Baseball purist's dream team, Ohlone repeats in Coast Pacific

When Ohlone baseball coach Mike Curran looks around the diamond, he sees gems at every turn. There’s first-class pitching, sterling defense, pop in the lineup, speed on the base paths, and the kind of camaraderie good teams have.
The results speak for themselves: 31-6 overall, 15-0 in the Coast Pacific.
Ohlone clinched a second consecutive conference title with a 17-1 thumping of Skyline on April 20. Not a bad follow up after advancing to the state final four in 2017.
“The guys have kind of kept it rolling, so it’s been fun,” Curran said Monday.
What’s the secret sauce? Well, the rise starts in the fall.
“We really, really, really spend all fall kind of emphasizing the fundamentals,” Curran says. “We spend a ton of time on just the basics of the game … The guys have really bought in, they always buy in. It’s been kind of a good recipe for success these past few years.”
But this is no time for cruising, not with the regional playoffs beginning next week. Plus the Renegades, who have won nine in a row, can finish with a perfect conference record by sweeping a three-game series this week against formidable Monterey Peninsula (21-15, 11-4).
There’s a lot left to play for. And what players.
First baseman A.J. Curtis, who is headed to Cal State Fullerton, is the conference leader in both batting average at .420 and RBIs with 38.
RYAN'S HOPE: Ryan Probst, a Foothill High graduate and a transfer from Sonoma State, has been an impressive comeback story. He suffered stunning setback after his very first at-bat this season against Diablo Valley College.
“He walked on four pitches, the pitcher threw over and he popped his shoulder and he was done for 20 or 25 games,” Curran recalled. “... It’s just so big having him back. He’s got good speed and he’s just a clutch hitter. He had a walk-off against Cosumnes in the playoffs last year in the Regional and he had a walk-off against Sac City in the Sectional. He’s a clutch hitter. He’s a tough kid. He really makes us go.”
Curran has also enjoyed seeing DH Michael Gallagher tearing the cover off the ball.
“He’s had three home runs now in the past week and a half maybe,” Curran said. “... He had 15 doubles at James Logan High last year, and we really expected big things from him this year. It took him awhile to get going, he had some injuries. Now he’s starting to see the ball really well.”
Returning middle infielders Miguel Cazares, the shortstop, and Ryan Walstad, at second, have been a rock-solid tandem, with a great comfort level working together and solid hitting.
PITCHING RICH: Ethan Skuija (10-1, 0.85 ERA) has been a tremendous addition on the mound. He is tied for second in the state in pitching wins, one behind the leader, and is a close third in ERA. Rock-solid Brian Martinez (8-1) is tied for ninth in the state in wins and last week upped his career win total at Ohlone to 20. Peter Van Loon is fifth in the Pacific in wins with five.
Skuija has become a more complete pitcher after transferring from the University of British Columbia, where he faced some tough Division II competition.
“Obviously he’s matured a little bit,” Curran says of Skuija. “Since we got him we’ve just really focused on him learning to pitch. Throwers don’t work very well at any level. You can throw, or you can pitch … He’s good. He’s 89-91 (mph), he’s got a good slider, he’s not afraid to take the ball in big situations … He’s an awesome kid and he’s got a good arm, so we’ll keep riding that thing as long as we can.”
Not surprisingly, Skuija has been a magnet for pro scouts.
“He’s got plenty of MLB scouts on him,” Curran says. “He’s either gonna be a late draft guy … He’s got plenty of D-1s and everyone’s called about him, so he’s kind of got some options here at the end.”
Photos by Don Jedlovec