Haymaking is complicated. Knowledge and instinct mingle with science when it comes to growing and harvesting this crop. Storing it is time-consuming and tiring and, even with new technology, requires old-fashioned manpower.
The Chaminade baseball team knows this, but in a metaphorical way.
“We have a phrase that we always say — ‘putting hay into the barn,’ ” Eagles pitching coach Dave Fair said. “Putting in that equity, building that equity throughout the year.”
Chaminade had to put more hay into the barn than usual this season when it came to developing a bullpen. Starting pitcher Jordan Rodarte underwent Tommy John surgery prior to this season, which left the Eagles to cobble together the arms they had to build a pitching staff.
The efforts have led to depth and versatility that helped Chaminade to a second-place finish in the Mission League and its first playoff win in 11 years. The Eagles will play Tuesday at Mission Viejo in the second round of the CIF Southern Section Division 3 playoffs.
Chaminade baseball got its first playoff win in 11 years in walk-off fashion. full story at dailynews.com/sports! #journalist #reporter #sports #highschoolsports #baseball #highschoolbaseball #walkoff #pitcher #mlb #sanfernandovalley
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“We knew the abilities of our younger guys. It was there,” Chaminade head coach Kyle Wilkerson said. “Dave Fair has done a really, really good job of getting the best out of these young guys and telling them no moment’s too big. You’ve earned these opportunities, you’ve got the stuff. Just trust it.”
Ten players have pitched at least seven innings throughout this season and only two of them are seniors: Vinny Van der Wel and Bryce Irvine. The Eagles own a 2.86 ERA across the 13 pitchers who have thrown in any capacity this season.
Some of them are natural pitchers, but multiple are converted position players or two-way players. Anthony Costa, Kaiden Sanchez and Eli Stephens are all converted. Stephens has come the farthest way as a fully-converted outfielder.
Rodarte, a senior, is still very much a part of the team, too, serving in an apprentice-like role and charting pitches for Fair.
Senior Vinny Van der Wel, a Cal Poly SLO commit, has a full load for the Eagles as a third baseman, leadoff hitter and on the mound as a closer.
“His versatility and his value to our program, you can’t even put a number on it,” Fair said. “He’s a natural-born pitcher who has really good stuff, but it’s his competitiveness. We trust him 100%. Win or lose, we want to go down with him.”
Chaminade’s Vinny Van der Wel is offered a high five from a teammate during the first round of the CIF Southern Section Division 3 baseball playoffs May 3, 2024.(Photo by Andy Holzman, Contributing Photographer)
Junior Adam Batmanian came into Chaminade’s CIF-SS first-round game against Chaparral to throw five scoreless innings and help secure a 3-2 win. Batmanian has thrown the most out of all of the Eagles’ pitchers and has a 1.88 ERA and 4-0 record in 52 innings.
“To get this playoff win, it’s exciting,” Batmanian said after the win Friday over Chaparral. “But we all knew it was gonna happen. Our coaches had enough faith in us. We had enough faith in ourselves that we were gonna win this thing. This is us.”
Batmanian is best friends with sophomore catcher Caydin Wilson. He says the two go together everywhere, even outside of baseball, which adds to the chemistry.
Wilson has invested time into all of the pitchers in his first full year as a varsity player.
“All these pitchers, I’m just in the pen, in the pen, in the pen,” Wilson said. “I’m staying after practice. Or they’re on the mound and I’m just catching, talking, working with them. That’s honestly the best way for experience — just keep working with them. Keep on going with them.”
A deep arsenal has been a byproduct of the bullpen’s depth and allows Wilkerson to create effective matchups between his own pitchers and opposing players. The coaching staff scouts opponents thoroughly, figuring out which pitches and looks are likely to work each against each hitter.
Chaminade’s pitchers also have an awareness of when they might enter a game or what situation might cause them to be called upon.
For example, Van der Wel knew that he would come into the Chaparral game had the Eagles not walked it off in the bottom of the seventh inning.
“They really support each other and work as a unit,” Fair said. “Kind of how like a batting order works. That’s how we use our pitching staff. We use it in bits and pieces. It’s not always predetermined who’s going to pitch that game.”
The dog-like mindset has become as consistent as the work put into the Eagles’ arms before and during the season. And there’s still plenty of hay left in the barn.
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