By BRIAN REED-BAIOTTO, Sports Editor There isn’t much debating which Pasadena area baseball program has the deepest roster. In fact, as good as Maranatha is, they’ll be even more dangerous going forward as the Minutemen have several transfers that become eligible this week. So far, Maranatha is 6-2 overall, but most importantly, they are 3-0 […]
By BRIAN REED-BAIOTTO, Sports Editor
There isn’t much debating which Pasadena area baseball program has the deepest roster.
In fact, as good as Maranatha is, they’ll be even more dangerous going forward as the Minutemen have several transfers that become eligible this week.
So far, Maranatha is 6-2 overall, but most importantly, they are 3-0 in Olympic League play.
And they already have a two-game lead over the league’s defending champions from Village Christian.
Regardless of the sport, the only real way for even the most elite of programs to continue its ascendance is to compete against those as good if not better than even themselves.
Maranatha is doing just that, as they flew out of the Los Angeles International Airport Sunday afternoon at 4:20 and headed 2,750 miles to Miami, Florida.
The Minutemen will compete in the IMG National Classic starting Tuesday when they battle Monsignor Pace at 1 p.m. (eastern time) and will have at least four games before heading back to Southern California on Saturday.
Maranatha has a solid offensive lineup, but they live off their pitching staff.
The Minutemen have a team ERA of just 1.26 and they’ve walked 17 batters compared to 65 strikeouts as a staff.
Dawson Netz could very well be considered the area’s best pitcher.
The junior is 3-0 thus far with a 0.28 ERA.
Netz has allowed one earned runs in 25 innings, he’s walked five and struck out an area-best 40 batters.
Oh, and in his last two starts, Netz has a no-hitter at Whittier Christian and 3-hit shutout over Village Christian. In those two games, Netz walked one and struck out 23.
Charles Acker, a 6-foot-3 junior, is back from injury and the hard-throwing lefty will play a huge role in how far the Minutemen go in the postseason.
Acker is 1-0 with a 2.62 ERA.
MHS has a team batting average of .328, but that’s only going to go up.
It’s no real surprise that Max Blessinger and Marco Martinez pace the offensive attack.
Blessinger has a team-best 15 hits and 12 runs scored. His .500 average second and the junior’s 7 RBI’s are third best for MHS.
Martinez has a team-high .556 average and 12 RBIs. The USC commit’s 10 hits are second best among the Minutemen, and his three home runs leads the entire area.
Casey Popham (.364, 8 hits, 8 RBIs), Brock Vradenburg (.320, 8 hits, 6 RBIs) and Dawson Netz (.292, 7 hits, 6 runs, 5 RBIs) have also been key to sparking the Maranatha offense.
Dante Campione, Ben Guess and Max Blessinger have 5 stoles bases each, and the Minutemen have been successful 22 times in 28 attempts through 8 games.
Blessinger set a single season record with 34 stolen bases last season as a sophomore.
Those joining the roster actively this week include outfielder Luke Watson, infielder Nick Iverson, as well as Ethan Firestone, Jade Low and St. Francis transfer Niko Khoury
“I want to stress how great this team is already and that these guys give us more depth and more options, but our guys who have been playing have done an incredible job and deserve all the credit right now,” Maranatha coach Matt Shupper said.
Aside from competing on the other end of the country and against national powers, the program is also planning for some fun off the field.
Maranatha has a trip to the beach, a tour of the MLB Trop Stadium where the Tampa Bay Rays play as well as visiting Busch Gardens on their itinerary.
Quotable:
Maranatha coach Matt Shupper: “We’re trying to win as many games as we can, and to have a great time. I want them to be exposed to the what the nation looks like. We want to be a nationally ranked program and this is our first step getting there. These guys have met and exceeded my expectations (so far). This is as much a fun trip as it is a business trip.”
Maranatha third baseman Marco Martinez: “I’m most looking forward to playing against high level talent players and teams. Off the field, I’m excited to spend a week with my boys doing what we love. I hope that we as a team learn how to play at a high level every single pitch and learn how to win tough ball games by all pulling the rope at the same time. We are right where we should be at (eight games into the season) and adding our transfers will only make us better.”
Olympic League Standings Through April 2:
Maranatha (6-2 overall, 3-0 in league)
Heritage Christian (7-4, 2-1)
Village Christian (8-3, 2-2)
Whittier Christian (5-10-1, 1-2)
Vallley Christian (6-6, 0-3)
Maranatha’s 2018 Schedule-Results Through April 2:
Feb 24: Maranatha 2, West Covina 1
Feb 28: Charter Oak 4, Maranatha 0
March 3: Maranatha 12, Duarte 0
March 7: Maranatha 11, Loyola 1
March 8: Chino Hills 7, Maranatha 5
March 16: Maranatha 8, Whittier Christian 0
March 27: Maranatha 14, Valley Christian 5
March 29: Maranatha 3, Village Christian 0
April 3: Maranatha vs Monsignor Pace at 1 at IMG National Classic
April 4: Maranatha at IMG National Classic TBA
April 5: Maranatha at IMG National Classic TBA
April 6: Maranatha at IMG National Classic TBA
