Overcoming the injuries Center fielder returns after missing out last season with a shoulder injury

Brahma of the Week

Diego Harris

Sport:Baseball

Position: Outfielder

Class: Freshman

High School: El Camino Real

Four runs and three RBI's in the games against Valley and Mission College

How do you feel about you performance in the Valley and Mission College games?

“I feel good. I’m happy that things are going our way. We are doing pretty well in conference and we are showing up when it counts.”

What do you feel you could improve on?

“Taking more walks and hitting my pitches right.”

How do you want your coaches and teammates to remember you by?

“Someone who would always fight hard , a good teammate and someone who came with a postive focus.”

Do you have any pregame rituals?

“I don’t, but as a team we have visualization. We don’t let the past or mistakes get to us.”

Siraj Dail, player, said he can see a difference between this season and the last.

“It’s a new team. We have fresh players that are a lot better then what we had last season, so the level of the team is a lot higher than it was,” Dail said.

Dail said that he keeps himself motivated by remembering what his coach told him to do.

Promise helped bring in some of his players. The program gives incoming Los Angeles Unified School District high school graduates a free year of college.

”It took time for players to graduate and come, especially with the college promise program. It’s essentially a free scholarship. So it makes us more competitive with other offers they might get,” Dao said.

With 17 years of baseball experience, three being at Pierce, Michael Tillman plans on furthering his baseball career by joining the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft.

Tillman said joining the draft is his main goal, but another option is transferring to a four-year university to further his education.

He hopes to play for the New York Yankees because he always admired Derek Jeter, but his second choice is the Los Angeles Dodgers because it’s a local team.

Tillman is the center fielder for the Brahmas, and one of their leaders in runs. After 17 games played, Tillman has a batting average of .347, two homeruns, 13 RBIs, and 16 runs placing him third on the baseball team.

Tillman said he set a goal to hit seven homeruns this season.

“I think it’s cool, but I want to hit more,” Tillman said. “I’m always looking to improve.”

Tillman started his college baseball career, right after graduating from high school, at the California State University of Northridge where he played one season before transferring to Pierce.

The Redlands High School graduate is now playing his final season and majoring in psychology.

Tillman started playing baseball at the age of three. His dad played football, but also enjoyed baseball so he encouraged him to play baseball first.

Tillman later played football during his four years of high school.

Through his baseball career he’s played different positions, but said center field is his favorite.

“I feel like I get to show off my athleticism the most there,”

Tillman said.

Head Coach Bill Picketts said Tillman injured his shoulder last year and didn’t play a full season, but has recovered and shown improvement as a player physically and mentally.

“It’s been a long journey for him, and a lot of guys may have hung him up with everything that has gone on with him,” Picketts said. “His injuries, he had some grade issues and finally he’s got it all together. His maturity level has gotten way better than it was before this year, and he’s putting it all together this year, so it’s kind of fun to see.”

[For the full story visit theroundupnews.com]

“I usually get pissed off when I’m playing bad, so my coach tells me ‘You gotta focus on the team and not yourself.’ So that kind of helps,” Dail said.

Rafeal Fogo’schensul, freshman, said he struggles at times with how to deal with the weight of the team on his shoulders.

“I don’t let the pressure get to my head. I like to build up the confidence so at the end of the match, when it’s all done, I’ve won for the team instead of myself,” Fogo’schensul said.

Dao said when he became head coach, he had to get his footing. He had to find ways to recruit strong athletes, and the Los Angeles College ckern.roundupnews@gmail.com

Dao said that at the junior college level players are only allowed to participate on in a sport for a short period of time, which limits player growth and team depth.

“It’s difficult to build and maintain a successful team because they are here and they are only allowed to play for two years so players just cycle in and out,” Dao said.

Dao said he hopes the strong and local team he built will overcome the challenges they are faced with and will continue to succeed in this league.

“To build a team locally is way more difficult than to recruit internationally, but it’s definitely worth it,” Dao said.