Stutzman Stands Up for the Defense

The last line of defense.

That’s how senior Sean Stutzman has defined his athletic career at Aliso Niguel High, where he has excelled in soccer and baseball.

He has been starting goalkeeper on the Wolverines’ soccer team the last three seasons. The last two years, he has been selected to the All-Pacific Coast League’s second team.

Stutzman has been the starting catcher on the school’s baseball team the last two seasons. Last year, when he batted .328 with two home runs and 17 runs batted in, he was more prized for his defensive abilities. This season, he has increased his offensive production: .390, eight home runs and a county-high 45 RBIs.

Stutzman, 17, is one of several threats for Aliso Niguel (20-6), which hosts Katella (16-11) today in a Southern Section Division II first-round playoff game.

Leadoff hitter Skip Schumaker is batting .462 with 41 runs scored. Drew Parkin, who is the county’s winningest pitcher at 13-2, and outfielder Jay Sievers have nine home runs each. Four players have driven in at least 30 runs: Stutzman, Parkin (32), Nick Orlandos (31) and Jose Morales (30).

But Stutzman, who bats fourth, has been key to the Wolverines’ attack because of his steady run production.

“When he’s at the plate, if there are people on base you just know he’s going to drive them in,” Parkin said.

Stutzman, 6-3, 195, attributes his dramatic hitting improvement to spending long hours in the weight room and concentrating on trying to hit to all fields rather than always pulling the ball.

“I’d bet that half of my homers this year have been to right field,” Stutzman said. “Got to take advantage of the breeze that blows out to right at our park.”

It doesn’t hurt to be in the middle of a batting order that helped Aliso Niguel go 15-0 in league and win its first Pacific Coast League baseball title.

“I’m excited to hit this season because I’m getting so many opportunities because this team scores a lot of runs,” Stutzman said. “I’ve been lucky to get up in the right situations. It has been steady. I’ve had a couple of games without RBIs, but otherwise I’ve been pretty steady.”

If Stutzman edges Servite outfielder David Fischer, who has 42 RBIs, he would be the second catcher to win the county’s RBI title in as many seasons. (Servite’s Ryan Garko drove in 52 runs in 1997.) The county’s single-season RBI record is 56, set by Heritage Christian’s Paul Caffrey in 1996.

However, Stutzman says records are the last thing on his mind.

“I just hope we can make it far in the playoffs,” he said. “I will do anything to help the team win. If it means getting on base and the others hit me in, that’s fine.”

As delighted as Coach Mike Chapman has been with Stutzman’s hitting, he is more impressed by his work behind the plate.

“He’s doing a great job,” Chapman said. “He’s really matured in handling pitchers, has a great arm and is very good at blocking balls in the dirt.

“I think he’s played a huge part in Parkin’s year. Drew has the confidence that with two strikes he can throw anything down in the zone and Sean’s going to block it.”

Parkin, who said he and Stutzman have “been in sync” since the middle of last season, couldn’t agree more.

“I have great trust in him,” Parkin said. “He really knows the hitters in our league, so I let him call the game. I think he’s the best in the county at blocking balls in the dirt. He is a wall. He gives you the feeling that anything you throw, he’s going to catch it.”

Stutzman’s big season has also enabled him to rethink his college plans.

After the last soccer season, during which he had six shutouts, including 1-0 over then seventh-ranked San Clemente in which he had nine saves, Stutzman received scholarship offers from Cal State Dominguez and UC Davis. But he wanted to see how his baseball season would unfold before committing.

Now, Stutzman has decided to attend Arizona State and try to walk on with the baseball team. The college does not have a men’s varsity soccer team, but does have a club team.

“Their [baseball] coaches have expressed some interest,” Stutzman said.

Aliso Viejo soccer Coach Ken Ezratty thinks Stutzman could succeed at either sport at the college level because the positions he plays complement each other.

“Physically, you want a good-sized kid behind the plate and the same thing in goal,” Ezratty said. “You want them to have some quickness, good hand and eye coordination and be able to keep their body in front of the ball. Sean has and can do all those things.”

Stutzman said he and his Aliso Niguel teammates are confident they can win a section championship in a division loaded with such excellent teams as West Torrance, Canyon, Newhall Hart, Santa Maria Righetti and Dana Hills.

“We’re experienced [eight senior starters] and we’re close as a team,” Stutzman said. “If we keep swinging the bats, we can give anybody a good game.”