Altobelli guides young Bucs
Bryce Alderton
Orange Coast College baseball coach John Altobelli didn’t hesitate
when asked to give an impression of the upcoming season.
“We’re very young and that is the question mark,” said Altobelli,
entering his 11th season at the helm of the Pirates, as he sat in the
dugout at Orange Coast last week after practice.
The Pirates, coming off a 32-13 season that saw them lose in the
second round of the Southern California Regionals to eventual
state-champion Riverside, return only one position player from last
year’s team in first baseman Kyle Stanley. But three starting
pitchers are back.
Altobelli’s No. 1 starter will be sophomore left-hander Kyle
Allen, who went 3-0 with a 3.25 ERA in 32 1/3 innings, striking out
29 and walking just 10. Right-handed sophomore Garrett Murdy
(6-foot-4) will be the No. 2 starter. He posted a 2.91 ERA in 21 2/3
innings, striking out 20. Jimmy Treece will follow Murdy in the
rotation. He was 1-0 in 22 innings last season.
“Our strongest area is starting pitching,” Altobelli said. “We
have three quality starters who should have a good year for us.”
Altobelli’s other pitching options include freshman left-hander
Jason Crissman out of Los Alamitos High, Bryan Johnson out of
Milwaukee, freshman right-hander Tucker Boyd from Orange High,
Estancia High-product Jordan Hart, a 6-5 southpaw, and freshman
right-hander Mike Farias out of Sonora.
“(Hart) is a lanky kid but he locates his fastball and keeps the
ball down,” Altobelli said. “We call (Johnson) the ‘Little Unit.’ He
works different angles and if he can keep the ball down he will be
successful.”
Freshmen Bryan Jacksont, Brad Miller (the starter at third base)
and Derik Easttom, as well as Chris Bullock, could close games.
Sophomore John Grant, a transfer from Allan Hancock College, will
start behind the plate, while Stanley anchors first base and will be
the No. 3-hitter.
Freshman Ben Hanna out of Villa Park High gets the starting nod at
second and will hit leadoff.
Shortstop is a “coin-toss,” according to Altobelli, between
freshman Manny Pedroza from Santa Ana High and Bullock, out of Los
Alamitos. They will attempt to fill the sizable shoes left by OCC’s
Male Athlete of the Year, Donnie Murphy, who led the Pirates in hits
(84), runs (55), home runs (13), RBIs (48), total bases (146) and
batting average (.422) last season. The first-team All-Orange Empire
Conference selection and fifth-round draft pick, signed with the
Kansas City Royals.
Miller figures to add pop to the offense, Altobelli said.
Switch-hitter Derek Aspinwall, the starting quarterback for the
Bucs in the fall, will add depth at second and third.
Sophomore cleanup hitter Ryan Mathes will start in left field,
next to Easttom in center.
“(Easttom) has a nice swing and is a gap-hitter with occasional
power,” Altobelli said.
Returner Greg Benoit, who hit .353 in 51 at-bats last year, and
freshman Jeff Piaskowski, will battle for the starting spot in right
field.
“We’re not a power-hitting team like last year,” Altobelli said.
“We’re going to have to manufacture runs.”
Last season, OCC hit a school-record 61 home runs, 50 more than
its 2001 total.
Altobelli said last year’s team was one of the better squads in
his tenure. Of the 12 sophomores, 11 received scholarships, including
Scott Beerer, now at Texas A&M.; Beerer went 6-4 with a 4.06 ERA and
batted .336 with four home runs and 29 RBIs.
This year will be more of a challenge, according to Altobelli, who
said Riverside, is the favorite to win the OEC again, followed by
Cypress, Santa Ana and Saddleback, then a group that includes OCC.
“Winning three state titles in a row, (Riverside) should be the
favorite,” he said.
Assisting Altobelli will be Joe Ronquillo (catchers), Josh
Belvosky (pitching), who played for Altobelli five years ago and was
the Cypress pitching coach last season, Doug Keith (infielders),
Scott Spokgnky (outfield) and Jim Skelton, the team’s sports
psychologist and “mental guru,” according to Altobelli.
“We’ve always had (Skelton) around, now he’s learned more about
the game,” Altobelli said.
Orange Coast opens the season Friday at 10 a.m. against visiting
Santa Barbara in the Matt O’Brien Memorial Tournament, named for the
former Pirate pitcher who died in a motorcycle accident in 1999.
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