Pitching a perfect game or no-hitter in baseball is the dream outcome for most pitchers, but the feat is so hard to pull off that very few pitchers actually get to live the result.
Santa Maria High School sophomore Trevor Garcia, however, is lucky enough to have thrown a no-hitter not just once—but twice.
Garcia pitched his second career no-hitter in a 6-0 victory over Morro Bay High School on March 10. He was one walk and a fielding error away from throwing a perfect game.
“It didn’t really hit me that it actually happened until I got home from the game,” Garcia told the Sun. “I thought, ‘This is a dream come true.’”
The dream also came true for Garcia five years ago when he pitched a perfect game in a Little League contest. His performance as a 10-year-old doesn’t quite compare to his latest high school accomplishment, though.
“I was young and didn’t really know what that meant,” he said. “It didn’t feel as good as this.”
The performance came at a good time for the Saints baseball team, as it resulted in the team’s first win of the season. Garcia had excellent command of his fastball and worked in deceptive changeups and curveballs to keep Morro Bay hitters off balance throughout the game.
“When my fastball is hitting my spots, it’s my best pitch, because I get a lot of people to ground out and pop out,” Garcia said. “I was hitting my spots, and my defense helped a lot.”
A first-year varsity player, Garcia is quickly garnering the respect of his coaches and teammates through his performances and work ethic. He’s already earned a regular spot in the Saints’ pitching rotation.
“He’s a good team player and a good all-around kid,” Santa Maria High School baseball Coach Garold Shaffer said. “He’s also a really good student, about a 3.5 GPA student. That work ethic in the classroom usually always carries over to the field. He works hard at being a better player.”
Garcia, who also plays basketball at Santa Maria High, said baseball is his favorite sport because he started playing it at age 4. He told the Sun he loves to pitch but also enjoys playing infield.
“When I’m doing well on the mound, pitcher is my favorite position but anywhere else is good, too,” he said. “As long as I’m playing.”
This article appears in Mar 17-24, 2016.