Young Guns

BARSTOW — With injuries to key players and their new coach Barstow High School coach Sean Sers could have panicked in his first year.

Missing Matt Mitchell, who graduated and is a prospect with the Kansas City Royals, plus several other prominent players didn’t appear to be a recipe for success.

Sers watched the Aztecs sputter at the beginning of the Sers didn’t panick, he just believed and stuck to the plan, and the team turned the season around finishing with a record of 14-7 securing the No.1 seed is the CIF-Southern Section Division IV playoffs.

Under Sers the Barstows’ new philosophy solidifies its ranks by playoffs. The junior varsity mimicked the varsity’s sucess finishing with a record of 16-5.

Next season will be no different, with the revolving door of high school sports will challenge Sers even further with key loses of catcher Michael Mooreman, first basemen Matt Hernandez, outfielder Andrew Meas, right fielder Adrian Harrison, and pitcher Freezy Smalls. So they are startingthe reloading process before the rebuilding process now.

They called three players up from the junior varsity squad as emergency players in the playoff game.

“We might lose a little here or there but we will gain a lot,” Negrette said.

Three players, catcher Ryan Wainer, third basemen Lucas Crank, and Thomas McCarty won’t start but were called up to get experience at the playoff level.

“This really gives them an opportunity to see what the game is like at the varsity level,” Sers said. “By doing this, they will get an idea of the pace the game flows so when they get called up the transition is smoother. ”
Crank is ready for the next level.

“ I think this is going to help the program for years to come,” Crank said. “Everything up here at the varsity level in my experience in playing and practicing is so much faster than what I experienced before. I have to adjust to the pitching and the faster paced thinking that each game situation has.”

McCarty said he was honored to be able to experience the varsity atmosphere.

“I am just glad to do my part and be part of the team,” he said. “I am learning so much from everyone up here and having fun at the same time with all these guys. They are jokesters and that has made the whole playoff experience fun. This amount of game experience will help me for next year, I know it.”

Barstow won’t ease all it’s top players into the next level. Aaron Sanchez, a sophomore has been a started on the varsity team all season, batting a .329 with 12 RBIs. Sanchez is looking to next year.

“Next year should be a breakout year for me,” Sanchez said. “I think I am starting to feel real comfortable, and I have a whole season under my belt. I love (Sers’) philosophy we get the job done and we have a lot of fun at the same time.”

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(760) 256-4122 or jason_blasco@link.freedom.com