Baseball: Falcons seek to dominate El Camino

With the loss of three alumni, the boys are hopeful that the three key sophomore additions will fill in these gaps.

Head Coach: Sean Hodson

2016-2017 record: 8-19-1

2016-2017 recap: Despite the team finishing with three wins in their last four games they were unable to qualify for CCS, ending the season with a .304 winning percentage.

Key Additions: Sophomores first baseman Mihir Bettadapur, catcher/infielder Justin Loconzolo and shortstop/second baseman Max Muilenburg

Key Matchups: Monta Vista, Cupertino, Santa Clara

Star Players: Seniors pitcher/catcher Nathan Peng, pitcher/outfielder Chris Auches, shortstop Robert Scott and junior pitcher/first baseman Matt Jacobs

Key losses (graduated athletes): first baseman Tony Ramirez, pitcher/third baseman Brian Tatman and outfielder Jonathan Yun

League: El Camino division

Prognosis:

Following a disappointing 2016-2017 season and relegation from the ultra competitive De Anza Division, the Falcons hope to take advantage of less competition. With the loss of three alumni, the boys are hopeful that the three key sophomore additions will fill in these gaps.

For this season, two returning players, Peng and Jacobs, are the likely candidates for the No. 1 pitcher position.

With a different group of players, coaches are placing emphasis on fundamentals.

“We’ve been continually stressing our defensive play as well as our offensive mentality in games,” Peng said. He feels that focusing on these areas will improve the quality of the team’s play as a whole.