Honoring a lost year: Players and coaches reflect on the baseball season that wasn’t
Next week would’ve been the start of the baseball playoffs in the Sac-Joaquin Section.
Seniors should be looking forward to a deep postseason run with the hope of capturing a section championship as a last memory from their high school days. One of those teams primed to make a deep run was Vacaville, the Bee’s top-ranked preseason baseball team.
The California Interscholastic Federation announced April 3 that all spring sports would be canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The Bulldogs were looking to become the fourth team in Sac-Joaquin Section history to threepeat as Division l champions. The other teams to threepeat in D-l were Elk Grove, twice, between 2005-07 and 2015-17 and St. Mary’s of Stockton in 2010-12.
Vacaville’s chance to threepeat as section champions never really happened.
“With the season getting canceled, it was very heartbreaking because this was my last year with my brothers that I’ve grown up with on and off the field and that got taken away,” Vacaville infielder Brian McClellin said. “We all had goals we wanted to achieve together including possibly threepeating as section champions.”
Vacaville has a special group, with 12 seniors already committed to play in college next year — including seven D commits. The list of players includes Jared Breedwell (University of San Francisco), Michael Brown (Washington), Caleb Davis (Delta College), Kenny DeCelle (Santa Clara), Jackson Dinsdale (Los Meganos College), Andrew Edmonds (College of San Mateo), Ethan Lamb (Solano College), Brian McClellin (California, Berkely), Konner McClellin (Delta College), Nick Strong (Delta College), Bradley Taylor (Azusa Pacific) and Derek Williams (George Fox).
Breedwell, Brown, Davis, DeCelle and Strong were sophomores on the 2018 Vacaville team that won four straight elimination games against Franklin, Jesuit and Davis, twice, for the school’s first section championship.
“We have had some super dudes come through our program the last few years and I’m not just talking baseball,” coach Stu Clary said. “All of our players are going to be super successful in life and that’s the ultimate goal (here in our program). There won’t be many classes that will be able to challenge the amount of success this 2020 class has had.”
Last season, Vacaville went 31-2 and beat Jesuit 5-2 in the section championship at Sacramento City College. It seemed like the teams were on a collision course again to meet for a blue banner this season.
“It’s a rivalry (between us and Jesuit) because there are always two rosters full of talent,” Clary said. “It’s a very respected rivalry. (Jesuit coach Joe Potulny) and I talked on the phone not too long ago for an hour and there was very little baseball talk. When Jesuit and Vacaville played in the football playoffs a few years ago, some of the baseball coaches on both sides got together and had lunch. Both teams have the ultimate respect for each other.”
Vacaville lost its final game this season against Heritage of Brentwood at home March 13. After the game, there was a sense of uncertainty with the entire baseball community about if the season would be able to continue. Not knowing what the future held, a Vacaville parent had the idea to take a team picture after the game.
It’s a memory the team won’t forget.
“That was such a great idea because a lot of schools didn’t get to take a team picture this year,” Clary said. “Something so simple like a picture day is what most teams didn’t have. We took it right after the game. It was right outside our dugout. There were 30 mph winds that day and we were all miserable but everyone smiled for the camera.”
Clary said the way the season ended is hard for everyone.
“Every year it’s tough to lose your senior class,” Clary said. “But for the season to end this way, it’s more a gut punch than usual. Everyone’s season ends unless you are fortunate enough to end in celebration like we have the last two years. Either someone eliminates you in the playoffs or you win it all, this year neither of those things happened. That’s what makes it so tough. This senior class was special.”
Colfax also missed shot at threepeat
Colfax also had high hopes to threepeat as Division V section champions.
The Falcons returned 12 players from a 2019 section championship team that won 20 games in a row and 25 of it’s last 27. They beat rival Bear River 14-3 in the section final.
This year’s team had the potential to be even better.
“It was devastating,” Colfax coach Chris Nave said of the season coming to an end. “I strongly feel this could’ve been the strongest team Colfax has ever had as far as the depth and ability these guys had. We played Foothill in our last game and at the time, we didn’t know if the season was going to be over.”
The cancellation of the prep season also impacted college recruiting. Players hoped to use the spring as a last chance effort to earn a scholarship. The lone committed player for Colfax is Michael Lavigne, who signed with Linfield College in Oregon.
“We have always told our guys it doesn’t matter if it’s D1, D2, D3, NAIA or junior college because the opportunity to play at the next level is what you want,” Nave said. “There were opportunities (for our players) that presented itself but didn’t happen because of the shortened season.”
John Louis Pantlick, a four-year varsity player, is one of those players who was still looking for a scholarship. As a junior last season, he led the state of California in RBIs with 52.
“He’s a silent leader,” Nave said. “The entire senior class has a work ethic that can’t be matched. We used to joke as a coaching staff we don’t have to show up to the first hour of practice because the kids take care of themselves. They all worked hard together.”
High school seniors face a tough road ahead because of another factor outside their control: The NCAA ruled last month players will be able to come back with the year of eligibility they lost from the shortened college baseball season.
“It’s tough because (college) coaches have their entire roster coming back,” Nave said. “The seniors who will be incoming freshmen next year will definitely be impacted by it.”
Oakmont misses repeat shot
Oakmont was also looking to defend a section title.
The Vikings in 2019 finished the season with a school-best 30-3 record and beat Del Campo 4-3 in the Division ll section championship for the school’s first title since 2000.
Closing that game in the final inning was T.J. Nichols, who shared The Sacramento Bee player of the year honors with his older brother Greg. T.J. Nichols signed with Arizona last fall while Greg enrolled at nearby Sacramento City College to continue his baseball career.
“I have been playing with Greg a long time and I knew (at the start of the season) it was probably going to be the last year we would play together,” Oakmont senior T.J. Nichols said. “(My brother) helped me so much, especially last year by being a good brother and teammate.”
T.J. Nichols stuck out the final batter against Del Campo to win the section championship. Immediately after the strike was called, Nichols threw his hat and glove in the air and celebrated with catcher Carson Blatnick.
It was a fitting end to the season for Nichols, who dominated some of Sacramento’s best while on the mound. He struck out 91 batters in 57 innings and posted a 0.24 ERA.
“That was probably the greatest feeling I have ever had accomplishment wise in my life,” Nichols said. “I’ve never experienced anything like that and all the hard work paid off. It was a moment full of joy and it’s one of the few moments I’ve cried because I was so happy.”
Oakmont finished this season with a record of 2-1-1 and had a big 14-1 win against Woodcreek. Multiple major league scouts were in attendance that day and watched Nichols strike out four batters in four innings.
What impressed most people in attendance was what he did with his bat. He hit a pair of home runs and finished with five RBIs.
Not a bad way to end a prep career.
“It was nice to take some eyes off my pitching and show (scouts) what I could do with my bat,” Nichols said. “I remember that game vividly now because that was the last game I ever played in (at Oakmont) because I was sick the following week with the flu so I missed our last game of the season that the team played together. Going back to the dugout and seeing all the guys smiling and laughing because hitting two home runs isn’t usual for a game was a great final memory to have.”
Jesuit started season hot
There weren’t many teams in the state who started as impressively as Jesuit. The Marauders beat Bellarmine Prep of San Jose 10-2, St. Mary’s of Stockton 12-2 and national top-ranked De La Salle 4-1 in the first three games of the season.
The win against the Spartans of Concord will serve as a lasting memory for Jesuit. Junior Tonko Susac pitched that day and stuck out nine in six innings to lead his team to victory.
“We were really fired up going into that game because they were one of the top teams in the county,” Susac said. “We felt really good after those first few games of the season. Our team was hitting and pitching well.”
“We left it all out there,” Susac added. “We played (against De La Salle) like it was our section championship game.”
Jesuit was looking to win its first section championship since 2009 and had the talent to do it. The senior class had five college commits in Chris Baytosh (Cal Poly), Benny May (William Jessup), Charlie Hurley (USC), Daniel Susac (Arizona) and Luke Williams (UCSB). Tonko is committed to Arizona and sophomore Bryce Hubbard is committed to Mississippi State.
“The difference this year is that we had such good team chemistry,” Susac said. “Because of the new facilities we had at Jesuit, we were able to train together during the offseason in one place. We had everything down as a unit. That just made our talent even better.”
Talented 2020 class
The Class of 2020 featured big-armed pitchers like T.J. Nichols from Oakmont and speedy five-tool fielders like Chase Davis from Franklin. While The Bee isn’t doing an All-Metro team this year, we can recognize where a few of the most talented seniors are going to continue their careers.
Tino Bethancourt, Oak Ridge, SS, San Diego State
Carson Blatnick, Oakmont, C, Washington
Rio Britton, Capital Christian, P, Oregon
Michael Brown, Vacaville, 1B, Washington
Clayton Coats, Lincoln, C, Sac State
Chase Davis, Franklin, OF, Arizona
Garrett Forrester, Bella Vista, INF, Oregon State
Nathan Hansen, Oak Ridge, P, San Diego State
Kevin Haynes, Granite Bay, P, Sac State
Charlie Hurley, Jesuit, P/OF, USC
CJ Hutton, Folsom, OF, UC Davis
Carson Kohls, El Camino, P, Penn State
Max Martinez, Christian Brothers, P/INF, Kansas
Brian McClellin, Vacaville, INF, Cal
TJ Nichols, Oakmont, P/INF, Arizona
Peyton Stumbo, Placer, SS, Nevada
Daniel Susac, Jesuit, C, Arizona
Cole Tremain, Vista del Lago, INF, Sac State
Landon Wallace, Roseville, C, Nevada
Luke Williams, Jesuit, INF/P, UCSB