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2006 Cerro Coso Baseball Preview: Coyotes ready to rebound from rocky 2005

The Daily Independent

2006 Cerro Coso Baseball Team
The 2006 Cerro Coso baseball program kicks off the season today in the Bash at the Beach Tournament at Ventura. Head coach Dick Adams’ squad is aiming to bounce back from a 17-21 record in 2005. Daily Independent Photo By Mike Delaney

2006 is all about a return to prominence for the Cerro Coso baseball program.

Head coach Dick Adams has plenty to be excited about in this version of Coyote baseball, boasting a mixture of experience in its sophomores and solid additions with the newcomers.

Punctuated with quickness and athleticism, Adams said he expects this team to make huge strides from last year’s 17-21 record.

“We’re expecting better things from these guys,” he said.

Among those better things is an improvement in the Foothill Conference. Coso finished 13-14 for fifth place last year.

The Dawgs have an uphill battle in what shaped up to be a strong conference.

Chaffey and San Bernardino Valley, team Adams said are perenially in the hunt for the conference championship, come off solid 2005 campaigns.

Rio Hondo is the returning champion. Last year, it went 23-4 en route to the crown.

Making a splash in conference is important for the Dawgs. A first or second finish would ensure Coso a postseason berth.

Anything lower, and the team would have to bank on one of six at-large berths.

But fortunately for Adams’ crew, 2006 welcomes the use of a Rating Percentage Index, factoring aspects like strength of schedule, conference schedule, and record.

If Coso’s postseason hopes come down to RPI, it’ll have a leg up.

The Dawgs take on a tough non-conference schedule, beginning with the Bash at the Beach, a four-game odyssey featuring matchups with Ventura, Oxnard, Santa Barbara, and Los Angeles Mission.

It doesn’t end for Coso there. The Dawgs take on perennial California powers Golden West and Diablo Valley this season.

Diablo Valley ventures to Ridgecrest Feb. 10 and 11 from the Bay Area in Coso’s first home series of 2006.

Outfield

Highlighting an “improved” Coso outfield is a pair of big hitters and 2005 All-Conference selections: sophomores Paul Saville and Tyler Curran.

The duo will hit from the middle of the lineup, with preseason left fielder and preseasonAll-American Saville likely filling the clean-up spot.

“[Saville]’s only about 5-foot-9, but he plays much bigger,” Adams said. “He’s a very active player, and he plays aggressive. We expect big things from him.”

Meanwhile, right fielder Curran, a product of Burroughs High School, complements the offense with an aggressive plate presence that yielded a .338 batting average and 23 RBIs in 2005.

Infield

Around the horn, Coso packs a punch both defensively and offensively.

“The strength of our infield is our biggest improvement,” Adams said.

The Dawgs boast a talented infield, featuring third baseman Andrew Masojc; second baseman Dustin Romero; shortstop Mark Sayas; and first basemen Kyle Bruce and Jon Proesl.

Masojc, the lone returner on the Coso infield and someone Adams called “an outstanding athlet,” was a steady glove in 2005, recording a .917 fielding average and making 83 assists.

Romero came to Cerro Coso in the offseason, a transfer from the College of Southern Idaho.

Another Las Vegas product, Romero played for current Coso assistant coach Paul Basset at El Dorado High School.

Over at first, Coso welcomes a pair of recruits Adams says he is high on.

“Two of our best freshmen recruits are Jon Proesl of Mojave High School in California City, and Kyle Bruce from Tehachapi,” he said.

Part of Proesl’s appeal is his versatility, Adams said.

Aside from playing first, the 6-foot-1, 190-pound Proesl can also handled duties in the outfield, and will hit third in the Coso lineup.

“[Proesl] has the chance to be an outstanding college, and potentially professional, player,” Adams said.

Turning the keystone at short, Sayas is yet another addition from Coso’s Las Vegas pipeline.

Pitchers

Five hurlers will get looks in the Dawgs’ 16 non-conference games before Adams and his staff clip the starting rotation to three for Foothill Conference play.

Returning from last season’s rotation are right handers Adam Gardner, Ryan Short, and Aaron Keplinger, and the lone Southpaw, Kade McAllister.

At 6-foot-3, Toronto native Gardner brings a mid-80s fastball and a “nice curveball.”

“We hope he gets off to a good start,” Adams said. “If he gets off to a good start, we’ll have a good year.”

McAllister, Coso’s 6-foot lefty from Las Vegas, made the move from long reliever to starter in 2005 when ace Caleb Gallagher went down with an injury and pitched a 4.08 ERA.

He provides Adams’ rotation with “clever” pitching.

Last season’s No. 2 starter, Keplinger, is “savvy” on the mound with a mid-80s fastball. He went 6-5 a year ago with a 4.65 ERA.

Short gets the ball in today’s season opener at Ventura, and is the pitcher Adams said is “throwing the best right now.”

Short pitched out of the bullpen in 2005, and his experience has given him a five-pitch repetoire that includes a mid-80s fastball, curveball, changeup, slider, and the elusive knuckleball.

“He’s pitched a long time...with a real nice breaking ball,” Adams said. “But he’s [also] competitive. That’s impressive to me.”

Jessie Zuber, a freshman from Salem, Ore., joins the returners.

He’s struggled with an elbow injury in recent weeks, but at full strength brings a hard fastball in the high 80s.

Sophomore Greg Byron, a 6-foot-1 right hander out of New York, leads the Coso bullpen.

Catchers

“Catching has been a strength of ours,” Adams said.

And how.

Gone from the behind the plate are Adam Auers, who has taken on catching duties at Southern Colorado, and Tony Texieria, now a starter at Central Missouri.

The catchers’ duties are in capable hands in 2006, though, with a trio of Dawgs ready to step in.

Kyle Hanson joins the Coso program from Las Vegas’ Green Valley High School, where he won a Nevada State Championship.

“He’s caught hard throwers, he’s caught kids with good breaking balls,” Adams said. “He’s experienced.”

Cameron White and Kevin Orlowski brought their talents from Canada, and both have a lot to offer Coso baseball.

“Cameron...doesn’t possess a real strong arm,” Adams said. “But he has a knack to throw guys out. And what’s more important?

“He established himself this fall as our best to throw people out.”

And while Hanson brings experience and White a nose for picking off base runners, Orlowski brings a competent plate presence.

“Kevin’s a very good left handed hitter, and he runs well,” Adams said.

Coaches

Adams has spent 14 years at the helm of Coso baseball. This season will likely see Adams accrue his 300th career win as the Cerro Coso head coach. He enters the campaign at 289 total wins.

His assistants are Paul Bassett and Jon Foisy. Bassett has been immersed in Coso baseball for nearly as long as Adams has. He played for Adams in 1993 and 1994, the first two seasons of the program’s existence. Bassett came to Coso last offseason from Las Vegas’ El Dorado High School, and his Sin City roots have already proven to be valuable to the Dawgs’ recruiting efforts. Coso’s roster features seven players from Las Vegas.

Foisy also has been firmly entrenched in Cerro Coso baseball since its early days. Foisy participated in the first “Jr. Dawgs” program at age eight.

The former Burroughs High School standout and 2003 Coso alum went on to play NCAA ball at Coastal Carolina, where as a a member of the Chanticleers, he won a Big South Conference championship and played in last year’s NCAA Tournament Sectional.

Coyotes schedule

Friday, January 27, 2006