Banner baseball season ends in first round CCS loss

 

The Falcon baseball team’s season came to a heartbreaking end after losing to St. Ignatius 11-3 in the opening round of CCS on May 16. The Falcons finished the season with a 22-9 record.

The Falcons were known as a resilient team all year long, and that never changed. Even down by 11 runs,  the Falcons continued to show heart by scoring three runs, but the St. Ignatius Wildcats were too hard to manage.

Led by potential first round draft pick Matt Krook, the Wildcats held the Falcons to only five hits. Krook’s fastball consistently sat in the 91-92 mph range and was by far the hardest throwing pitcher the Falcons saw all year.

In the first inning, the Falcons were ready to score, but senior captain Stevie Berman was thrown out at the plate on a close play. 

During the third inning, the Wildcats loaded the bases with no outs. Senior pitcher Kyle Dozier almost escaped the jam before Jack Stinn of St. Ignatius hit a grand slam. A few innings later, Krook blasted a long three-run home run. The Falcons clawed back with three runs, bringing the game to 7-3, but it wasn’t enough. The Wildcats scored four more runs, the game ending 11-3.

“That loss hurt a lot. After the game, it felt surreal, almost like a dream. It feels weird to know that that was my last high school baseball game,” Berman said.

Although the season ended in a loss, the season overall was a success. The Falcons won their first De Anza League Championship for the first time since the De Anza and El Camino Leagues split up.

The Falcons also had seven all-league performers, with Berman winning MVP of the league. Berman hit .478 on the year and had 10 home runs. He led the team in every single offensive category except for triples and was a strong defensive presence behind the plate the whole year.

“I’m proud of what I was individually able to do but wish that we could have won a CCS title,” Berman said.

The Falcons will lose five starters in infielders Stephen Ruff, Jared Spang, Trevor Hanks, outfielder Kyle Dozier, pitcher Oliver Parr and Berman. Next year, even with the loss of key seniors, the team hopes to be a force in the De Anza League, led by two four-year varsity starters in juniors first team all league outfielder Davis Berryhill and infielder Thomas Alexander. These two will be joined by juniors outfielder Tyler Plesse and catcher Derek Sun, both three-year varsity players.

“I think the younger guys will step up really well. I have no doubt in my mind that the program will compete whoever is there,” Berman said.