Baseball: Division 1 is loaded with top pitchers
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When the first round of the Division 1 baseball playoffs begin on Friday, it’s going to be full of low-scoring games, with some extra innings involved.
That’s because everyone should be using their No. 1 pitchers, and there are plenty. The only question is who’s fresh enough to take the team on his back and get them to Dodger Stadium on June 3.
No one did a better job in recent years than Tyler Matzek of Mission Viejo Capistrano Valley who pitched 18 1/3 scoreless innings during the 2009 playoffs and became a first-round draft pick of the Colorado Rockies.
Just look who’s ready to go on Friday: Henry Owens of Huntington Beach Edison, Kagan Richardson of Tesoro, Hunter Virant of Camarillo, Keaton Siomkin of JSerra, Chase DeJong of Long Beach Wilson, Shane Watson of Lakewood, Tyler Brashears and Garrett Mundell of El Toro, Tyler Glasnow of Newhall Hart, Ty Moore of Santa Ana Mater Dei, Eric Pierce of Dana Hills, Jayson Balades of Oxnard, Tyler Russell of Vista Murrieta.
One of these pitchers is going to rise up and help his team get to Dodger Stadium. It won’t be easy, but all these pitchers are capable of making the huge impact needed to keep advancing. Of course, teams will need an unsung No. 2 pitcher to help. But watch and admire how the aces perform under pressure. This is their moment.
-- Eric Sondheimer