OV Splits Double Header with Valencia: Pitching Solid, Position Players Rusty

There really should be an asterisk after the word “split” in the title. The second game of the doubleheader was held without umpires, and there were debatable calls after every batter, so the first game was really the only one that “mattered.” OV won that matchup 5-3.

Let’s start with the best unit: to no surprise, OV’s front end of rotation is an elite one- Freddy, Alex, Blake, and Colton are a special unit. Freddy got the ball to start, he pitched 2 innings, and had .5 Runs against- he also K’d 3 and allowed 1 hit in 31 pitches. Next came Alex Knowles- he pitched another 2 innings, and allowed 1 hit, and no runs. Blake Walker pitched third getting into trouble in the 6th inning after a 1-2-3 5th inning. Blake allowed 2 runs, and 3 hits, but also picked up a strikeout. Since OV rallied in the top of the 7th, Blake got the “W”. Colton finished the game out with a 1-2-3 bottom of the 7th.

We learned a lot in the first game from the bullpen- Freddy is still dominant, Alex has really stepped it up and was very impressive in his limited time, Blake showed flashes of brilliance, and Colton picked up right where he left off. We should be perfectly fine when it comes down to pitching this season.

The next best unit was the hitting- Some hitters had a fair share of rust (Colton, Freddy, Trey etc.), but others really flourised- Robert Fogarty,  and Luke Fell were nice surprises, and Fogarty’s ball-to-the-wall hit was the best of the day. Timmy Robinson and Blake Hitchcock seemed to pick up right where they left off.

The worst unit, was the defense. OV combined for 5 errors and a very poor 84% fielding average. Blake Walker, who takes over Aaron Delgado’s vacated shortstop spot, committed 3 errors and had a 40% fielding average. If OV goes away from fundamentals, that should be their only weakness late in the season. Just ask Beckman how important a good defense is in the postseason.

OV’s opening day ceremonies will be on Friday, so check out OV’s first home game of the season as we welcome back the defending CIF Champions.

2011 OV Baseball Preview Part 3: Position Players

 

Colton Johnson was a piece of one of the best middle infields around, how does the rest of the team stack up?

Another season, and five-part preview is in the wings as we look ahead to the 2011 OV baseball season, which will get underway on February 26th when the Seahawks take on Valencia High School. As we look to 2011, we started with Part 1, a general 2010 review and 2011 preview with a look at the schedule and key notes. And Part 2, which covered Pitchers. Part 4 will preview the Golden West League and Part 5 will be a look at the country and where OV fits in the regional/postseason scene.

OV’s batting lineup was easily one of the most intimidating in the county, its pretty easy to see that Ocean View was at points, carried by its offense and its timely effectiveness. But also, the Seahawk’s had one of the best defensive lineups in Division 3 Here was last year’s starting lineup (postseason version)

1. Colton Johnson, 2B
2. Blake Walker, P/SS
3. Aaron Delgado, SS/CF
4. Kevin Nance, 3B
5. Blake Hitchcock, RF
6. Timmy Robinson, C
7. Nick Schulenburg, 1B
8. Freddy Sepulveda (For Matt Larsen), DH/P; CF
9. Travis-Sparks Jackson, LF

Here’s what it looks like now, with no substitutions:

1. Colton Johnson, 2B
2. Blake Walker, P/SS
3. Blake Hitchcock, RF
4. Timmy Robinson, C
5. Freddy Sepulveda, P, (—-CF)
6. Travis-Sparks Jackson, LF

Let’s talk offense first, then adjust the lineup for the newcomers, and then adjust the defensive positions accordingly. Before we can introduce the newcomers, though, we have to fill the gaps in last year’s lineup.

It’s easy to just shift everyone up, but there’s a reason for that- Blake Hitchcock was the team’s best overall batter last year, batting a team leading .421 and bringing in 30 RBIs (highest aside from then team leading Kevin Nance who had 33) So assuming Colton and Blake will get a “500″ average combined to open the game, Blake is the best #3 hitter statistically. But Freddy Sepulveda is just as good to fit the 3 spot, batting .366 in his limited games, moving Hitchcock to the 4 spot. Either way, everything should be fine with Timmy Robinson in either the 4 or 5 spot. Timmy was batting around .500 going into the second half of the season when he hit a semi-slump, and finished with a .333 batting average, a team leading 6 HR’s and 28 RBIs.

Travis Sparks Jackson can either be a 5,6, or 9 hitter. He can fill all those roles effectively, since he is such a versatile athlete.

OV’s final returner is Senior multi-sport athlete, Trey Gourdine who has become a more complete hitter since last year. He’ll fit the final outfielder spot vacated by Matt Larsen.

But what about the rest of the lineup? Let’s meet our newcomers after the jump:

2011 OV Baseball Preview Part 2: Pitching

Another season, and five-part preview is in the wings as we look ahead to the 2011 OV baseball season, which will get underway on February 26th when the Seahawks take on Valencia High School. As we look to 2011, we started with Part 1, a general 2010 review and 2011 preview with a look at the schedule and key notes. Part 3, the position players. Part 4 will preview the Golden West League and Part 5 will be a look at the country and where OV fits in the regional/postseason scene.

For the first time in my time here at Ocean View, there are no doubts about how good OV’s bullpen is this year. OV should return to its typical Wednesday-Friday 2 man rotation this year as OV will have two of the best pitchers in the GWL on their team in Freddy Sepulveda and Blake Walker.

Blake was the Postseason ace, starting in every game of the playoffs, and boasted a season ERA of 4.18 in a team leading 77 inning pitched. Freddy held a 2.62 ERA in 21.1 Innings pitched, having only pitched the final few innings of each of the games he played in, and missing the entire first half of the season due to injury, with the team best of a .198 batters faced average. During league play, Colton Johnson filled the “Friday” starter role having 43.2 innings pitched, along with a 3.69 ERA, Johnson trailed Freddy slightly with the team’s second best BA at .233.

But aren’t we missing anyone from last season? The answer, shockingly, is no. The astronomical ERA’s from the beginning of the season were either held by Seniors, players that aren’t on the team any more, or players that most likely won’t be warming up in the bullpen this season.

But this year bodes what could be a more “traditional” year for the Seahawks. Truth is, and I apologize to both of them, Blake Walker and Colton Johnson aren’t true pitchers, and unlike last year, the defense is arguably better with Walker at his natural Shortstop position. That mentality alone should leave the rotation to a limited Walker and Johnson along with a “Friday” Freddy, but the truth is, OV could possibly use Alex Knowles as their Wednesday starter.

More after the jump