SANTA BARBARA – After nearly two years of waiting, the SBCC baseball team will be back playing its first regular season game on Thursday against Chaffey at 6:30 p.m. at Azusa Pacific University.
The Vaqueros were out to a 12-8 start to their 2020 campaign before the season's final 33 games were canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Jeff Walker returns for his 11th season as head coach at SBCC. In its last full season in 2019, Walker helped bring the team its fifth WSC North title in nine years, winning the last eight conference games and being named the WSC North Coach of the Year for the fourth time.
This year, he leads a unique group that will be older than any of his previous teams have been, but like many other teams due to the pandemic, hasn't had a lot of playing experience lately.
"We're excited. I think the overall strength is the depth of our team and our roster, because we have a lot of good players. Probably more depth than we've had in a while," Walker said. "Certainly we could run a couple different lineups out there, we've got 16 pitchers or so with a couple two-way guys, so that's certainly a strength. With all the uncertainty with COVID and guys going out, being able to run out different lineups and match up in that way should be an advantage."
Some players to watch out for will be infield transfers Gabe Baldavino (Ventura) and Mark Hernandez (Oxnard).
"Gabe Baldavino played at Ventura College as a freshman four years ago, and then the COVID year. He's a transfer, and he was the best player in the league four years ago, so he should be an impact guy for us. Same with Mark Hernandez, he was an All-Conference player at Oxnard before transferring to us last year as well."
Notable returners to the team from the shutdown year in 2020 are infielders Owen Crevelt and Nicholas Seyler, pitchers Jake McBride (RHP), Dylon Furseth (RHP) and Colby Downard (LHP) and catcher Andrew McKenna.
Mckenna, a left-handed hitting catcher, is a transfer from Holy Cross who is committed to the University of Nevada, Reno.
2019 All-Conference closer Jake McBride pitched for the Vaqueros in 2020 as well as their last full season the year prior, when he posted a team-best 0.63 ERA with 14 strikeouts in 14.1 innings pitched as the team won its most recent conference championship. While graduating from UCSB this year, he will also be finishing out his second full season with the Vaqueros.
"They're chomping at the bit," Walker said. "Some of them have been patiently waiting for a chance to get back out and tee it off a little bit, some of them have got a little bit of a chip on their shoulder and they'll get to experience a full season and play Vaquero baseball."
Walker also shared his excitement for his coaching staff, which includes former Vaquero players in Daniel Burrato and John Jensen who played together in 2017. Jensen was a two-time All-WSC North First Team selection out of the Vaquero infield, also being named the 2017 Player of the Division.
Lead assistant coach Tyler Caserta joined the team last year from UCSB. Max Greenfield is in his first season on the team's staff.
Santa Barbara's season-opening series against Chaffey will pit Walker against his own former player in Chaffey interim head coach Andy Smith, who competed for the Vaqueros back in 2013. The Vaqueros' season begins Thursday at 6:30 p.m. in an away game hosted at Azusa Pacific University. Game two will take place this Saturday, Jan. 29 at 1:00 p.m. at Pershing Park in Santa Barbara.
