Gilroy
– Gilroy High may be the lower seed, but the team doesn’t fear
first-round playoff opponent Valley Christian.
After all, the Mustangs have already beaten the Warriors this
season.
Gilroy – Gilroy High may be the lower seed, but the team doesn’t fear first-round playoff opponent Valley Christian.
After all, the Mustangs have already beaten the Warriors this season.
Yes, it was in February. Yes, it was a scrimmage – 14 innings of play in winter weather that produced a 10-8 final score.
A win’s a win.
Gilroy, the No. 10 seed in the Central Coast Section’s Division I baseball playoffs, takes its 16-11 record to San Jose to face No. 7 Valley Christian (20-10) today at 4pm.
Head coach Clint Wheeler looks to repeat the pitching formula that Gilroy employed in its final game of the season, a 2-0 home win over Salinas on May 11.
In that game, regular Mustang shortstop Drew Andersen started, with hard-throwing closer Peter Mickartz coming on in the sixth inning to help shut down the Cowboys.
Andersen mixes up a fastball, a breaking ball and a changeup with good placement and consistent control. When Mickartz comes in with the heat, opposing batters can find themselves stymied by the change of pace.
Wheeler said he expects Valley Christian head coach John Diatte to throw his No. 2 starter, a lefty, at Gilroy.
“That’s what you do if you want to win it all, pitch your No. 1 in Games 2 and 4,” Wheeler said.
If that happens, Wheeler will be able to start an all-right handed batting order, with the switch-hitting Andersen batting from the right side.
Among common opponents this season, Gilroy beat Valley Christian’s West Catholic Athletic League rivals 6-2, while losing to Bellarmine 7-2 and Mitty 9-1. Valley Christian beat S.I. 10-5 and 6-0, while losing twice to Mitty and going 1-for-3 against Bellarmine.
Today’s game
Location: Valley Christian HS, San Jose
Time: 4pm
Opponent: Valley Christian Warriors
Seed: No. 7
League: West Catholic Athletic League
Coach: John Diatte
Record: 20-10 (8-3 home)
League record: 8-7
Run differential: 179-106
Coach Clint Wheeler’s comments: ‘We know Valley Christian likes to drag bunt and run a lot on the basepaths. They show bunt a lot later than most teams, so that can be hard to defend. We’ve been working on defensive situations in practice to get ready.’
