Pasco full of multi-sport athletes
By Kyle LoJacono
The Pasco baseball team has carved out a reputation of success since Ricky Giles took the helm 19 years ago, and the veteran skipper hopes his young squad can return to the postseason in 2011.
“We have some good young athletes,” Giles said. “Right now we have about eight or nine sophomores, so our future is bright. The keys to our season are the young guys getting better.”
The Pirates (5-3) went 16-6 last year, but were knocked out of the Class 4A-District 7 tournament in the semifinals. To make the regional tournament, a team has to reach the finals of districts.
Before last year, Pasco had reached nine straight regional tournaments, but has not made the state finals since 1997. To make a deep postseason run, Giles will need to rely on production from the few veteran Pirates.
“Trey (Dudley-Giles), Cole Stancil and Tyler Brock, they bring a lot of maturity,” Giles said. “They have played here quite a bit. So what we do have, about five guys, who have that maturity. Then we have Michael Wilson, who came in from Zephyrhills, and he’s very talented too. We do have some veteran guys to go with the young guys too. It’s a good mix.”
Stancil and Brock are both seniors, two of only four on the Pirates roster. Dudley-Giles and Wilson are both juniors.
One of the younger contributors this year is sophomore pitcher and corner outfielder Logan Johnson, who is in his first year on varsity. He says he has learned from older players.
“Trey tells me to slow the game down on the mound,” Johnson said. “Michael Wilson has helped me in the outfield a lot too.”
Johnson recently had a setback while pitching against Wesley Chapel March 4. In the first inning, Wildcats pitcher Brandon Mumaw hit a ball that deflected off Johnson’s pitching hand, breaking one of Johnson’s fingers. Giles said Johnson will be out for several weeks while the bone heals.
“It’s a big loss for us because he was getting comfortable as a pitcher and outfielder,” Giles said. “We still have a lot of good young athletes though and I think we’ll be able to stay above water while he gets back. We’ll need him in districts.”
Wilson hit .403 with 21 runs scored, 14 steals, 13 RBI and two home runs last year at Zephyrhills.
“I hit every day,” Wilson said. “That’s where everything starts. I make sure I’m always staying in the game.”
Through the Pirates first six games Wilson is batting .385. Stancil is at .397 on the year with seven runs scored, six RBI and a team-high five doubles. Sophomore third baseman Malik Johns has a team-high 12 hits and four steals while batting .444.
Senior second baseman and outfielder Adrian Serrato is leading the Pirates with a .625 batting average 10 hits, seven runs scored and three doubles. Dudley-Giles has scored eight runs scored, four RBI and has hit one home run.
Dudley-Giles has a team-high 17 strikeouts while on the pitching mound with a 1-0 record in three appearances. Stancil has a team-best 1.40 ERA.
Despite the Pirates winning record, Dudley-Giles thinks the team can be even more dangerous.
“It’s starting slow,” Dudley-Giles said. “We’re not hitting like we’re capable of, but we’re playing good defense. Hopefully the hitting comes in. When it does we’ll be a hard team to beat.”
