2005 Baseball Preview: The Dawn of a New Day
January 28, 2005

The 2004 season for the Cal State Dominguez Hills baseball team was atypical in every way imaginable. Not only did the Toros suffer through the worst season in school history, head coach George Wing relinquished the team’s reigns to assistant coach Murphy Su’a only a dozen games into the season after cancer made its presence felt to the Toro skipper.

Although Su’a and the staff did their best to guide the team, the vision of integrating wily veterans with exuberant newcomers was met with injury, frustration and struggles on the mound, and the season that “could have been” never materialized, leaving the program with a 15-46, 9-31 CCAA finish.

Crediting the character and determination instilled by coach Wing and implemented by Su’a, however, the team continued to compete despite mounting losses. Senior Zac Cort and junior Jose Montes racked up second-team All-CCAA and honorable mention All-CCAA honors, respectively, giving CSUDH some positives to take from 2004. In addition, members of that squad who have returned this season learned invaluable lessons about commitment, perseverance and, most importantly, heart.

“They learned a lot about ‘overcoming’” coach Wing beams of his returning players. “There was not one guy who quit as a result of the season itself, and they all finished it. A lot of the guys who are back are much more stable and mature baseball players and they were able to rally, both around what they were going through and what they saw me go through.

“That was the real exciting portion of last year, and I’m excited to see how it’s going to roll over into this year and what these guys will be like.”

The 2005 Toros
This season returns only 11 players from the 2004 campaign, including just three of the top 10 hitters from a year ago. Wing hopes, however, that taking the offense’s place will be an improved and matured pitching staff, giving the coaching staff the optimism heading into 2005 that was lacking last year.

“Pitching is going to be the main focus, and I feel much, much better about our pitching staff,” Wing begins. “We’ve got depth and some very quality arms, so it will be competitive from top to bottom. We feel very good about the pitching end of it.

“I also think we are going to be better defensively, and I think we are going to have to be a different type of offensive group,” he continues. “We will have to be a kind of action-type offense, where we can’t rely on the new field and the wind blowing out. It’ll happen since we’ve got a few guys that can hit the ball out, but by and large, the majority of our offense will more situational, moving guys around and playing small ball.

“It’s taking some time to see what we have because recruiting was kind of fragmented, but it’s been a very productive fall,” Wing concludes. “I don’t think we are going to be as offensive as we were a year ago, but I can be surprised. And that’s a surprise that I can live with.”

On the Hill
Pitching again will take center stage in a tough CCAA Conference. Last season saw only two pitchers win three games as the Toros struggled to find a successful rotation, with the opposition hitting .361 while the Toros finished with a 9.31 team ERA. Junior Ryan Owen will lead the returning pitchers in Cardinal Red & Gold. Last season, Owen became the workhorse for an inexperienced Toro staff, logging team-best totals in starts (18, t-1st in CCAA), innings pitched (102.1, 3rd), strikeouts (70, 7th), and ERAs among starting pitchers (6.68).

“When Ryan is on, he has command of probably one of the better fastballs around,” Wing says of his designated ace. “His fastball is an upper 80, lower 90 mph fastball, with movement, from a left handed pitcher. He has a split-finger fastball as well that’s outstanding for putting hitters away; it just drops right off the table. He’s going set the tone.”

Sophomore James Dodson returns for his sophomore campaign after tying for most appearances in the league (28), and notching three wins and two saves in 35.1 innings of work. Dodson fanned 22 batters during that stretch, allowing just 17 earned runs. The Long Beach native will be expected to shoulder a larger load this season as one of only four hurlers who return to the CSUDH pitching staff.

“James definitely had to do some ‘over-coming’ last season,” Wing says of his top reliever from last season. “He’s not an overpowering guy, but he’s very effective with his best pitch, the changeup.”

Gus Hernandez and Fred Medina are two returning players who persevered through last season’s struggles. Starting 15 of 21 games in which he appeared last season, Wing has been pleased by Hernandez’s efforts thus far, crediting a maturation that came primarily from weathering the team’s pitching woes last year. Medina, who saw significant time on the hill as well as in the outfield, will focus on the mound as a crafty left-hander who made 11 appearances in 2004, including two starts.

“Gus had a very good summer, continues to do his job every day and keeps getting guys out,” Wing begins, noting that Medina “will do work in between the outfield and as pitcher, but will see most of his action on the hill.”

Senior Jose Montes, who last saw consistent action on the hill as a freshman, will compete for the closer position this season, a role coach Wing says Montes is “chompin’ at the bit to get the chance.” The fifth-year senior began his Toro career as a freshman starter, finishing the 2001 season a 4-2 record, and a 5.40 ERA. Wing values both Montes’ ability and experience, and realizes he could have a major say in who gets the ball in the latter innings.

Of the newcomers, coach Wing is most excited about Jason Garcia and Chris Borchers, two LA Harbor College transfers equipped with outstanding arms. A 6’3” intimidator, Garcia was “one of LA Harbor’s top guys” while Borchers, the No. 2 pitcher at LAHC last season, gives the staff reason for optimism knowing “what he’s capable of doing.”

Dustin Gober and Art Romero are two other transfers who are expected to see lots of time on the hill. Gober was a late entry from Compton College who carried the team a year ago, while Romero, a transfer from San Diego Mesa College, also is expected to log significant innings, either as a starter or a reliever.

A 6’5” freshman from South Torrance HS, Matt Hopps has a lively arm, which coach Wing expects to mature and strengthen as the season progresses. Wing surmises he may have “as good of an arm as Ryan Owen,” who could eventually have the same kind of impact.

In the bullpen, Elmer Rivas and Pedro Gutierrez, Jr. look to compete for innings, with each bringing his own credentials to the table. Rivas was a top relief pitcher for LA City College the past two seasons and possesses a competitive nature that will suit the Toro bullpen well over the long season. Gutierrez, also vying for the starting shortstop position, had great success as a closer at LAHC, giving coach Wing a number of competent arms from which to choose.

Michael Brown and Gary Scott are two freshmen whom coach Wing feels will provide both stability and flexibility to the Toros pitching staff once they get college games under their belt.

“Both are very talented,” Wing begins, “and both will definitely help us, especially down the road. Once they get a taste of it, it will be very exciting to see how they handle it.”

The Toro Offense
Wing realizes some of the power will be missing from this year’s squad, having lost players who accounted for 68% of the Toros’ home runs in 2004. “It’s not the lineup we’ve thrown up there the last couple of years, but to get the trade out with a more dominant pitching staff will be a good thing,” Wing surmises.

Seniors Montes and Ian Corso lead a formidable 1-2 punch for a Toro offense that went “yard” 40 times last season. Montes, the only Toro to play in all 61 games, paced CSUDH with 39 RBI while wielding a solid .329 batting average. The San Fernando native finished 14th in hits in the conference, 16th in total bases and tied for 20th in RBI. In addition, he scored 42 runs and blasted seven home runs, the latter good for second-highest total on the team. The left fielder / pitcher also was perfect defensively, handling all 94 chances in the field. Montes will be key in more ways than just at the plate, as his leadership duties and pitching arm will be called upon often to lead 11 Toro newcomers, seven of whom are freshmen.

“We are hoping that Jose Montes, who will pitch, play outfield and might even see time at first base, has another big year offensively,” Wing says of his only senior with three years playing experience at CSUDH. “As long as he’s going good, he will hit in the ‘3’ hole for us, because he has the makeup that teams are just going to hate looking into the on-deck circle knowing he’s coming up. He’s going to be that type of player for us.”

Corso had the fourth-highest batting average on last year’s squad (.357), starting 33 of 47 games played. The Thousand Oaks native also tagged five home runs while knocking 10 doubles and driving in 28 RBI to the tune of a .550 slugging percentage, and will be the other returning power hitter Wing expects to produce the long ball.

“We are hoping that Ian will put up even bigger numbers than what he did a year ago because I know he had a good year last year,” Wing says. “We are really counting on him and Montes to supply the power.”

Senior Chris Martinez, who batted second most of last season, has been pegged as this year’s leadoff hitter, as both his switch-hitting ability and fleet of foot speed suit the position perfectly. Senior Ricky Eda, who utilized a redshirt year in 2004 after suffering a freak accident, beefed up over the summer and looks forward to finishing his Toro career in style.

“Chris can switch hit, runs very well and is just a catalyst type player,” Wing begins, while “Ricky is a great kid, a very good baseball player and a very good hitter with good power. We have high expectations for both of them.”

Of the newcomers, Hopps and Isidro Perez are two players coach Wing hopes will have a big impact on the team’s production. An incoming freshman, Hopps is unproven at the collegiate level, but possesses the physical tools to make his presence felt. Perez, on the other hand, played two years at L.A. Harbor College, generates lots of excitement from the coaching staff, and with Hopps, looks to make a big splash in their first seasons in Cardinal Red & Gold.

“Hopps handled himself very well against our pitching and has a lot of power,” Wing begins of his newcomers, “while Izzy has one of the best swings I’ve seen and will probably bat second. I’m really excited about them.”

The Toro Defense
Defensively, CSUDH will look to improve upon its .956 fielding percentage. With the graduation of both right fielder Cort and center fielder Jason Flores, seniors Montes and Corso, along with junior Houston Hernandez, will be counted upon to lead the defense, both by word and by example.

“The players voted for their captains this year, and it was pretty much a unanimous vote for Corso and Montes as their captains,” Wing says, “with Houston not far behind. There is a lot of respect for Houston among his teammates.”

Montes headlines an outfield that draws praise from the coaching staff. A fixture in left field for most of the 2004 campaign, he again will be looked upon to provide leadership to a team laden with newcomers. Coach Wing envisions senior Eda occupying the right field position, with newcomer Perez roaming center field. Junior Medina and newcomer Chris Lusic are two others who have both experience and talent in the outfield, and will vie for substantial minutes.

“Medina played a lot of outfield for us last year, although we think of him a lot more as a pitcher,” Wing begins, while “JC transfer Lusic is probably the best defensive outfielder we have, and we’re really excited about him. He has an outstanding glove and can play in all places, and might take left field if we use Montes as a closer.”

Martinez, who will move from shortstop to third base this season, will anchor the infield at the “hot” corner. A stellar athlete, Wing envisions his second-year starter to excel at third base as he did at the “6” spot last season.

Though still in contention, the heir apparent to Martinez at shortstop seems to be slick-fielding Gutierrez, while Hernandez solidified the second base position with his solid play last season and looks to continue to lead in his junior year.

“Chris is just a real stable player who has a great glove and plenty of arm strength,” Wing says of Martinez, while “Pedro is the front-runner for shortstop right now. He’s a flashy player, not your prototype Cal Ripken type shortstop, but he catches it.” Wing concludes, “At second base, Houston has improved and his leadership is great; he will be like the general on the field and we’re excited about that. He’s a real competitor and it’s going to be exciting to see him in action, and quarterbacking in a sense.”

Senior David Leos, who started 23 of 47 games played, will be another key component for coach Wing’s squad and is expected to see time at both 2B and shortstop. In 2004, Leos recorded three doubles, a triple and a home run in his first campaign in a Toros uniform.

“David is a very productive situational hitter and as a senior, we’re looking for him to bring some stability to the infield as well as to the offensive side of the game.”

There’s a three-way competition for catcher, a position that’s “up in the air,” according to Wing. Senior Claudio Gutierrez looks to take control once he recovers from last season’s injury, while in the interim, freshman Martin Conde, the front-runner, and sophomore Chris Flores, probably the most able of the three, will battle for the starting spot.

On the Wings of a Comeback
Head coach George Wing makes his own comeback of sorts this season, eight months removed from successfully bidding farewell to a cancerous tumor. Wing realizes getting back on the proverbial coaching horse would be a step-by-step approach, but has already moved from his initial crawling to a steady and healthy walk.

“One of the main things was just getting back into the routine,” he explains after his June 23 surgery, which included having a part of his quadriceps muscle removed with the tumor. “But just being back on the field and around the kids, and being with a coaching staff that loves the game, loves the kids and just loves baseball, I love being back around it. All of the above has helped me continue to push myself and, as a result, I am just thankful each day that I am able to get up and walk. That’s been very, very good.”

Wing also can’t say enough about assistant coach Murphy Su’a, who took over for skip when the diagnosis first surfaced.

“It’s hard not being emotional when talking about what coach Su’a did last year, and the difficulty of doing such a thing,” Wing begins. “No one on the team quit or gave up, and that had a lot to do with coach Su’a’s influence. He was optimistic, encouraging the players to continue to work hard and keep trying to get better. And not only did he have to finish last year’s season, he had to responsibility of trying to hold the staff together, and he did most of the recruiting. It was a tribute to him.”

While noting the positive impact Su’a had on the Toro program as a whole, Wing reflects on perhaps the greater impact Su’a brought to Wing himself, on Su’a’s daily contacts with the head coach.

“Murphy and I would talk, and he would remain positive because he knew I needed something to keep me going on top of everything else,” he continues. “In the midst of everything, it was a difficult thing to do, but he did it.

“Can you say enough about what he did? No, you can’t.”

Play Ball

“I’m excited,” Wing begins as he talks of both the start of baseball season and his personal return to Toro Field in uniform. “I’m a little nervous about me. It’s going to be interesting how I’m going to react to winning and losing, and how hard it’s going to weigh on me. Am I going to blow it off like I am just happy to be here or am I going to jump right back into that competitive side of me that’s going to take it seriously and not sleep at night and do the typical things you do as a head coach?

“But the guys, they will be okay. There’s going to be some luck involved. If we stay healthy and we can pitch like I hope we can pitch, it’s going to keep us in games and we could be good enough to look to postseason play.

“Are we that good? I can’t tell you right now, but the guys are going about it the right way. They’re working hard and, thanks to Montes especially for helping integrate the new and returning players, there is good chemistry on the team.

“We’re excited and they’re excited.”