The 2018 edition of Ventura College Pirate Baseball opens with a single game at Chaffey College on Friday January 26 followed by the home opener at Pirate Park on Saturday January 27 against Los Angeles Valley College. First pitch at Chaffey is at 2:00 pm and Saturday's home opener begins at 12:00 pm. First year head coach Jimmy Walker and his staff are bringing in a new era of Pirate Baseball.
Here's how the Pirates shape up at every position:
Catchers
Returning starter Shane Gipson (Nazareth Academy / Chicago, IL) will anchor the catchers. Last season he hit .225 with one home run and 15 runs batted in. He will backed up Brett Steinberger (Buena HS) and Conor Mormon (Arbor View HS / Las Vegas, NV).
First Base
Redshirt freshmen JT Heade (Saugus HS) and redshirt sophomore Jacob Valdez (Buena HS) will see the majority of time at the bag. JT is a left handed hitter and Valdez swings from the right side.
Second Base
UCLA transfer and Oklahoma State commit, Dayton Provost (Hart HS) will start at second base. The left hand hitter led the California Collegiate League last summer in hitting and was also named First Team All-CCL. He will be backed up by freshmen AJ Medrano (Valley Vista HS / Surprise, AZ) and Tyler Schoen (Valley Vista HS / Surprise, AZ).
Third Base
Redshirt sophomore Fabian De La Barcena (Marshall HS / Los Angeles) and freshman Sam Langler (St. John Paul College / Coffs Harbour, Australia) will see time at third. Both are right handed hitters with gap to gap power. Barcena can also play shortstop if needed. Freshman Noah Proffitt (Corona-Centennial HS) may also see team at the corner or in the designated hitter spot.
Shortstop
2017 All-Western State Conference North Division shortstop Rudy Aguilar (Saugus HS) will be a mainstay at shortstop. The St. John's University commit finished 2017 with a .282 batting average, 20 RBI, six doubles and 44 hits, which placed him sixth in the state. He was recently named Preseason All-American So Cal by the California Community College Baseball Coaches Association.
Outfield
The outfield brings a group that may be one of the fastest in VC history. All-WSC North second-team outfielder Chris McKee (Newbury Park HS) returns in left field. He finished the year with a .283 batting average with 13 RBI, and led the state with 23 stolen bases. He will be teamed up with local speedsters Steele Ledford (Thousand Oaks HS), TJ Foreman (Moorpark HS), Tommy Mastsuyama (Ventura HS), and Ethan Balolong-Reyes (Buena HS), as well as returners Eric Thrower (Richview Collegiate Institute / Tornoto, Canada), Darnell Prince (Burroughs HS / Ridgecrest) and newcomer Christian Amador (Dublin HS) in centerfield and right field.
Pitchers
Coming off a year that had two pitchers drafted and five others earning scholarships, the Pirates will have a mix of youth and veterans. Expected to start is returning All-WSC North Honorable Mention reliever, Jackson Hickert (RHP, Newbury Park HS). The Rogers State (Okla.) commit is hoping to build on his freshmen success. Following him will be sophomore Brent Dickey (RHP, St. Bonaventure HS) and freshmen Jared Gray (RHP, Camarillo HS), Blake Campbell (RHP, Thousand Oaks HS), Jeff Thoben (RHP, Camarillo HS), Jackson Hokuf (RHP, Katella HS / Corona), and Jake Rosley (LHP, Montini Catholic HS / Glen Ellyn, IL). Anchoring the back end of the rotation will be freshmen Sal Delgado (RHP, Carpinteria HS) and Noah Proffitt (Centennial-Corona HS). In the middle of the game, redshirt freshmen Ryker Kennepohl (LHP, Buena HS), Miles Minier (LHP, Channel Islands HS), Jesse Campos (RHP, Rio Mesa HS), Taylor Goffena (RHP, Prescott, AZ), and Joseph Cormier (LHP, Columbine HS / Littleton, CO) will see some time. Rounding out the staff are sophomore Austin Nicholson (LHP, Stephen's Episcopal School / Austin, TX) and true freshmen Ekolu Watanabe (LHP, Baldwin HS / Wailuki, HI), Damien Lung (RHP, Mililani, HI), Tommy Jamieson (RHP, Bakersfield Christian HS), and Chris Kauffman (RHP, Semiahmoo Secondary / Langley, BC, Canada).