Conor Havstad and Tyler Lerma have three lessons for underclassmen on the Sobrato baseball team to live by: Stay in the now, keep a short-term memory and have fun.
“When you plan ahead instead of playing the game you’re in, that’s when things go downhill,” Havstad said, referring to the flame-out that was Sobrato’s 8-19 finish a year ago.
“It’s OK to want to win CCS,” Lerma added, “but you’ve got to treat every game like it’s a playoff game if you want to actually get there.”
That’s sage advice, coming from two players who have seen it all in four years with the program. The Bulldogs have risen up (2009-10) and crumbled (2011) in the face of great expectations. This season, they expect only to work hard every day under first-year manager Brian Collom.
Judging from the worry-free swagger that even the rookies show in practice (Hey, Nick Giordano, you nervous about pitching at the varsity level? “No, I like it. It’s not my first rodeo.”) the Bulldogs are all in.
“They’ve really got a good work ethic,” Collom said. “They’re listening up. I can tell they want to win; they just haven’t figured out how to do it. That’ll come with experience.”
Sobrato avoided relegation from the Mount Hamilton Division by the narrowest margin last year, edging Live Oak for second-to-last place by a game. The Bulldogs have showed they belonged with a 1-2 start in league – the two losses came by three runs – that left them 2-2-1 entering today’s game against visiting Pioneer.
Despite playing under their third manager in as many seasons, the Bulldogs are still winning the Sobrato way – with pitching and defense.
“I’ve only been coaching high school for three years,” Collom, 27, said, “but I’ve seen a lot of teams play … and this is one of the best defenses I’ve seen.”
It starts with a deep rotation of 6-foot, 2-inch junior Tanner DiSibio, Giordano and lefty sophomores Zayne Patino and Alejandro Torres. DiSibio, whom Lerma said is always “trying to get better,” is coming off a breakout year in which he led the league in strikeouts (68) while batting .296 with 11 RBIs and seven doubles. Giordano got the win in his first start, striking out seven and surrendering one run on three hits and four walks in six innings.
“He’s a big positive,” Havstad said. “Nick’s just always pitching in the zone.”
Patino and Torres have looked impressive, Collom said. The Bulldogs also have a true closer in junior Casey Conforti, who came on strong as a pitcher and a hitter last year.
“You usually don’t see this kind of depth on a high school team,” Collom said.
A pair of new infielders has caught Collom’s eye in senior first baseman Sean Schlafli and junior shortstop Andrew Bueno. Schlafli is fast, has an excellent glove and can hit for power, while the rangy Bueno is becoming a leader by example.
The Bulldogs are deep at catcher with senior veteran Westyn Herscovitch, junior Blake Porzio and sophomore Bradley Higgins.
“There’s a lot of competition in the infield,” Bueno said. “Everyone’s ready to go every day.”
Sobrato is strongest in the outfield, where the power-hitting Lerma roams in left, the speedy Havstad in right, and veterans Eric Guill-Perez and Jerry Jacob in center.
“Our outfield’s like a family,” Havstad said. “We’ve been playing together all through high school.”
The Bulldogs’ biggest strength, however, is chemistry.
“We kind of instill confidence in each other,” Giordano said. “We have fun, but everything’s competitive, too. You’ve got to realize that people are going to be better than you, and that’s OK. We just want to do our best.”
