SD Prep Sports

SD Prep Sports: Baseball

Otay Ranch looks to promising future, present

By Phillip Brents

CHULA VISTA, April 18, 2004 -- The Otay Ranch High School junior varsity baseball team has become the talk of the town – literally.

“I’ve got varsity teams calling us to play games. I guess they’ve heard how well we’ve done,” Mustang head coach Bob McCurdy said.

After a strong showing playing at the varsity level in the Bully’s tournament to start the season, Otay Ranch was a late addition to the 54^th annual Lions tournament, competing inn the AAAA Division. Despite matching up with some of the top varsity teams in the county, the Mustangs more than held their own.

Otay Ranch fell 3-2 to eventual division champion San Marcos in its first Lions tourney game and held a 5-3 lead going into the sixth inning against sixth-ranked Carlsbad before eventually losing 6-5 on a wild pitch in the seventh inning. The Mustangs were embroiled in a 3-3 draw into the fourth inning against University of San Diego High School before eventually running out of pitching in a 14-3 loss.

McCurdy remains excited about the potential of the program, particularly after the Lions tournament showing. “The kids played a varsity schedule with freshmen and sophomores. Every game has been very impressive considering we have been playing some of the top teams in the county and have been losing by one run. That’s showing a lot of promise. The thing right now is to maintain our level of intensity,” McCurdy said.

The Mustang coach said inclusion in the San Diego Section Division IV playoffs at the end of the season is not out of the realm of possibility, especially if the team continues to perform well.

Otay Ranch has a varsity game scheduled Friday against La Jolla.

In the meantime, the Mustangs will continue play at the JV level. Otay Ranch started Metro Conference play 3-0 with a pair of wins against San Ysidro and a victory against Bonita Vista.

The Mustangs’ offense starred in a 19-8 victory against San Ysidro on April 13 to officially commemorate the team’s first-ever league JV contest. Sophomore Mike Beltran went 4-for-4 with two home runs and two doubles while sophomore Julio Torres went 3-for-3 with one home run and two doubles to highlight the offense. Freshman Robert McCurdy went 2-for-3 with one home run and one double while Ryan Matias picked up the first pitching victory in official league play.

Torres earned the pitching win against Bonita Vista while also clubbing a three-run home run to help spark the offense in a 10-7 victory. In Saturday’s 6-3 rain-shortened win against San Ysidro, the Mustangs got off to a fast start with six runs in the opening inning as Jeff Ruiz received credit as the winning pitcher.

McCurdy said sophomores have helped carry the team so far, which may not be a surprise.

Besides the offensive contributors, players who have also shown defensive prowess include freshman catcher and shortstop Evan Gamos, second baseman Joe Nuno and sophomore Chris Siddens.

While McCurdy said he continues to be amazed by the performance of his team, he also would like to thank assistant coach Donald Canedo for his contribution to the program’s strong start.

“This is my first year coaching baseball. I’ve always been a football and track coach. It is new. I’m riding on his coat tails. I’ve learned a lot from him,” McCurdy said in reference to Canedo.