Cloverdale figures to battle for NCL-1 title in 2016
The varsity baseball Eagles may be among the teams to beat this spring, as the team takes aim at a coveted NCL-1 title and a return trip to the North Coast Section playoffs.
Led by returning head coach Keith Warner, the Eagles will field a strong squad in 2016, including a talented core of six senior veterans, three juniors and four underclassmen looking to make their mark in their first taste of varsity competition.
The Eagles (2-2) have already logged four games on the pre-league circuit, combining wins over Elsie Allen (10-5) and Healdsburg (2-0) with losses to College Prep (8-2) and Sonoma Valley (12-0).
Cloverdale returns some of the top horsehiders in the league, a group that starts with All-League senior pitcher Chris Harms. The hard-throwing ace helped lead the Eagles to a 16-10 overall record last year, including a trip to the NCS Division-4 quarterfinals. Harms hasn’t skipped a beat this spring, already logging a pair of wins, including a sensational, 2-0 one-hit shutout victory over Healdsburg last week.
Other top seniors for the Eagles are outfielder Jeff Persons, infielder/outfielder Angel Vega, third baseman/outfielder Jared Hibbeln, infielder/outfielder Michael McDermott, and outfielder Cole Stroh.
Juniors include catcher/infielder/pitcher Pat Ojeda, first baseman/DH Mason Kostoff and first baseman Nick Menzell. Sophomores are second baseman-pitcher Kamrin Mitchell, shortstop-pitcher-outfielder James Wirt and third baseman Isaac Quesada. Talented freshman shortstop-outfielder-pitcher Drew Edens will be a player to watch as the season progresses.
The Eagles resumed preseason action with a pair of games last week, scoring a 2-0 win at Healdsburg but dropping a 12-0 decision to Sonoma Valley.
Harms was in mid-season form in the March 23 visit to Recreation Park, throttling a solid Healdsburg line-up with a potent assortment of pitches, combining a good fastball with an effective curve and change-up.
Harms (7 IP, 0 runs, 10 Ks) locked horns with Greyhounds ace Evan McPherson (7 IP, 4 hits, 2 runs, 10 Ks) in a classic pitcher’s duel, getting RBI knocks from Hibbeln in the fourth and seventh innings en route to a 2-0 win.
Edens (2 for 3) led the attack, while Hibbeln (1 for 3, RBI) and Wirt (1 for 3, RBI) accounted for all of Cloverdale’s hits.
Scheduling notes
The Eagles will open the NCL-1 campaign on Wednesday, March 30 at Middletown (4 p.m.), and will compete in the Fort Bragg Tournament this weekend (April 1-2). Cloverdale returns home to host Fort Bragg next Tuesday, April 5 in a 4 p.m. start at City Field.
