Big story lines heading into 4A baseball semis
May 9, 2018 by Jose Garcia, AZPreps365
There are plenty of big storylines to follow heading into Wednesday's 4A Conference baseball semifinals at Tempe Diablo Stadium.
We’ll begin with the defending champ, No. 1 seed Nogales, which isn’t playing just for itself. The day before its first playoff game, Nogales lost one of its biggest fans, Nogales police officer Jesus Cordova.
Cordova was shot and killed by a carjacker, leaving behind three children and Cordova’s pregnant wife. Nogales is dedicating its playoff run to Cordova and his family.
Cordova would at times stop by Nogales’ games while on duty, according to the tucson.com. Nogales has to defeat Sunrise Mountain twice in the semifinals to get to the 4A final for the second straight year.
Sunrise Mountain coach Eric Gardner is in his 21st season and back in a familiar spot. This is his fifth time in the semifinals with Sunrise Mountain, which is 0-3 in championship games.
Also seeking their first championship rings are semifinal opponents St. Mary’s and Nogales’ Kino Region mate, Catalina Foothills.
Catalina Foothills just needs one more win to earn the program’s third title game appearance. St. Mary’s has produced its share of Major League players but has never reached a final and is in the semifinals for only the fourth time ( also in 2004, 1977 and 1974).
4A semifinal preview
No. 5 Sunrise Mountain (27-3) vs. No. 1 Nogales (27-5), 6:30 p.m.: “This year’s (Sunrise Mountain) team plays with a lot of energy every day,” Gardner said. “We have had very consistent pitching throughout the year with a team ERA below two (1.36). I think we have one of the more complete and balanced teams, offensively and defensively, in years.” Contributing heavily is UNLV-signee Troy Balko. The senior has allowed three earned runs in a game only once this year and is 8-0 on the mound. Also, of the Sunrise Mountain players who have played 25 or more games, Balko’s .430 batting average ranks third. The other senior leader on the team is INF Tyler Pruitt, whose fraternal twin brother, Trevor (.408 ave.), is also on the team. Their mom, Jody, is Sunrise Mountain’s softball coach. Tyler is batting .465, the highest average among the regular starters. Tyler also leads the team with 35 stolen bases. Sr. EJ Sua was leading the team with 26 RBIs.
Nogales avenged its only loss — 4-2 to Salpointe — of the postseason with the help of German Fajardo. The 8-1 pitcher struck out eight in six inning in his team’s 5-2 win over Salpointe, which Nogales defeated three times this season, to advance to play Sunrise Mountain. Nogales is loaded with pitching depth. The staff’s ERA was 2.03 after 203 1/3 innings. If ace Fajardo doesn’t pitch, there’s still So. Gerardo Martinez (6-0, 2.16 ERA), Sr. Markie Lopez (5-1, 1.83 ERA, New Mexico St.) and Sr. Alex Acevedo (4-1, 2.45 ERA). Jr. Ricky Maytorena has walked 23 times. Jr. Mario Duarte’s fielding percentage is .974 after 190 total chances. Sr. Kevin Jimenez (.452 ave, team high 21 stoles bases in 31 attempts), Jr. Jorge Bojorquez (.410), Sr. Kenneth Jimenez (.444 ave., 38 RBI’s) and Jr. Luis Rodriguez (.412) are the team’s .400-plus batting average hitters. Sr. Marcel Bacehelier was second on the team with 35 RBI’s. Jiminez (New Mexico State) and Bacehelier (University of Arizona) are the captains.
“The team has had a successful season because players worked hard in the off season to prepare for the long season,” 14-year coach Oscar Favela said. “We have a solid lineup that can get on base and bring runs in from top to bottom. The pitchers have done a great job of throwing strikes and have avoided giving up the big innings. We are five deep on the mound, which has made the many three-game weeks easier to manage. The team has a great chemistry and really play hard for each other.” The team also sports a cumulative 3.88 GPA and 10 of the 18 players have 4.0 or above GPAs. Sr. OF/INF Diego Favela has accepted a United States Air Force Academy appointment.
(Catalina Foothills' Chris Kowalcek is hitting .409. Photo by Chris Hook/maxpreps.com)
No. 11 St. Mary’s (21-11) vs. No. 2 Catalina Foothills (23-7) 4 p.m.: Catalina Foothills was 12-14 last year (Only the second losing season in its past 14 years). “The senior class has been the most enjoyable group of kids I have ever coached,” said sixth-year Catalina Foothills coach Jim Baldwin. “They define what a team is about.” The overall team leader is Sr. OF Chris Kowalcek (.409 ave.). Sr. C/OF/P Dante Deniro, the best catcher in the state, according to Baldwin, is also a closer and “best pure clutch hitter on the team.” Sr. P/INF Cole Altherr (5-0, 2.87 ERA) is the team’s big-game pitcher. He is 2-0 with 12 strikeouts and two earned runs in 10 innings in the playoffs. P/DH Will Saul (5-1, 2.35 ERA) “has pitched solid all year long.” RF Matt Cullen is the team’s most improved player. “All of these guys have stepped up for us in the playoffs,” Baldwin said. The team’s GPA is 3.51. Five players have stolen at least 12 bases or more this season. Catalina Foothills has so far outscored its playoff opponents 20-4.
St. Mary’s: Sr. P/INF Thaddeus Tanner is 9 for 17 in the playoffs. St. Mary’s dresses 11 seniors and seven returners from last year’s team. “This group plays well together and is very tight,” St. Mary’s coach Joseph Ponce said. “Also, we do a lot of work in-season and out of season in the weight room, which I believe has made an impact. Lastly, we play in a lot of fall and winter tournaments to prepare ourselves for our seasons.” The last time St. Mary’s was in the playoffs was in 2012. The program was 5-22-1 two years ago and 11-11 last year. From 2014-16, Ponce, originally from Fresno, was an assistant varsity baseball and football coach at Deer Valley High. St. Mary’s batting average (.313) and ERA (3.64) aren’t that impressive but don't look at the numbers. The team just continues to find ways to win in the playoffs. “I will tell you it’s been a different guy each game,” Ponce said. “We’ve had five playoffs games, and it seems like we’ve had a different two guys step up every game.
“I love my kids, and I think we have overachieved in some situations.” Sr. Joey Zubia has pitched, caught and played first base in the last four games. Jr. Carlos Jasso has also come up big in key situations during the playoffs. Six of Ponce’s assistants in the program are St. Mary’s alums, including pitching coach Michael Nunez and catcher coach Cody Berumen.
