After sitting out last season following his transfer from St. Francis, Leigh senior Kanoa Pagan is already making the most of his final high school campaign.
Pagan has two complete game no-hitters under his belt already, and on Tuesday against Pioneer, did not allow a hit in his three innings of work. That extended his hitless inning streak to 10, following his no-no over Lincoln last week. And more importantly, his work on the hill has helped the Longhorns get off to a 3-0 start in Mt. Hamilton play, 6-2 overall.
“(Kanoa) has been an absolute sponge,” said Leigh coach Kraig Constantino. “He’s been working hard on the mental side of pitching. He already throws hard, and is an athletic kid.”
In fact, Pagan has held the opposition scoreless in four of his five outings this season. His lone loss this season came against a strong Los Gatos lineup, something Constantino looks at as a learning experience.
“He learned that good teams can hit a good fastball,” Constantino commented. “But he also has a pretty good breaking ball, and we are working on developing a change-up.”
As a result of his performance this season, and over the past off-season, Pagan is beginning to generate some interest from coaches at the next level.
“College coaches from a number of places are starting to call about him, and about Jake Pao,” Constantino added. “Those guys, along with Kyle Johnson, have provided us with some strong senior leadership. We started slow, but we are making strides, and picking up steam.”
It’s no wonder schools are calling about Pao. The veteran center fielder is hitting .478 to start the season, and can control the defense from his patrol location.
“(Jake’s) style of play is dirty, in a good way,” Constantino said. “He plays physical, goes and gets it. And his baseball IQ is excellent.”
Those senior leaders have allowed a team which features four prominent sophomores to get its legs on the ground early in the season. Mitchell Dowd, Robbie Hamchuk, Owen Dyer, and Giancarlo Lonardo have all earned starts this year for the Longhorns, and all are playing crucial roles. Dowd, in particular, has been a force at the plate, hitting .417 with a team-high seven RBI through the first seven games.
Despite the fast start in league play, and the high ceiling with a young core of players, Constantino remains tempered about the challenges that lie ahead on the Mt. Hamilton schedule. Willow Glen coach Sam Piraro was Constantino’s coach at San Jose State, and has the Rams off to a fast start.
Meanwhile, Leland once again looks like a team to beat after taking Leigh in the CCS Division 1 title game last year.
Irish keep fighting, pick up key extra-inning victory
Despite getting just three hits on Tuesday afternoon, Sacred Heart Cathedral picked up a key WCAL victory over Mitty, 1-0 in nine innings.
Marty Cole one-out single to left field drove in Erik Ochoa with the game’s only run, making a winner of Frank Marcon, who pitched two hitless innings in relief of Eric Casillas, who scattered six hits to keep Mitty off the board.
The extra-inning win for SHC spoiled a fantastic start by Mitty’s Haydn King, who allowed just one hit over the first seven innings, while registering eight strikeouts. The victory also kept the Fightin’ Irish a game behind Saint Francis and Serra in the WCAL standings (in the loss column), with a showdown looming at Serra this Friday.
Palma, San Benito set to meet for Gabilan lead
Palma and San Benito will square off in a home-and-home series this Thursday and Friday, with both teams currently unbeaten in the MBL-Gabilan Division.
While San Benito has reeled off nine straight wins following a season-opening loss to Valley Christian, Palma has been simply dominant. The Chieftains have not allowed more than three runs in a game, and have shut out their opponent on nine occasions.
Padre power
Carmel junior Christain Stapleton has been punishing CCS pitching so far this year, leading the section with five home runs. Monte Vista Christian senior Jackson Collins, Leland junior Albert Hsiao, and Sequoia junior Kasi Pohahau each have four to trail Stapleton.
Dual-sport standout Ryan in the groove
Oak Grove football and baseball standout Grady Ryan has been absolutely on fire at the plate, leading the CCS with his .731 batting average through the team’s first nine games.
The All-CCS linebacker has 19 hits and 11 RBI, while also drawing six walks.
