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That’s all, folks!
Baseball team falters down the stretch of disappointing season
Bryan Melara / Roundup
The concept sounded easy, one win and you’re in.
Unfortunately for the baseball team, things weren’t as easy as they sounded.
Winning 10 of 11 games down the stretch, the playoffs certainly seemed to be in the team’s future.
During that stretch, one of the teams they beat was conference rivals, Citrus College—the same team they had two chances to beat and failed.
After losing six of their last eight, the only playoffs they made was a one-game playoff against none other than Citrus College.
In another one-win-and-in scenario, the team couldn’t get it done, losing on the road to Citrus, 7-3.
“We didn’t do a lot offensively; we didn’t pitch great,” said head coach John Bushart. “We were just flat...they were better than us.”
Struggling against Citrus College is nothing new to the Brahmas.
Dating back to last season, the team is 1-5 against the Fighting Owls, and has been outscored, 48-26.
Starting pitcher Ryan Santhon (6-3) struggled immensely, giving up five runs (four earned) on seven hits while only striking out one. This is after averaging 8.2 strikeouts per nine innings during the season.
Outfielder Travis Forbes feels there were too many self-centered players on the team.
“We had a lot of guys with egos and a lot of guys just playing for themselves,” said Forbes, who will play at Gonzaga University next year. “There was a lot of guys in leadership positions that just didn’t care.”
Forbes admits that last year’s team was more focused, and as a result, made the playoffs.
“There were guys that all they were talking about was the draft and how they’d been drafted before,” said Forbes. “They never talked about what great opportunity we had to win this year.”
In addition, Bushart felt the team lacked leadership.
“We lacked that [leadership] a little bit at times, but I think the talent was as equal this year as it was last year,” he said.
The team definitely didn’t lack talent.
In the offseason, the team added outfielder Richard Stock, who transferred from the University of Southern California, and shortstop Matt Sanchez, who transferred from CSUN.
Stock filled the gap left by departed players Zack Gilula and Zachary Wagner, while Sanchez played well in the absence of Christian Ornelas, who was ineligible.
Stock led the team with six homeruns and 35 RBIs, while Sanchez finished second in RBIs with 26 and first in stolen bases with nine.
In addition, James Wharton returned to the team after missing the whole 2010 campaign with a torn labrum.
In 2009, Wharton led the team in homeruns with 16 and RBIs with 50, while hitting .361.
This season, Wharton only hit four homeruns while being “totally healthy,”—a drastic decline in power.
Prior to the season, the NCAA ordered all teams to remove traditional aluminum bats and replace them with BBCOR bats, which make the balls travel less.
“You get no pop with those bats; you have to really change your swing,” said Wharton. “Balls that usually go out were going to the warning track or getting caught.”
Besides getting acquainted with the new bats, the team will have more work to do.
But, with only six impact players leaving the team, they will have something to build off of.
“We’re going to bring some new guys in and look forward to some of this year’s freshman to step up as leaders,” said Bushart. “We will continue to build this team and move in the right direction.”
