Boys of spring — Cloverdale High School baseball coach Ben West (middle) rallied his troops between innings in the varsity baseball opener at St. Vincent’s on Feb. 26. The Eagles are off to a 1-1 start. </span
Cloverdale gains split in opening week of season
Fair skies and warm weather ushered in the start of the spring high school baseball campaign, as the Eagles embark on what should be an exciting season.
Under head coach Ben West, Cloverdale compiled an overall record of 11-12 last year, including a 7-7 mark in league to land a spot in the North Coast Section playoffs.
West is back to lead a group long on talent and experience, a mix of veterans and varsity newcomers that have their sights set on a winning campaign.
“Baseball is off to a great start,” West said. “At practice the athletes are very focused, hustle and do everything with the intent of improving, and it’s showing. We have seen a lot of great improvement in just three weeks from our guys.”
The list of varsity returnees features senior pitcher/outfielder Dylan Scaramella, junior catcher/infielder/pitcher Collin Patterson, junior first baseman Josh Lemley, junior catcher/infielder Logan Axell, senior infielder/pitcher Tyler Ruys and sophomore infielder/centerfielder/pitcher David Alvarez.
“Dylan and Collin have taken on leadership roles this year and it’s been beneficial to everyone involved,” West noted. “Lemley, Axell, Ruys and Alvarez are also strong returnees.”
Key first-year varsity players include sophomore infielder/outfielder/pitcher Gabe Wlodarczyk and senior outfielder Shayne Turner.
“Gabe is a valuable asset to the team; he’s been working hard at practice and is another athlete that can play both infield and outfield,” West said. “Shayne decided to give baseball another try; he’s a great athlete and has a lot of upsides.”
Rounding out the roster are seniors: infielder/outfielder Matt Vellutini, outfielders Diego Duarte, Leo Acevedo and Josh Munson, juniors; infielder/outfielder Andy Herrera and infielder Spencer Hoover and Jonathon Meza.
Eagles gain split
Cloverdale is already off to a good start, logging an even split in their first two preseason outings.
The Eagles opened the schedule with a Feb. 27 visit to St. Vincent’s in Petaluma, falling to the Mustangs, 9-6. Axell and Scaramella paced the attack with three hits apiece, while Wlodarczyk chipped in two hits for the Eagles.
Cloverdale notched its first win of the campaign on Feb. 29 in a home clash with San Lorenzo, exploding for six runs in the decisive fourth inning en route to a 10-0 rout in five (no stats reported).
The Eagles (1-1) will be back in action on Friday, March 6 in a 3:30 p.m. start against visiting Credo, followed by a Tuesday, March 10 trip to Colusa (4 p.m.).
