There was no shortage of hitting and pitching talent for the Cougars in their first series of the season
The 25th-ranked Cougars took care of business on the road this weekend, sweeping the San Francisco State Gators in a four-game series. Strong pitching and dominant hitting showed in every game for the Cougars.
“We had a great series. All the pitchers were throwing strikes and were doing great, while our hitters were sticking to the plan and just attacking. We handled the ball well defensively,” sophomore infielder and pitcher Nick Estrella said.
On Thursday, the Cougars defeated the Gators 7-3. Senior catcher Paul Gomez and Estrella were the biggest standouts in the season opener, as Gomez recorded two hits for two runs and Estrella drilled a two-run homer, earning one hit and one run, along with five RBI.
On Friday, APU played a doubleheader, winning the first contest by a score of 11-3 and the second game by a score of 4-0. In the first game, numerous errors by the Gators led to easy scores for APU, and huge offensive plays which included a three-run homer by senior Tim Lichty led the Cougars to a dominant win. In the second game, starting pitcher Dillon Miyashiro had a complete-game shutout, leading a strong defensive performance.
Head coach Paul Svagdis noted how great pitching, such as the performance by Miyashiro, has kept the team in games.
“All of our pitchers have done a really nice job in keeping us in games, they make every hitter try to earn their way on a base and all four starters did that, and the bullpen did that this weekend,” Svagdis said. “That’s our process and they’re really sticking to it.”
On Saturday, the Cougars looked to close out the series with another win. The game was close for the majority of the evening as both teams were tied 4-4 heading into the final inning of play. In the ninth, APU’s batters took advantage of inconsistent SFSU pitching, scoring seven runs to win 11-4.
“It’s always nice to finish and it’s not always easy to win four games against the same opponent, so it was a great game and our guys were having good at bats,” Svagdis said. “I thought the guys did a good job of keeping focused and keeping their heads up despite some adversity during the middle of the game. I’m proud of the way they handled themselves.”
Estrella, who had batted in the previous three games, started his first collegiate game on the mound today, throwing nine strikeouts over six innings and allowing two runs (one unearned). Just like Svagdis, he was proud of how the team performed.
“Today’s game was awesome,” Svagdis said. “They brought in some new guys and we were all just attacking the ball, everybody was just excited in the dugout having fun. We love these close games and we love to battle. When we get in these situations, we’re comfortable and loose, having fun and everybody’s coming through.”
Senior outfielder Pablo O’Connor had three hits, two runs, four RBI and his first home run of the season today. O’Connor said that Coach Svagdis had rallied the team before the ninth inning of today’s game.
“Coach talks about how this is a game of attrition and how we need to play all nine innings. Right before the inning started today, he told us that we better get used to winning games in the ninth inning, and that’s what we did,” O’Connor said. “We’re not trying to hit home runs. We want to get the next guy up, then the next guy up after that, so that’s what we did, we did it well and it worked out.”
Not only are the Cougars 4-0 on the season, but they also crushed the idea that the team’s hitting power wouldn’t live up to what it was last year. In 2017, the team was led by O’Connor, Adrian Tovalin and Michael Staudinger. O’Connor was second on the team with 19 home runs and 65 RBI while Tovalin was first with 21 home runs and 75 RBI.
Both Tovalin and Staudinger were selected in the 2017 MLB Draft, leaving O’Connor as the only APU returner out of the power trio. O’Connor, who was named PacWest Preseason Player of the Year before the start of the season was expected to be dangerous for the Cougars, while others in the lineup were more in question.
It appears that the new power lineup includes O’Connor, Gomez, Estrella, and Osvaldo Tovalin, a true freshman and younger brother of Adrian Tovalin. Gomez has six runs, three hits and an RBI, while Estrella currently leads the team with six RBI.
O’Connor’s and Osvaldo Tovalin’s stats are almost identical within these first four games. Both have 16 AB, five runs and four RBI – the only differential is that Tovalin has two more hits and O’Connor has a home run.
O’Connor, who was in a well-known hitting competition with Adrian Tovalin last year is aware that he has more competition this season.
“These Tovalin’s are killing me,” O’Connor said jokingly. “It’s never easy, but it’s good because we both push each other; all of us hitters push each other. We have a lot of influence and a lot of good players on our team. [Osvaldo] is killing it right now… I think Tov’ is going to be a great contribution to this year’s team”
Svagdis also acknowledged how important it is to have O’Connor back, while young players like Osvaldo Tovalin are already having a major impact on the team.
“Obviously, having Pablo back is huge for the team. He’s a great guy to be around but he also adds so much strength to the lineup,” Svagdis said. “And now, having little Tov’ replace his brother, he’s kind of cut out from the same mold – very competitive, a real knowledgeable baseball guy, very poised as a young kid and he had a very nice weekend. Hopefully they complement each other like big Tov’ and Pablo did last year.”
The Cougars will play their next game at Biola on Wednesday, Feb. 7 in La Mirada, Calif. The rivalry matchup will be a first for many of the younger players on APU’s team.
“Biola should be fun,” Estrella said. “I didn’t really know about the rivalry or anything from the NAIA days, but I’m starting to really feel that. We’ll see if they’re ready to play their best.”