Season Preview: Vaqueros re-load with stronger roster

SBCC has had great success in the last two baseball seasons, coming within a couple of wins of reaching the State Final Four. The Vaqueros are 60-26 in the last two campaigns, winning the WSC North title in 2015 and placing fifth in the state the last two years.

Fifth-year head coach Jeff Walker feels this team can be even better, despite the fact that there's only one returning position player in catcher Jake Gagain.

"Talent-wise on the position side, we're much better than we were last year," stated Walker. "The key question is how we'll play together as a team. It's a process from day-to-day and game-to-game. The standard for this program is to win the conference, go to the postseason and compete for a State title.

"We're a much different team this year. We're very physical as far as our size. Last year, we had a lot of team speed, this year we have a lot of power offensively. We can hit and hit for power. And on the mound, we return more innings than we did the previous year, so that's encouraging."

Twenty of the Vaqueros' 36 players are 6-2 or taller.

Santa Barbara went 33-11 last year and fell to eventual State champion Orange Coast 2-1 in a three-game Sectional series. Eighteen players from that squad moved on to play at four-year colleges.

SBCC is ranked No. 4 in the Southern Cal preseason coaches' poll. The Vaqueros open on Saturday with a doubleheader at Pershing Park vs. Cabrillo (No. 12 in the North) at noon and 3 p.m.

"We have mostly new guys and everyone has been buying into the program and buying into what the coaches are teaching us," said Gagain. "We have a lot of talent and a lot more power this year. I think we're going to see a lot more home runs.

"Our ultimate goal is to win a state championship but we can only do that by winning each game."

Pitchers

Steven Ledesma, Ian Clark and Davis Messer return from last year's talented pitching staff that ranked No. 2 in the state with a 2.21 ERA. Ledesma, a 6-4 right-hander from Ventura, is a Southern Cal Pre-Season All-American according to the California Community College Baseball Coaches Association.

Messer, a 6-4 right-hander, had a 1.88 ERA in 14.1 innings last year and Ledesma went 3-0 with a 2.10 ERA and 19 strikeouts in 25.2 innings. Clark is a 6-6 right-hander from Danville, Calif., and one of 18 sophomores on the roster.

Walker says he's not sure who will do what out of the bullpen.

"Some of the guys who aren't starting will end up being the closer or the stopper or the long reliever," he said. "You use the preseason to figure that out. This is my fifth year here and one thing I've learned is however we draw it up on Day 1 is not how we will finish."  

Catchers

Gagain is a 6-4 sophomore from Lithia, Fla., and Walker says he's a potential WSC North Player of the Year candidate. Last year's catcher James Hill, now at Loyola Marymount, was the WSC North co-Player of the Year.

"Jake is a team leader and we're expecting a big year from him," said Walker. "Andrew Cosgrove is a transfer from the Univ. of Washington and he's a big-time player. Catcher will be one of our stronger positions."

Infield

A pair of redshirts are expected to start at shortstop and third base. Alexander Heim is a 6-3 freshman shortstop from Lancaster, Calif., and 6-3 freshman Wesley Ghan-Gibson is a three-sport star from San Marcos High who will play third. Shortstop Chris Smutny is a transfer from Columbia University. Tynan Holmstrom is another transfer from an out-of-state JC.

"Wes was a quarterback in high school and he's a phenomenal athlete," said Walker. "Ty has a lot of power and potential and he can play short, second or third."

At first base, Walker can choose between two left-handed power bats in Connor Clark, a 6-5 transfer from UNLV who went to Camarillo High, and Nicolas Bereaud, a 6-3 sophomore from San Diego.

Outfield

Nicholas Allman is a left-handed transfer from Fresno State who will play right field and could bat leadoff. Center fielder Morgan Lomax (Serra High) is described by Walker as "an exciting freshman who is a Div. 1, pro-level talent." Sophomore Jeffrey Clarke (6-1, 220) is a talented utility player who had an outstanding prep career at Fairview High in Boulder, Colo. He's been hitting the ball well lately and he's another right-handed power bat who transferred from Abilene Christian in Texas.

"Last year, we had a lot of speed in the outfield," noted Walker. "This year, the guys who play are going to be the guys who can hit."

Coaching Staff

Demetre Kokoris is the new pitching coach and he comes to the Vaqueros with great credentials. He got his Bachelor of Science degree from the Univ. of South Carolina and his MBA from Cal St. Fullerton. He's coached with Div. 1 skipper George Horton (Fullerton/Oregon) and UCSB coach Andrew Checketts when Checketts was the pitching coach at the University of Oregon.

For the last few years, Kokoris was the pitching coach and recruiting coordinator for Chemetka Community College in Salem, Oregon.

"He brings a passion for developing pitchers and he's a great recruiter," said Walker. "We're excited and very fortunate to have him here."

Chris Lasaca and Tyler Heil return from last year's staff. Nick Katzenstein, the head coach at Dos Pueblos High the last few years, will coach first base and Michael Ramazzotti will coach third.

"We have a really good group of coaches," Walker noted. "Coach Heil had a big impact on our hitters last year. Getting Coach Katzenstein is huge. He's been my right-hand man when it comes to head coaching ideas."