Taft building a winning program under Maiocco
| Friday, Feb 03 2012 05:51 PM
Last Updated Friday, Feb 03 2012 05:53 PM
Taft College baseball has had three straight winning seasons, and coach Vince Maiocco said it's been a special achievement.
The Cougars have had back-to-back 22-14 seasons and went 24-19 in 2009. "You have to go back to the 1985-87 window the last time we had three straight winning seasons," Maiocco said.
This season's squad, which began play Friday with a doubleheader against Feather River College, has four returning starters but a new look among front-line pitching.
Friday's opening day starter was Allan Sanchez, a Puerto Rico native who was 1-1 with a 3.24 ERA last year in limited time split between starting and relieving.
Left-hander Corey Gilligan is in the starting rotation but had only 61â3 innings last season. Bruce Lewallen, a freshman right-hander from Las Vegas, begins the year as the No. 3 starter.
Among the other pitchers is Liberty High graduate Cole Bryant, who will work out of the bullpen.
There are four returning starters among the position players. They are catcher Pierce Balaustegui, who hit .305 with two homers and 17 RBIs last season; first baseman Forret Smith from Foothill High who hit .302 with four homers and ended the season as the starting designated hitter; center fielder Anthony Uran from Henderson, Nev., who hit .265 last season; and right fielder Clem Ferrer from Puerto Rico who can play all three outfield spots.
The other starters project to be freshman Matt Packer, a 2010 Stockdale High graduate at second base who is the probable No. 3 hitter; Puerto Rico native Luis Trinidad at shortstop; sophomore Sean Arbaut from Tehachapi at third base; and Clint Jorgensen, a redshirt last season who graduated from Taft High in 2010 in left field.
Other players to watch include Chase Skinner, an outfielder and catcher who transferred from Cero Coso College in Ridgecrest; Scott Koenen, a corner infielder transfer from College of Southern Nevada, the same school that produced major league superprospect Bryce Harper; and first baseman-DH Jay Higgins, who hit .289 last season in limited play.
The Cougars are in the Central Valley Conference, where they went 14-10 last season.
