesday, defeating host Bonita Vista, 6-0, behind a complete game four-hitter by senior pitcher Tyler Parent.
Parent struck out four Barons and issued one base on balls. He was within one out of tossing a two-hitter before the hosts rallied with back-to-back hits with two down in the bottom of the seventh inning.
It was his first complete game of the season.
“I like to attack the batter,” explained Parent, who sports a 3.30 earned-run average and one save to go with a 1-1 record on the mound. “I like to get ahead in the count and pitch for contact. I rely on the defense behind me.”
Grossmont scored two runs in each of the four, fifth and sixth innings. The first three hitters in the lineup each scored runs: junior Keoni Valdez, sophomore Giovanni Giganti and senior Jesse Garcia. Senior Austin Odom and freshman Isaiah Gomez also scored runs along with Parent.
Garcia hit a two-run home run in the fifth inning. Giganti finished two-for-two with one run batted in while senior Chris Giovengo went two-for-three with one run batted in. Junior Zak Farris also had one RBI in the game.
Garcia leads the team with a .405 hitting average through 13 games, followed by Giganti (.366), Giovengo (.341), Farris (.333), Valdez (.317), Parent (.300) and Odom (.293).
Garcia leads the team with 11 RBI while Farris has driven in seven runs. Parent leads the team with nine runs scored, followed by Valdez with eight.
Odom tops the team with five doubles while Garcia has already belted four home runs.
Giovengo (3-1 record, 3.71 ERA) has struck out 21 batters in 17 innings.
Hyde (2-2) tops the pitching unit with a 1.87 ERA. He’s struck out 16 batters in 19 innings.
Hyde threw 85 pitches in notching the first no-hitter of his varsity career against Bishop Gorman. He struck out seven batters and issued one base on balls in the personal milestone game.
“It was pretty exhilarating,” admitted Hyde, who is playing his first varsity season. “During the game, I was extremely focused, trying to be as effective as I could. I like to locate my spots and attack the strike zone.
“It was super exciting to beat a team like Bishop Gorman. I give a lot of credit to the people behind me. I couldn’t have done it without their defense.”
The Foothillers open Grossmont Hills League play April 10 at El Capitan, then host the Vaqueros two day later.
Granite Hills, Helix and Santana also are league opponents.
Helix is off to a 10-3 start this spring while Granite Hills is 8-5.
The Foothillers have to be considered among the section’s top teams again this year after defeating Eastlake by a 6-2 score in a GMC tournament game on March 19 and battling the Titans to a 6-6 10-inning tie in an Aztec/Foothiller tournament game on March 9.
“We’d really like to break into the Open Division and win it,” Parent said. “We want to compete at the highest level possible.”
