Feathers in His Cap : Oxnard Freshman Pitcher Towers Helps Rejuvenated Condors Take Wing

Sometimes, Josh Towers feels like pinching himself.

“I expected to do good but nothing like this,” Towers said. “I’m a little bit surprised.”

Anybody in his cleats would be.

A freshman right-hander at Oxnard College, Towers is enjoying a remarkable season as the Condors chase the Western State Conference North Division title.

He is 7-1 with a 2.32 earned-run average and his numbers are even better in conference play: 5-0, 1.05 ERA and two crucial victories.

Oxnard, under first-year Coach Pat Woods, is 20-6 after a pair of nonconference victories over Porterville this week and 11-2 in the WSC North, a half-game behind leader Cuesta (12-2).

The Condors, who won only 11 conference games last season, are perhaps the most improved team in the WSC and Towers is one of the catalysts.

“Right now, his confidence is huge,” Woods said.

It showed in three recent key games.

Last Saturday, in a 9-1 victory over South Division leader Canyons, Towers walked two batters in the first inning and one more in the second before finding the mark and pitching seven scoreless innings.

After pitching a complete game in a 7-4 victory at Pierce, Towers threw a five-hitter and struck out eight to beat Cuesta, 2-1. The Cougars were the first conference team to score an earned run against him and he allowed one fly-ball out in the game.

“He mixes up his pitches better than any other pitcher I’ve seen this year,” said Gabby Halcovich, Canyons’ sophomore second baseman. “He sets you up like he’s going to pitch you away and then comes inside. He’s as good as anyone I’ve faced in the league.”

Towers, 6 feet 1 and 160 pounds, is not a menacing figure on the mound. He doesn’t throw exceptionally hard but his control and ability to set up hitters is outstanding. In 62 innings, he has walked only 16 batters and fanned 51.

“The thing about Towers is that he can throw breaking pitches for strikes,” Woods said. “He can throw them for strikes when he’s behind on the count.”

Everything began to take shape for Towers during winter ball and continues to improve with every outing.

He came out of Hueneme High with respectable but not awesome numbers, partly because the Vikings struggled last season, finishing 12-14. Towers, who also played shortstop, was 5-7 with a 2.44 ERA and batted .368. He was selected to the All-Channel League team as an infielder.

After graduating, Towers shopped around for a junior college and decided he belonged at Oxnard, just down the street from his high school.

“I had never been on a great team and I wanted to come here because this team had a lot of sophomores,” Towers said. “I knew this team was going to be pretty good.”

But soon after committing to the Condors, Towers was left wondering if he had made the right choice when Coach Chris Stevens bolted for Cal State Northridge to become an assistant to first-year Coach Mike Batesole.

“Chris was the one who recruited me so I was a little upset that he was leaving,” Towers said. “But then I got to know Pat, so it was all right.”

Towers, who says he has “big-time pro ambitions” and would seriously consider any offer after the season, had hoped to pitch and play infield with the Condors. He worked out at third base during the winter but Oxnard had plenty of capable infielders, so Woods restricted Towers to pitching.

“I was kind of doubtful if I could have a starting [pitching] job but toward the end of the winter league I thought I had earned one of the starting spots,” Towers said.

He got it and hasn’t been close to losing it.

“I didn’t have any expectations,” Towers said. “I thought it would be hard for me to adjust [to college baseball], that it would take me longer. I sure didn’t expect to start 7-1 or anything like that.”