Bulldogs field their ‘best team yet’
MORGAN HILL — It was the greatest season yet for Sobrato baseball — and it was over before the Bulldogs even had a chance to savor it.
Less than a week after clinching the school’s first division championship and postseason berth in baseball, Sobrato was ousted from the CIF-Central Coast Section playoffs with a 4-3 loss to North Monterey County.
Looking back, Sobrato coach Ulises “Shorty” Gutierrez took only positives from that first-round exit. His Bulldogs accomplished their goal for that season and set the standard for 2009 and beyond.
“We had a completely different roster by the end of the year,” Gutierrez said Thursday before practice at Sobrato High School. “We had to bring a bunch of JV guys up around spring break because of grades and guys leaving the team. The key was, they became a good mix and started to believe in each other more and more. They were able to step up. I think we can do that again this year.”
The Bulldogs know they will have to in order to hang another banner and make a return trip to the postseason. Sobrato jumped from the Blossom Valley Athletic League Santa Teresa Division to the top-tier Mount Hamilton Division and will face some of the premiere teams in the section — including cross-town rival Live Oak, the reigning Division III champion.
“CCS is always the goal; same with winning league,” Sobrato first baseman Andrew Commons said. “Competition is going to be tough. In the (Santa Teresa), you get more strikeouts. In the (Mount Hamilton), you’ve got guys that can hit. Plus, you can’t make mistakes. A nine-pitch inning can turn into a nine-run inning.”
Unlike last year, Sobrato doesn’t have to place first to reach the playoffs. Although the Mount Hamilton is guaranteed four CIF-CCS berths, the Bulldogs’ are still aiming for the pennant.
“League is always the goal,” junior Ryan Williams said. “We want to come out and play every game our best. If we do that, we should take first.”
Sobrato is fortunate to have one of the best pitching staffs in the division. Billy Birrell leads the rotation, coming off an 8-0 junior season. He will share time with Williams and senior Shea Adams, who also will split time with Nick Hagiperos at catcher.
Hagiperos hasn’t played since freshman year, but was a three-year starter on the football team.
“It’s a blast getting back into the game,” he said. “I can already tell pitching is going to be our strength.”
That and depth. The Bulldogs return 11 players from last year’s team and have the added bonus of transfer-juniors Bryan and Chris Bradley — standouts on the basketball team. Chris Bradley and veteran Rauley Cambra will start at center field; and Bryan Bradley will work in with David Rotter at third base.
Kaleo Correa will start in right field.
“It’s great having the depth we do,” Gutierrez said. “Everyone’s hungry to do something bigger this year.”
When they aren’t pitching, Birrell and Williams will start at shortstop, flanking Tim Andrade and Aaron Wallace at second base.
“Our infielders are going to be our big hitters,” Gutierrez said. “Williams, Commons and Birrell are going to do it all.”
Commons had the highest batting average (.385) among underclassmen in 2008, and Birrell drove in 33 runs. Williams doubled five times.
Sobrato (0-1 overall), which opened the season with a 12-8 loss to Carmel, begins league play at 3:30 p.m. today at Leland High School, weather pending.
