A new baseball season officially begins on Friday for the Reedley College Tigers with four games in five days.
Coach Steve Pearse's squad opens the season on Friday with a 2 pm contest in Oakland against the Laney College Eagles. The weekend series continues with a noon Saturday contest against the College of Marin. On Sunday at noon, Reedley faces Sierra College at Marin.
The Tigers (15-23 overall and 12-9 in conference good for a fourth-place tie last year) faced Sierra in a Monday scrimmage at the University of Pacific in Stockton.
Reedley's home opener is on Tuesday, Jan. 28 against the Modesto Junior College Pirates at 2 pm. It will be the first of 21 home games for the Tigers, who open Central Valley Conference action at home on Feb. 18 against Taft College.
Reedley already has two veterans on the injured list. Infielder Mitchell Silvas is out with a dislocated knee cap while pitcher Peyton McNair has a back injury. Silva's batted .283 with seven home runs last year while McNair had a 3.57 earned run average. "Silva's had a really good fall for us," said Pearse.
The list of veterans from last year's squad includes catcher Danny Gamez (.263, who will team with freshman Jordan Smith to handle the catching duties), outfielders Jake Renteria, Tresten Bumutay (.301) and Blake Costa (who was also converted to a pitcher), pitchers Alex Escobar (5-5, 3.47) and Harrison Moy and infielders Isaiah Haddad, JT Aranda and Alex Ortiz (.241), who has been converted to an outfielder.
Jesse Holguin and Justin Tiger will handle the middle infield.
Pitching was a problem last season but the coach likes this year's staff despite McNair's injury. "Escobar's back. He gave us some solid innings last year, threw about 80 innings and won five games for us last year. He's been through it. Costa, we just made him into a pitcher last year. He pitched really well so he will be a pitcher only this year. Matt Mathis, a freshman, a big kid from Clovis East, is playing first and pitching. He's done well on the mound for us."
Cameron Gallardo, from Redwood High, has pitched well. "He's probably got our best arm," said the coach. Josiah Heshmaty, out of Bullard High, has a really good breaking ball. Matt Bugarin, a Fowler High product, was just made into a pitcher. The coach said Bugarin could redshirt but could stay on the squad due to McNair's injury The outfield has been a revolving door. One Tiger, Schyler Sicoli, is back from two years ago after recovering from cancer.
By: Will Goldbeck