COASTERS: Underachievers no more

Steve Virgen

Young baseball coaches should take a lesson from Orange Coast

College Coach John Altobelli.

The OCC baseball team’s 6-5 win over two-time defending state champion

Riverside Tuesday stemmed from a serious, down-to-business strategy from

Coach “Alto.”

A month ago, Alto basically drew a line in the sand. He challenged his

team’s character and made sure this season would not be doomed to

underachievement.

After the Pirates lost 13-2 to Saddleback on March 16, which marked their fourth setback in five games, Alto demanded what he called a

“silent practice.”

He did not let any player talk, laugh or cheer during the practice.

And then he said, who’s with me?

The Bucs (25-8, 10-7 in the Orange Empire Conference) responded with a

10-game winning streak, that included a Sequoias Tournament title and

Tuesday’s win.

“(Since the silent practice) the guys started believing; it wasn’t

anything magical,” Alto said after defeating Riverside, snapping the

Tigers’ 16-game winning streak and undefeated OEC home record. “There’s

nobody in our conference that we can’t beat. Every game it seems like

there’s a new hero. There’s not one guy doing it for us.”

Throughout the Pirates’ turnaround Alto has influenced his players

with a business-like approach to each game and the Bucs have been

punching in with blue-collar efforts.

Freshman pitcher Kyle Allen and sophomore Glenn Hedgpeth were the

recent heroes who helped the Pirates to victory Tuesday. Hedgpeth, who

led off in the ninth inning, crushed a first pitch over left-center field

for his seventh home run of the season, to give the Pirates a 6-4 lead,

while Allen retired the side in order in five of the six innings he

pitched, recording three strikeouts with no walks.

Other notable heroes for OCC include freshman shortstop Donnie Murphy,

freshman infielder Kyle Stanley and sophomore ace Justin Azze.

Murphy’s season has been electric on defense and just as exciting at

the plate. He leads the Pirates with a .451 batting average, which

includes 11 home runs and 10 doubles that has produced 37 RBIs.

“He’s so much fun to watch,” Alto said of Murphy, his prized recruit.

“He’s about as steady as you get. He’s working and playing to be

conference MVP by swinging the bat and with his defensive ability. He’s

phenomenal to watch.”

Stanley is batting .400, while Azze owns a 7-3 pitching record. Azze

has recorded 61 strikeouts in 62 innings. Matt Clanton and Scott Beerer

have also been key pitchers. Clanton is 5-3 and he has struck out 90

batters in 67 innings. And, Beerer, who picked up his first save of the

season Tuesday, is 5-2.

Coast is in OEC action today at 2:30 p.m., hosting Santa Ana.

The OCC men’s volleyball team has also been business-like throughout

its undefeated season. Coast Coach Chuck Cutenese said the Pirates are

not concerned with records, other teams’ records or conference

championships. Cutenese’s squad is focused on a state championship, which

eluded the Bucs last year in the title match against Los Angeles Pierce.

“Don’t get me wrong; they’re having fun,” Cutenese said of the Pirates

(21-0, 17-0 in the OEC). “But they are going about it business-like and

with a lot of maturity.”

The Bucs are also balanced enough to lend themselves to a bit of

spontaneity. They are planning for their traditional end-of-the-season

throwback practice on April 25, when they dress up in 1970s-style

clothing.

The Pirates finished regular-season play Wednesday night when they

dealt district rival Golden West a four-game loss. Coast clinched its

second straight Orange Empire Conference title with a three-game sweep

over host Palomar on April 10.

Great move by Orange Coast: the OCC Boathouse will be renamed the

David A. Grant Collegiate Rowing Center. Now it’s up to this year’s OCC

crew program to give a great man a fitting farewell.

Grant has made a lasting impression at OCC. His positive impact has

been so strong that the school didn’t take long to dedicate the boathouse

in his name. The ceremony will take place Sunday following competition in

the Newport Rowing Regatta along the North Lido Channel.