It’s a thin line between love and hate. For the Gilroy High
baseball team, the same analogy and emotions can be applied to
winning and losing.
At 10-8 this season, the Mustangs have lost four games by a run,
and aside from an 11-6 defeat to San Benito in extra innings last
Saturday, they haven’t lost a game by more than three runs.
”
It just shows we’re right there with anybody,
”
said junior pitcher and left fielder Taylor Chris.
”
We give ourselves chances, we just gotta do it.
”
GILROY – It’s a thin line between love and hate. For the Gilroy High baseball team, the same analogy and emotions can be applied to winning and losing.
At 10-8 this season, the Mustangs have lost four games by a run, and aside from an 11-6 defeat to San Benito in extra innings last Saturday, they haven’t lost a game by more than three runs.
“It just shows we’re right there with anybody,” said junior pitcher and left fielder Taylor Chris. “We give ourselves chances, we just gotta do it.”
Gilroy Manager Clint Wheeler thinks it’s a clear sign the club is missing one valuable piece.
“We’re a closer away from being a 14-4 team,” he said.
But what has members in and around the GHS baseball program hopeful about the way this season could end, and the way next year will go, is the talent level on the team is undeniable. Wheeler believes he has eight legitimate college ball players on his roster, only two of which are seniors.
Each has their own unique tools, with several coming close to putting it all together and becoming the total package. Getting to the next level, though, whether it be raising their game by the time the Central Coast Section playoffs roll around or on a club following high school, will require a rare dedication to the sport.
“You gotta be persistent and willing to put in the time,” Wheeler said. “You gotta be willing to make the sacrifices, and that’s what we talk about every day.”
Two players who have clearly set themselves apart are Chris, who was an All-Tri-County Athletic League selection last season as a sophomore, and freshman phenom Rafael “Bubu” Garcia.
Chris (2-2) has struck out 34 batters in 30 innings of works, and had a career-high 11 strikeouts in a win against Salinas in March. He also leads the team in RBI (21), doubles (10) and is tied for second on the team in hits (21).
Garcia, a natural second baseman who is as fluid in the field as he is lethal at the plate, is second on the club in RBI (20) and home runs (two). He has also hit six doubles and is fifth on the team in hits with 18.
“‘T’ [Chris] wants to pitch at the next level, even though I think he could [also play in the field],” Wheeler said. “Bubu, his glove and fielding ability really set him apart.”
Garcia has been soaking up lessons from some of the elder statesmen on the team, which has made his first year of high school a smoother transition. It’s just one of many steps Garcia, like many of his teammates, hopes to take.
“I hope to go all the way pro if possible,” Garcia said.
Wheeler has already said Garcia could be a five-tool player by the time he leaves high school, but it’s his passion to play that will be key.
“You talk about a 162-game schedule, you better love what you do,” Wheeler said. “And he’s got that going for him.”
As does Chris.
“It’s what you want – you want to just keep playing your whole life,” said Chris, who has above a 4.0 GPA and looks like a strong bet to land a Division I scholarship by the time his Mustang career is complete.
Two stellar players don’t even tell half the tale with this team, though.
Sophomore first baseman Eric Vegas has shown he has “power to burn,” Wheeler said. Leading the Mustangs with 22 hits, Vegas is currently tied for the league lead with six home runs. The plan is have him replace senior Roberto Celestino, who has already decided to play at Gavilan next year, at third base in 2010.
“[Vegas] needs to show people he can play hot corner and hit for power,” Wheeler said.
Another Mustang who has been hitting at an exceptional clip is catcher Lukas Fortino, who is a senior but just recently turned 17 years old. Fortino and Celestino lead the TCAL in multi-hit games with seven each, while Fortino is tied for second on the club in hits (21) and doubles (six).
Junior pitchers Max Fishler and Michael Hartman also have “huge upside,” Wheeler said, as both have big frames that should allow them to grow into their bodies in the next few years and maximize their physical abilities.
Hartman, a lanky 6-foot-5 right-hander, is 3-2 on the hill and had eight strikeouts in a win over Alvarez on March 14. He also pitched a complete game with seven strikeouts in a win over Alisal last season as a sophomore.
Fishler, a stout lefty, is more a late bloomer, Wheeler said, after not getting much playing time as a freshman. This season he is 2-1 in eight appearances – his only loss came in a 7-6 defeat to Archbishop Mitty Wednesday – and he has shown a knack for eating up innings.
The final player of the eight men out to show they deserve to play ball in college is center fielder Jordan Holler, who has been hampered somewhat by injuries but has shown flashes of brilliance.
“When you look at all the guys we got, he might have the most tools,” Wheeler said. “When he figures it all out, he’s gonna be something special.”
With a club so loaded with young talent, the same could be said for the team as a whole. Not so says GHS assistant Rich Pirozzoli.
“We still have a good chance this year,” Pirozzoli said. “You get yourself in the playoffs and anything can happen.”
As the saying baseball cliche goes, it will be a matter of how each player goes about their business.
“It means coming out and working hard every day,” Pirozzoli said. “And a big part of the game is mental. I preach: If you’re confident, you’re going to be successful.”
With 11 games to play before the playoffs start – the first contest coming today at noon against Monterey in the third-place game for the Lions Easter Tournament – it seems the Mustangs need only realize their potential to see more success.
