After the Sobrato High baseball team suffered a 15-1 beatdown to Piedmont Hills on April 10, the Bulldogs needed a top-notch performance from ace Patrick Salsbury And that’s exactly what they got, as the senior allowed four hits and two earned runs over six solid innings en route to a 6-2 win.
It was a critical victory for Sobrato, which entered the week at 6-8 overall and 4-4 in the Blossom Valley League’s Santa Teresa Division. The Bulldogs have won their last three league games, and are hoping to run the table with four division games remaining.
Against Piedmont Hills—a quality team that beat Live Oak earlier this season—Salsbury utilized a solid fastball and curveball to keep the potent Piedmont Hills lineup off-balance. The 5-foot-8, 160-pound right-hander also drove in two runs against the Pirates to help key the victory.
“Hitting hasn’t been my expertise, so that was a nice game I was able to contribute and get on base,” he said. “That was also the best game I’ve pitched so far. It was a really good win for us to be able to come back after they had beaten us. The fastball was my dominant pitch, and it’s something I like to locate and be efficient with. I have to locate it well because I can’t just blow it by people.”
Salsbury has come on strong at Sobrato after getting cut during his freshman year. It was a humbling experience and yet something needed, as it gave Salsbury added motivation and drive to come back the next season stronger than ever
“The most important thing was I didn’t give up on baseball and even played for another league even though my pride was hurt,” he said.
During his freshman year, Salsbury played for the Blossom Valley League Pony Baseball organization, which turned out to be a critical experience for Salsbury moving forward after not making the Sobrato team. Salsbury ended up making the All-Star team, and though it couldn’t take the sting away from not making the Bulldogs squad, it gave him purpose and motivated him to continue playing baseball.
“I was lucky enough I was able to play for Pony Baseball, stay sharp and stay humble so I could prove myself the next year, which I did,” he said. “It was an eye opener and kind of sparked a flame for me to really work hard. I was still hesitant to come back and try out sophomore year because I didn’t know if I had a good chance of making the team. But I decided to take another shot at it and made the team.”
When Salsbury isn’t on the mound, he’s playing second base and usually in the No. 2 spot in the lineup. Last season, Salsbury spent most of his time as a reliever and was able to finish some games strong, especially toward the end of the season. Salsbury said he doesn’t plan on playing baseball after this season, and knows the team’s regular-season finale against Independence on May 10 could very well be his last organized baseball game.
“It’s a little heartbreaking,” he said. “But the best way to look at it is everyone has to stop playing at some point—it’s only a matter of time until you can’t play anymore. I’ll always enjoy the sport, though. When the time comes in the future, I’ll probably have my son play baseball.”
Salsbury has made a great effort to improve himself both in the classroom and physically since he entered high school. Salbury said he had a 3.3 GPA as a freshman and sophomore before skyrocketing his average up after earning a 4.5 GPA as a junior and then a 4.1 in the first semester of the 2017-2018 school year.
For the last year or so, Salsbury has been diligent with strength-training, with the purpose to lose weight—“My entire life I’ve been a chubby kid,” he said—and gain muscle to help in his performance on the field. Salbury credits his dad, Robert, for “teaching me everything about the game and helping me improve.”
