It’s a dream situation, and St. Anthony skipper Rodger Penticoff has got it in just his fourth year on the job. The Saints have made the playoffs every year since Penticoff arrived and this season is the culmination of a lot of hard work by a lot of seniors.
Nick White, Oliver Schmidt, Greg Daniels, Jeff Curran, Andrew Popkin, Robert Yates and Greg Ahle make up the baseball Class of ’10 that’s seen unprecedented success. Add to that five more juniors who are spending their second year at the varsity level, and you’ll see why Penticoff is excited to have one last go with this group.
So far the veteran Saints are 5-0 and have outscored their opponents, 54-10. Leading the way on the mound is Curran who returns as the Santa Fe League MVP. Posting some impressive numbers with his power pitching, Curran struck out 16 in a game against Brethren Christian late last season. Last week he struck out seven batters in three innings. In just 16 innings pitched the senior has a 0.44 ERA with 39 strikeouts while giving up just five hits and one earned run.
The second pitcher in the rotation is Yates who is also coming off a great year on the mound. After Curran’s power one day, Saints opponents will see a craftier Yates who features a knuckle ball. He’s also hitting .391 and has 10 RBI.
White is the offensive catalyst and leads the Saints in runs batted in and stolen bases. The senior can spray the ball all over the park and will be featured as the leadoff hitter as St. Anthony heads into league play.
The young talent is led by junior catcher/shortstop Ricky Ramirez and junior outfielder Eric Joseph. Ramirez is hitting .460 and has played at the varsity level since he was a sophomore. Joseph is also entering his second year on varsity and is hitting .370 but shines in the outfield with one of the strongest arms on the team.
The season success will mostly rest on results of the Salesian games. The Saints and Mustangs have traded league titles since Penticoff arrived, and will start the battle for the ’10 crown tomorrow in Los Angeles.