It’s starting to become a sure sign of spring, as dependable as shorts and seasonal allergies: Allan Hancock College baseball players dust off their cleats and take the field, boasting another legitimate shot at a state title.
The stakes have been raised for 2011. The Bulldogs are coming off their best season in 17 years, a 13-7 conference record, and an appearance in the state’s Super Regional Tournament, where rival El Camino College eliminated them in two games.
California community college coaches rewarded Hancock for the showing, ranking the team fifth overall in their preseason poll for Southern California schools. In addition to the conference ranking, the American Baseball Coaches Association picked Hancock 10th in the Junior College Pacific Division, which includes California, Washington, and Oregon.
In his 10th year at the helm, head baseball coach Chris Stevens sees the rankings as a sign of respect for his team, which features just five returning starters this season.
“I’ll tell you the two goals that the team told me,” Stevens said. “They’re lofty, but attainable, and it’s going to take every ounce of our energy to get there, but they want to win a conference championship and a state championship.”
Typical of Stevens’ scheduling philosophy, the Bulldogs dove into 2011 headfirst, stunning top-ranked Santa Ana College on the road 5-3 in the preseason opener on Feb. 4. Hancock earned a split for the series, proving, at least for one weekend, it belonged among Southern California’s elite.
“It’s going to be learning on the run with a challenging preseason schedule,” Stevens said of his young club. “They’re going to have to gain experience, and we’ll have to see how fast they progress.”
To stay at the top of the polls, the seasoned sophomores will need to show leadership and motivate the freshmen, according to J.P. Maestas, a first-team Western State All-Conference selection last season, who’s making the transition to third base from the outfield.
“We have some big-headed and outrageous goals,” Maestas said. “The fact that we’ve been there before just leaves those returning guys with that sense of, ‘Man, we can taste it.’ We’ve been there, and we have the ability to do it again.”
Other holdovers are second-team All-Conference outfielder Chris Rivera, All-Conference honorable mention Austin Nyman, Gold Glove award-winning shortstop Dalton Rouleau, and pitcher Cody Berryman, who finished last season with a 3.83 ERA.
“Last year we did excellent, and this year we’ve got a lot of people that can show up to the ballpark and play the game the way it’s supposed to be played,” Berryman said. “That’s all we want to do: Show up, play our game, and just win.”
Berryman earned the win against Santa Ana and moves up to the top position in the rotation this year. The Bulldog’s pitching staff includes nine pitchers who have never thrown a pitch in college before. Stevens called the inexperience on the mound “a bit of a concern,” but there’s no cause for alarm, according to Berryman.
“We’ve got a lot of young guys, but they’re strong guys,” Berryman said. “If they’re not strong now, they’re going to get strong for the program.”
This year’s roster has a bit of an international flavor: three players—outfielder Tom Muhlethaler, and pitchers Codey Shrider and Tyler Dunsmore—hail from Canada. Muhlethaler brought Dunsmore, his teammate in Edmonton, along with him, and is following in the footsteps of his father Dave, who pitched for Hancock from 1981 to 1983.
“I came down here in November on a recruiting trip and really liked it,” Muhlethaler said. “The weather’s great, the baseball’s great. It’s much better than back in Canada where I was playing. This is a higher level.”
Fellow freshman Jacob Cano continues his playing career a bit closer to home. A multi-sport star at St. Joseph High School, Cano was named the school’s Athlete of the Year for 2010. He called staying local the best decision he ever made.
“This team’s great. The coach is amazing. All of my teammates are all here to play baseball,” Cano said. “That’s what I love about college: I get to focus on one sport, and these guys are doing the same. It’s more of a team. They want what you want.”
In seeking a return to the state playoffs for the third straight season, Stevens said Hancock has been fortunate to recruit the right players—“good kids” who plan on using baseball as a springboard to four-year universities. Like a perpetual-motion machine, the team’s on-field success has made the recruiting process easier, as former players return home recommending the program to friends and family.
“The best recruiting isn’t necessarily what a coach is saying to an athlete, it’s really what the athletes are saying to potential athletes,” Stevens said. “It’s that word-of-mouth thing.”
Year in and year out, competing with larger schools for players, Hancock is always challenged to put together a talented team, Stevens said. He credited the work ethic of his players and coaching staff with keeping the Bulldogs in the mix.
“[The coaches] are in the trenches with the guys, so to speak,” Stevens said. “We’re vocal. We’re demanding, but they know we’re passionate and respectful. I think our kids feed off that enthusiasm.” m
Staff Writer Jeremy Thomas’ likes it local. Contact him at jthomas@santa mariasun.com.
This article appears in Feb 10-17, 2011.