The College of San Mateo baseball team made it all the way to the state championship game last year.
As could be expected it was a sophomore-heavy team. Coach Doug Williams lost 18 players off that team this season, 12 who went on to the four-year level on scholarship.
But after beating College of the Sequoias last weekend 6-4 and 2-1 to sweep the best-of-three Northern California regional series, the Bulldogs are back in super regional action this weekend. They get under way in the four-team double-elimination NorCal super regional final at Solano College in Fairfield with an 11 a.m. game Friday against Ohlone — the same team CSM lost to in last year’s state championship game.
“We know each other well,” Williams said.
CSM played Ohlone twice this season, winning 2-0 and losing 3-2. They played five times in the fall and three times last season.
Sacramento and Solano are the other two teams at this super regional.
Last year CSM bashed its way to the state finals. Offense is way down this season with the new composite bats. The Bulldogs hit .329 in 2010 with 39 home runs. This year they’re at .288 with 12 homers, but check out the pitching: CSM has a 2.38 ERA, and opposing batters have been limited to a .207 average. CSM has outscored the opposition by an incredible 258-117.
The staff has been led by Devin Bradley (5-2, 1.57 ERA), Clay Bauer (6-2, 2.18), Daniel Chavez (6-2, 2.35) and reliever Josh Fredendall (3-0, 0.25).
Coaching legacy: Williams is in his 17th year as head coach and has a 540-216 record. His mentor, legendary former CSM coach John Noce who retired with a then-state record 772 wins, threw out the ceremonial first ball of the regional against Sequoias on Friday.
Noce, who turned 80 in March, has been named head coach of the Lithuanian national team. He will go to Lithuania in June to begin preparing the team for a European Group B tournament next year in Israel.
The winner of the tournament, which includes Great Britain and Georgia in addition to Lithuania and Israel, will move up to Group A.
CSM softball: The CSM softball team also advanced to a super regional this weekend, and it did so in dramatic fashion.
After Shasta won the first game of the best-of-three series 2-1 in nine innings, the Bulldogs were down to their last strike when Ashley Rincon hit a walk-off three-run home run to give CSM an 8-7 win in the second game of the series. The Bulldogs then romped in the third game, 11-2.
CSM trailed 7-2 in the second game going into its final at-bat. Sammy Pacheco (Mills) hit a leadoff single. Then after two outs were recorded, Lindsay Handy (Hillsdale) singled to score Pacheco. Callie Pacheco (Half Moon Bay) doubled home Handy. Annabel Hertz and Morgan Elkins both singled before Rincon (Sequoia) hit a 1-2 pitch for the game-ending and series-turning home run.
CSM (28-12) will play at top-ranked San Joaquin Delta (39-0) at 2 p.m. Friday. Sierra plays Sacramento in the super regional’s 4 p.m. game.
COUNTY Sports Notes: Terra Nova’s Terilyn Moe and Eastside’s Ahjalee Harvey received all-state recognition from Cal-Hi Sports, Moe is on the girls Division III basketball team and Harvey made the Division V team … Notre Dame de Namur’s Janae Reyes has been named Pacific West Conference softball Newcomer of the Year. Reyes hit .340 with 19 stolen bases. She was joined on the all-conference team by teammates Robyn Araujo and Alissa Castro … Hillsborough resident Hannah Farr, a midfielder from St. Ignatius, has committed to play soccer at Stanford … Adriana Vogt, a senior water polo standout at San Jose State from Sacred Heart Prep, was named to the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation first team.
Contact Glenn Reeves at 650-348-4345 or greeves@bayareanewsgroup.com.
