You see it all the time in professional sports. A successful franchise will hit the proverbial injury wall and suffer mightily because of it. Well, after reaching the CIF final two years in a row, the injury bug has officially bit the 2009 Wilson Bruins. Go ahead and ask the 2008 New England Patriots if injury adjusts expectation.
“We enjoy at Wilson a little bit of history and tradition, the last ten years especially,” says Bruin coach Andy Hall. “The expectations are really high. I tell these guys all the time it’s not just okay to win 20 games anymore, it’s more like 25… playing for that ML championship on the last weekend of the season… 2, 3, 4, 5 rounds in the playoffs. When you have a couple of key injuries like we have right now, and we have to do things a little differently than we’ve done in years past, things that were fundamentally easy for us the last couple years are a lot more trying and hard to accomplish. It’s just like baseball, you get humbled and you have to go back to the drawing board.”
The rotation has been hit hardest as the Bruins sent their number three starter to the hill for opening day, which according to coach Hall, “is not an encouraging thought or feeling.” Senior Tommy Nance and junior Cody Harris, returning pitchers originally thought to be the one and two starters, are sidelined for at least the moment, Nance with a back injury, and Harris with an elbow. Every other Moore League coach we talked to said the same thing: “Wilson will be scary if they get their guys back.” If not, time will tell…
THREE PLAYERS TO WATCH
Tommy Nance, P – Went 9-1 last season for the Bruins, and when healthy, could be the best pitcher in the Moore League. Rumor has it that Nance could be “ready” to pitch against Lakewood this week, but he hasn’t thrown a pitch on campus since the start of school, so the coaching staff is going to be very careful.
Cody Harris, SS/DH – An elbow injury will keep the junior off the mound, and maybe, off the field for most of the season. He started at shortstop last year and did a lot of damage at the six spot in the line up. He’s stayed in the lineup as the designated hitter, and hopes to return to short during league play.
Lester Salcedo, C – The Torrance High transfer started two years behind the plate for the Tartars before traveling west for his junior season. He will be featured in the middle of the lineup, and has already come out from behind the plate to show some poise on the mound. He got the save with a 1-2-3 inning for the Bruins first win of the season.
WILD CARD
Tanner Perkins, Sr. – Fresh off a great season on defense for the soccer team, Perkins is what Hall calls “our spark plug.” Perkins caught Aaron Hicks last season, and has a level of experience that brings a little bit of last year’s mentality to this year’s team.
QUOTEABLE QUOTES
“When you don’t have an Aaron Hicks, or Ray Hanson, or Ryan Dent, or a Zach Wilson, guys start to wonder who’s going to be that guy? Am I going to have to be that guy? … It was cool to have our constituency of scouts the last two years.” – Wilson coach Andy Hall