Palo Alto Weekly 02.17.2012 - Section 1

Page 26

Sports COLLEGE BASEBALL

PREP WRESTLING

Another pitch for success

Gunn’s title was long time coming Titans came close to winning SCVAL crown, but last one came back in 1976

Stanford opens the season with strong rotation plus key returning players

by Keith Peters

A

by Rick Eymer

S

Don Feria/stanfordphoto.com

tanford may have lost four quality pitchers from last year’s staff that produced a team 3.45 ERA, but there’s enough returning pitchers to give the Cardinal the look of a champion. Left-hander Brett Mooneyham did not pitch last year because of a severe finger injury and he was the projected ace of the staff. Righthander Mark Appel stepped into the top spot and performed admirably enough to have put himself into the conversation as a possible first round pick this year. Appel and Mooneyham give Stanford one of the top one-two starting combinations in the nation, a major reason why the Cardinal was picked to win the Pac-12 this year and earned a preseason No. 2 ranking by Baseball America. “It’s always hard any time that something you love is taken from you,� said Mooneyham, who last threw a pitch during the 2010 Regional at Cal State Fullerton. “It’s been difficult but I tried to stay in the game as much as possible.� Stanford also returns seven of its eight position players, with catcher the lone question mark entering Friday night’s opener with No. 10 Vanderbilt at 5:30 p.m. at Sunken Diamond. The Cardinal also scheduled top programs like Texas, Fresno State and Rice. “We’re not going to be No. 2 in the nation four weeks from now,� Stanford coach Mark Marquess said, referring to a tough-as-nails preseason schedule. “There will be somebody undefeated. We’re not going to be undefeated, though I hope I’m wrong.� Marquess said there’s still a good competition going on for the catcher’s spot, with senior Christian Griffiths the frontrunner. Griffiths missed last year with a shoulder injury. Freshman sensation Wayne Taylor, also a gifted football player, could likely work his way into the starting lineup before too long. Converted infielder Eric Smith is also in the mix. “We’ll platoon to find out who seems best suited,� Marquess said. “We may end up platooning the whole season. Appel and third baseman Stephen Piscotty appear on most preseason All-American lists. Menlo School grad Kenny Diekroeger also has his name on some All-American lists and outfielders Tyler Gaffney and Jake Stewart are also candidates for postseason honors. “There’s something about this lineup that we all have tremendous confidence in it,� Diekroeger said.

Stanford’s Mark Appel will be the ace of the Cardinal pitching staff this season and will lead his teammates into a three-game series against visiting Vanderbilt this weekend. Stanford comes in ranked No. 2 nationally. “There’s a swagger you can’t measure. It’s good to play these teams now because it will give us an opportunity to find out where we need to improve.� Other returning starters include first baseman Brian Ragira, outfielder Austin Wilson and second baseman Lonnie Kauppila as the Cardinal finished 35-22 overall, with a trip to a Super Regional. “I hope we pick up where we left off when the season ended,� said Piscotty, a first team All-Pac10 pick last year after hitting .364. “That was positive momentum we want to carry over.� Gaffney carries a 22-game hitting streak into the season, already the fifth-longest since 1988, and Ragira was named Pac-10 Freshman of the Year and freshman All-American. “You always want to carry your weight but this is the kind of lineup which you don’t have to carry like we all did in high school,� Ragira said. Other returners are infielders Justin Ringo, Brett Michael Doran and Danny Diekroeger and outfielder Brian Guymon. In addition to Appel and Mooneyham, returning pitchers include AJ Vanegas, Sahil Bloom, Brian Busick, Dean McArdle, the team’s win leader a year ago, AJ Talt and Elliott Byers. Also back after missing significant time are pitchers Tommy Colton, Chris Jenkins, Sam Lindquist and Zach Yohannes and catchers Brant Whiting and Trevor Penny. Mooneyham, who led the team with 99 strikeouts in 2010, may be the most significant addition to the roster. He was a projected first round pick last year before suffering the in jury. “It’s been a blessing in disguise for us,� Piscotty said of Mooneyham. “It’s great to have him around.�

Page 26ĂŠUĂŠ iLÀÕ>ÀÞÊ£Ç]ĂŠĂ“ä£Ă“ĂŠUĂŠ*>Â?ÂœĂŠ Â?ĂŒÂœĂŠ7iiÂŽÂ?Ăž

2012 STANFORD BASEBALL SCHEDULE Date Ă€Âˆ`>ÞÊÊ ->ĂŒ°ĂŠĂŠ -Ă•Â˜°ĂŠĂŠ /Ă•iĂƒ°ĂŠĂŠ iL°ĂŠĂ“{ĂŠĂŠ iL°ĂŠĂ“xĂŠĂŠĂŠ iL°ĂŠĂ“ĂˆĂŠĂŠĂŠ iL°ĂŠĂ“nĂŠĂŠĂŠ >Ă€°ĂŠĂ“ĂŠĂŠĂŠ >Ă€°ĂŠĂŽĂŠĂŠĂŠ >Ă€°ĂŠ{ĂŠĂŠĂŠ >Ă€°ĂŠĂˆĂŠĂŠĂŠ >Ă€°ĂŠÂ™ĂŠĂŠĂŠ >Ă€°ĂŠ£äĂŠĂŠĂŠ >Ă€°ĂŠÂŁÂŁĂŠĂŠĂŠ >Ă€°ĂŠĂ“{ĂŠĂŠĂŠ >Ă€°ĂŠĂ“xĂŠĂŠĂŠ >Ă€°ĂŠĂ“ĂˆĂŠĂŠĂŠ >Ă€°ĂŠĂ“ÇÊÊÊ >Ă€°ĂŠĂŽäĂŠĂŠĂŠ >Ă€°ĂŠĂŽÂŁĂŠĂŠĂŠ ÂŤĂ€°ĂŠÂŁĂŠĂŠĂŠ ÂŤĂ€°ĂŠĂ“ĂŠĂŠĂŠ ÂŤĂ€°ĂŠxĂŠĂŠĂŠ ÂŤĂ€°ĂŠĂˆĂŠĂŠĂŠ ÂŤĂ€°ĂŠĂ‡ĂŠĂŠĂŠ ÂŤĂ€°ĂŠÂ™ĂŠĂŠĂŠ

Opponent Time Ă›Ăƒ°ĂŠ6>˜`iĂ€LˆÂ?ĂŒĂŠĂŠ°°°°°°°°°°x\ĂŽäĂŠ°Â“° Ă›Ăƒ°ĂŠ6>˜`iĂ€LˆÂ?ĂŒĂŠĂŠĂŠ°°°°°°°°°°°°°°£ĂŠ°Â“° Ă›Ăƒ°ĂŠ6>˜`iĂ€LˆÂ?ĂŒĂŠĂŠĂŠ°°°°°°°°°°°°°°£ĂŠ°Â“° >ĂŒĂŠ*>VˆvˆVĂŠĂŠĂŠ°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°ĂˆĂŠ°Â“° Ă›Ăƒ°ĂŠ/iĂ?>ĂƒĂŠĂŠ°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°x\ĂŽäĂŠ°Â“° Ă›Ăƒ°ĂŠ/iĂ?>ĂƒĂŠĂŠĂŠ°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°£ĂŠ°Â“° Ă›Ăƒ°ĂŠ/iĂ?>ĂƒĂŠĂŠĂŠ°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°£ĂŠ°Â“° Ă›Ăƒ°ĂŠ1 ĂŠ >Ă›ÂˆĂƒĂŠĂŠĂŠ°°°°°°°°°°x\ĂŽäĂŠ°Â“° >ĂŒĂŠ Ă€iĂƒÂ˜ÂœĂŠ-ĂŒ°ĂŠĂŠĂŠ°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°ĂˆĂŠ°Â“° >ĂŒĂŠ Ă€iĂƒÂ˜ÂœĂŠ-ĂŒ°ĂŠĂŠĂŠ°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°ĂˆĂŠ°Â“° >ĂŒĂŠ Ă€iĂƒÂ˜ÂœĂŠ-ĂŒ°ĂŠĂŠĂŠ°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°£ĂŠ°Â“° >ĂŒĂŠ-ĂŒ°ĂŠ >ÀÞ½ĂƒĂŠĂŠĂŠ°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°Ă“ĂŠ°Â“° Ă›Ăƒ°ĂŠ,ˆViĂŠĂŠĂŠ°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°x\ĂŽäĂŠ°Â“° Ă›Ăƒ°ĂŠ,ˆViĂŠĂŠĂŠ°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°£ĂŠ°Â“° Ă›Ăƒ°ĂŠ,ˆViĂŠĂŠĂŠ°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°Â˜ÂœÂœÂ˜ Ă›Ăƒ°ĂŠ1- IĂŠĂŠĂŠ°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°£ĂŠ°Â“° Ă›Ăƒ°ĂŠ1- IĂŠĂŠĂŠ°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°£ĂŠ°Â“° Ă›Ăƒ°ĂŠ1- IĂŠĂŠĂŠ°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°{ĂŠ°Â“° >ĂŒĂŠ1 ĂŠ >Ă›ÂˆĂƒĂŠĂŠĂŠ°°°°°°°°°°°Ă“\ĂŽäĂŠ°Â“° >ĂŒĂŠ Ă€Âˆâœ˜>IĂŠĂŠĂŠ°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°ĂˆĂŠ°Â“° >ĂŒĂŠ Ă€Âˆâœ˜>IĂŠĂŠĂŠ°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°ĂˆĂŠ°Â“° >ĂŒĂŠ Ă€Âˆâœ˜>IĂŠĂŠĂŠ°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°Â˜ÂœÂœÂ˜ Ă›Ăƒ°ĂŠ-ĂŒ°ĂŠ >ÀÞ½ĂƒĂŠĂŠĂŠ°°°°°°°°°x\ĂŽäĂŠ°Â“° >ĂŒĂŠ7>ĂƒÂ…ÂˆÂ˜}ĂŒÂœÂ˜IĂŠĂŠĂŠ°°°°°°°°°°°xĂŠ°Â“° >ĂŒĂŠ7>ĂƒÂ…ÂˆÂ˜}ĂŒÂœÂ˜IĂŠĂŠĂŠ°°°°°°°°°°°xĂŠ°Â“° >ĂŒĂŠ7>ĂƒÂ…ÂˆÂ˜}ĂŒÂœÂ˜IĂŠĂŠĂŠ°°°°°°°°°°°£ĂŠ°Â“° >ĂŒĂŠ >Â?ˆvÂœĂ€Â˜Âˆ>ĂŠĂŠĂŠ°°°°°°°°°°°Ă“\ĂŽäĂŠ°Â“°

Mooneyham said he’s 100 percent ready to pitch on Saturday. “I’m feeling good about where I am from when I left off,� he said. “I just want to go out and be comfortable.� The freshmen class boasts of AllAmericans, state Players of the Year, and a Team USA member. Position players Jose Dominic, Alex Blandino (also a pitcher), and Austin Slater may not be far from finding a role on the Cardinal. David Schmidt and John Hochstatter are at the top of a group of young pitchers who will likely make their presence known this season. Also among the group is Spenser

Date Opponent Time ÂŤĂ€°ĂŠ£äĂŠĂŠĂŠ Ă›Ăƒ°ĂŠ*>VˆvˆVĂŠĂŠĂŠ°°°°°°°°°°°°°°x\ĂŽäĂŠ°Â“° ÂŤĂ€°ĂŠÂŁĂŽĂŠĂŠĂŠ Ă›Ăƒ°ĂŠ"Ă€i}œ˜IĂŠĂŠĂŠ°°°°°°°°°°°x\ĂŽäĂŠ°Â“° ÂŤĂ€°ĂŠÂŁ{ĂŠĂŠĂŠ Ă›Ăƒ°ĂŠ"Ă€i}œ˜IĂŠĂŠĂŠ°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°£ĂŠ°Â“° ÂŤĂ€°ĂŠÂŁxĂŠĂŠĂŠ Ă›Ăƒ°ĂŠ"Ă€i}œ˜IĂŠĂŠĂŠ°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°Â˜ÂœÂœÂ˜ ÂŤĂ€°ĂŠÂŁĂ‡ĂŠĂŠĂŠ Ă›Ăƒ°ĂŠ->Â˜ĂŠ ÂœĂƒiĂŠ-ĂŒ°ĂŠĂŠĂŠ°°°°x\ĂŽäĂŠ°Â“° ÂŤĂ€°ĂŠĂ“äĂŠĂŠĂŠ Ă›Ăƒ°ĂŠ Ă€Âˆâœ˜>ĂŠ-ĂŒ°IĂŠĂŠĂŠ°°°°°°x\ĂŽäĂŠ°Â“° ÂŤĂ€°ĂŠĂ“ÂŁĂŠĂŠĂŠ Ă›Ăƒ°ĂŠ Ă€Âˆâœ˜>ĂŠ-ĂŒ°IĂŠĂŠĂŠ°°°°°°°°°°°£ĂŠ°Â“° ÂŤĂ€°ĂŠĂ“Ă“ĂŠĂŠĂŠ Ă›Ăƒ°ĂŠ Ă€Âˆâœ˜>ĂŠ-ĂŒ°IĂŠĂŠĂŠ°°°°°°°°°°°£ĂŠ°Â“° ÂŤĂ€°°ĂŠĂ“{ĂŠĂŠĂŠ Ă›Ăƒ°ĂŠ 91ĂŠĂŠĂŠ°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°x\ĂŽäĂŠ°Â“° ÂŤĂ€°ĂŠĂ“ÇÊÊÊ >ĂŒĂŠ1 IĂŠĂŠĂŠ°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°ĂˆĂŠ°Â“° ÂŤĂ€°ĂŠĂ“nĂŠĂŠĂŠ >ĂŒĂŠ1 IĂŠĂŠĂŠ°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°Ă“ĂŠ°Â“° ÂŤĂ€°ĂŠĂ“™ÊÊÊ >ĂŒĂŠ1 IĂŠĂŠĂŠ°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°£ĂŠ°Â“° >ÞÊ£ÊÊÊ >ĂŒĂŠ->Â˜ĂŠ ÂœĂƒiĂŠ-ĂŒ°ĂŠĂŠĂŠ°°°°°°Ă“\ĂŽäĂŠ°Â“° >ÞÊ{ĂŠĂŠĂŠ >ĂŒĂŠ"Ă€i}ÂœÂ˜ĂŠ-ĂŒ°IĂŠĂŠĂŠ°°°°°°°°x\ĂŽxĂŠ°Â“° >ÞÊxĂŠĂŠĂŠ >ĂŒĂŠ"Ă€i}ÂœÂ˜ĂŠ-ĂŒ°IĂŠĂŠĂŠ°°°°°°°°Ă“\äxĂŠ°Â“° >ĂžĂŠĂˆĂŠĂŠĂŠ >ĂŒĂŠ"Ă€i}ÂœÂ˜ĂŠ-ĂŒ°IĂŠĂŠĂŠ°°°°°°°° ÂŁ\äxĂŠ°Â“° >ÞÊ££ÊÊÊ Ă›Ăƒ°ĂŠ7>ĂƒÂ…°ĂŠ-ĂŒ°IĂŠĂŠĂŠ°°°°°°°°°°°°°ĂˆĂŠ°Â“° >ÞÊ£ÓÊÊÊ Ă›Ăƒ°ĂŠ7>ĂƒÂ…°ĂŠ-ĂŒ°IĂŠĂŠĂŠ°°°°°°°°°°°°°Ă“ĂŠ°Â“° >ÞÊ£ÎÊÊÊ Ă›Ăƒ°ĂŠ7>ĂƒÂ…°ĂŠ-ĂŒ°IĂŠĂŠĂŠ°°°°°°°°°°°°°£ĂŠ°Â“° >ÞÊ£xĂŠĂŠĂŠ Ă›Ăƒ°ĂŠ1- ĂŠĂŠĂŠ°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°° x\ĂŽäĂŠ°Â“]° >ÞÊ£nĂŠĂŠĂŠ >ĂŒĂŠ1ĂŒ>Â…IĂŠĂŠĂŠ°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°xĂŠ°Â“° >ÞÊ£™ÊÊÊ >ĂŒĂŠ1ĂŒ>Â…IĂŠĂŠĂŠ°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°Â˜ÂœÂœÂ˜ >ÞÊÓäĂŠĂŠĂŠ >ĂŒĂŠ1ĂŒ>Â…IĂŠĂŠĂŠ°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°Â˜ÂœÂœÂ˜ >ÞÊÓÓÊÊÊ >ĂŒĂŠ->Â˜ĂŒ>ĂŠ Â?>Ă€>ĂŠĂŠĂŠ°°°°°°°°°°°°ĂˆĂŠ°Â“° >ÞÊÓxĂŠĂŠĂŠ Ă›Ăƒ°ĂŠ >Â?IĂŠĂŠĂŠ°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°x\ĂŽäĂŠ°Â“° >ĂžĂŠĂ“ĂˆĂŠĂŠĂŠ Ă›Ăƒ°ĂŠ >Â?IĂŠĂŠĂŠ°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°£ĂŠ°Â“° >ÞÊÓÇÊÊÊ Ă›Ăƒ°ĂŠ >Â?IĂŠĂŠĂŠ°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°£ĂŠ°Â“° I*>V‡£ÓÊ}>“iĂƒ

Linney, Jordan Kutzer and Tyler Maxwell. First baseman Geo Saba also helps make this recruiting class one of the best in the nation. Piscotty thinks Schmidt, who could find himself Stanford’s closer before too long, could make the biggest difference this season. “He pitched well in the fall and has a heavy ball with a lot of movement,� Piscotty said. “He throws strikes and the natural movement on his fastball makes him effective.� Schmidt was the first freshman pitcher mentioned by most Cardinal players, and for good reason. “He has a great fastball,� Appel said, “with a lot of movement.� N

fter losing out on the SCVAL De Anza Division dual-match title on a tiebreaker, the Gunn wrestling team still had a big goal to cap perhaps the most successful season in school history. All the Titans needed to do was win the SCVAL Championships on Saturday at Cupertino High. Gunn coach Chris Horpel knew he had a lineup that could get the job done and he was right. The Titans put 12 wrestlers among the top six and pinned down its first league crown since 1976 by scoring 195.50 points. “What surprises me most is that of all the Gunn teams I have coached, I thought this was probably going to be mostly a rebuilding year,� Horpel said. “I did not tell my team, that, of course. But, with our big gun and team leader, Stefan Weidemann graduating, I just did not think we had the manpower to contend for a league title. “However, what I love about high school wrestling is how quickly kids can improve. You can go from never having wrestled (like three of our CCS qualifiers) to winning a tournament in about one month! That’s a lot different than collegiate coaching. When you add in how athletic some of our first-year wrestlers are, we suddenly had a team — a solid wrestler at all 14 weight divisions when they were at the final weight divisions.� Gunn came close to winning the tournament in 2008 but finished second to Los Gatos. The Titans qualified 13 wrestlers to CCS that year, but didn’t have nearly as many of those qualifiers finish in the top three — like Gunn did Saturday. Gunn held an early lead in the 15-team tournament when almost everyone on the team made it to the semifinals. In the semifinals, however, several Titans dropped some crucial matches that they were winning. “I was getting pretty upset with the number of kids who were winning handily only to come up short in that semifinal round,� Horpel said. “Our team really rallied, however, in the wrestle-backs and came through with a lot of wins and pins, giving us the team points we needed. “That is where we won the tournament. If just two of our wins in the wrestles-backs had gone the other way, we would not have come home with this title. I am really proud of this team . . . what a great group of kids and coaches.� Gunn last won when it competed in the South Peninsula Athletic (continued on page 28)

Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.