L-R: Brian Love, Amaris Harrison, Emiliano Martinez, Coach Adonis Harrison, Aryonis Harrison and Valente Vera. Photo credit: Sydney Cattouse By BRIAN REED-BAIOTTO, Sports Editor It might sound a little bit harsh, but the word “irrelevant” could be used to describe the Muir baseball program of the recent past. The Mustangs over the last six years […]
L-R: Brian Love, Amaris Harrison, Emiliano Martinez, Coach Adonis Harrison, Aryonis Harrison and Valente Vera. Photo credit: Sydney Cattouse
By BRIAN REED-BAIOTTO, Sports Editor
It might sound a little bit harsh, but the word “irrelevant” could be used to describe the Muir baseball program of the recent past.
The Mustangs over the last six years (2012-2017) were a combined 8-76 in Pacific League games.
They finished in fifth place once and dating back to 2010, Muir had six consecutive last place finishes.
Over that stretch (2010-2017), the Mustangs were outscored by a margin of 1,823-469 and in 2010, MHS scored 12 total runs the entire season.
But all that has changed, and it’s because there is a new Sheriff in town, and his name is Adonis Harrison.
With two games to be played in the 2018 regular season, Harrison has the program in sole possession of third place in the Pacific League and the two teams ahead of them (Arcadia and Crescenta Valley) are a combined 24-0 in league.
They need just one win in their last two games over rival Pasadena to claim a first CIF-SS postseason appearance since the second term of the Reagan Administration.
It’s been over 31 years since the Mustangs last sniffed the baseball grass or took batting practice after their annual two-game series to end each season with rival Pasadena.
This season has been so different, that even in losses to Pacific League powers, coaches in the opposite dugout have consistently commented on what an incredible transformation the program has made, let alone in being just Harrison’s first year at the helm.
The Mustangs aren’t scoring a lot of runs, so they’ve had to rely on defense and consistent pitching from Brian Love, Valente Vera and Emiliano Martinez.
Muir’s team ERA has dropped this year from 3.61 to 2.86 and the staff has allowed just 51 earned runs as compared to 85 a season ago.
And even though the team batting average is a sub-par .232, good players and good coaches find other ways to win
They’ve used their speed, aggressiveness and a small-ball mantra to success the program hasn’t seen in decades.
Another huge key in Muir’s instant turnaround is the discipline and dedication to becoming fundamentally sound.
They’ve improved their errors total from 63 last year to just 38 in 2018.
Harrison, 41, wanted to see this program become competitive and decided to do something about it for a couple of reasons.
The first being his allegiance to his alma mater and second, his sons Amaris and Aryonis are two of the stars of that Mustangs’ roster.
But this team counts on so many guys, including its ace, Brian Love, and fellow pitchers Valente Vera and Emiliano Martinez.
Brian Love
Brian Love came off the football field as coach Atyone Sims’ quarterback and a fourth-place finish in the Pacific League.
He walked on to the baseball field and became Muir’s ace after not having played in years, which tells you a lot about his athletic prowess.
He has one of the lowest ERA’s in the entire area and is on the mound against the other team’s best pitcher.
Love is 5-1 with a 1.29 ERA and he’s struck out 29 batters in 49 innings, but it’s his ability to keep the Mustangs’ in games against superior talent that has impressed most about the junior.
“Brian Love is our most surprising player this year,” coach Adonis Harrison said. “He hasn’t played baseball in three years and he’s been nails all season. He throws a lot of strikes and fills the strike zone up consistently. He gives our defense a chance to make plays and is a great kid and leader.”
Love describes his role as “bringing energy into the dugout and onto the field and throwing strikes,” and he said “the team is successful because of our great coaches and players.”
Emiliano Martinez
Emiliano Martinez is someone Harrison calls ‘my guy’ because he’s asked to do so many things to make the program better and he accepts each role with a smile on his face and a fire in his heart.
Martinez has become much more effective on the mound one year after having an 8.81 ERA in 2016.
This season, Martinez is 3-1 on the mound with a 1.28 ERA and has racked up three saves.
He’s affectionately called “chubbs” and has 21 strikeouts in the closer’s role.
Martinez is also hitting .231 with 12 hits, 7 runs score and 5 RBIs.
And while that might not sound like much, his efforts on the mound and the fact that he’s hitting 53 points higher than last season have made a significant difference.
“Chubbs just does his job and does it well,” Harrison said. “He doesn’t complain and just wants to do his part in whatever way he can help us win games. He’s been very efficient as our closer and helped get us to this point with his contributions.”
Martinez described his role this way: “I use what my coaches give me and that’s a love for the game. I also use my bat and arm to help my team win, and not just for myself. This program has been flipped in the past two years because of Coach Adonis and now that he has help from Coach Max Valencia, we have the engine running and we’re not going to turn back. The Muir teams before I got here were bad because they didn’t have the proper coaching staff and the support from the community like we do now. We put countless hours working hard on the field because Adonis and Max know this game like the back of their hands, and we are all lucky to get taught the game by them.”
Valente Vera
Valente Vera had been the ace over the past three years or so and has contributed mightily at the plate as well.
In the role of pitcher, Vera, the only senior in this five-player feature, has won 8 games on the mound over the past season-plus for the Mustangs.
He’s struck out 84 batters over that stretch as well, and he serves as the No. 2 pitcher for Muir.
Vera (3-4, 3.11 ERA in 2018) will be on the mound today when they host Pasadena in the first of two games this week with the Bulldogs.
At the plate, Vera has 35 hits, 20 runs and 22 RBIs over the past two years.
Said Vera: “My role on this team is being one of two starting pitchers in our rotation. Our reason for success this year is from the motivation each of us have that incorporate in being the team we have now. What’s different from now than the past 30 years is the talent that has came through the program is unlike any other year. There had been a major change in our coaching staff that have influenced us for the better in not only being a baseball player, but as well as a student.”
Harrison loves his senior.
“Valente is a very smart kid and player. I kept his innings down this year, because he’s been the ace the last four years and I wanted him to be effective later in the season. He doesn’t say too much, he just goes out there after the hitters by attacking the strike zone. He also does his damage at the plate with his bat. I love this kid,” Harrison said.
Amaris Harrison
Amaris Harrison is the youngest of the group and is only a sophomore.
But the 15-year old stud has led the Mustangs offensively all season.
Amaris is hitting a team-best .340 with 14 hits and 11 stolen bases.
He’s the Muir shortstop and he and his brother Aryonis are without question the area’s speediest brother combination on the base paths.
How does Amaris see his job on this up-and-coming ball club?
“They count on me to be scrappy and have good at-bats, as well as playing good defense and keeping the energy high,” he said. “We’re different this year, because we’ve built a relationship with each other. We’ve all known each other for five years and our chemistry now is amazing. We know we can win and compete to our fullest potential.”
Amaris, despite being just a sophomore, has 28 career stolen bases and he’s nearing 30 runs and 20 RBIs over the past season plus.
Amaris has been among the area’s offensive leaders all year, but his consistent play at shortstop has made him incredibly valuable for his dad’s program.
“Amaris is our defensive leader at shortstop and his play has been big for us all year,” Adonis said of his son. “He’s led us in hitting all year, but it’s also his energy that has been really big for us and over the entire season.”
Aryonis Harrison
Aryonis Harrison led Muir last season with his .361 average, 30 hits, 28 runs, 4 doubles, 4 triples and 28 stolen bases.
He also has been a monster on offense, defense and special teams for football coach Antyone Sims’ program.
He is the only member we can think of that is on both the Pasadena Sports Now Baseball and Football All-Star team.
Harrison got off to a slow start numbers wise, but it’s been more of the junior hitting balls right at people, rather than the 16-year old struggling with the bat.
He, as great players do, is playing his best as the season heat ramps up.
Aryonis has raised his average nearly 60 points and is approaching the .300 mark.
He’s also running down anything in the air in center field and has 15 hits, 14 runs, 4 doubles, 4 triples and a team-high 19 stolen bases.
Harrison said his dad treats his brother Amaris and himself as one of the boys and looks after each of his players like they were his own.
“We do something different every day at practice and we focus on the things we’ve been struggling at,” Aryonis Harrison said. “Our dad and his staff, as well as all my teammates have come together as one and we accept everything together and never point the finger at someone else. It has made the success mean even more, because we’ve earned this together by working hard collectively and taking accountability for our roles in this program.”
His father is Aryonis’ biggest fan.
“We feel that anything that is hit in the air his way is an out because of his speed. He is a passionate player and our best defensive player. He wears his heart on his sleeve and plays balls out.”
Quotable:
Muir coach Adonis Harrison: “The biggest changes that needed to be made baseball wise was our fundamentals. All we worked on this off-season was our baseball knowledge and understanding. We also got stronger and wiser at the game of baseball! That’s the difference in our program. Muir used to be athletes that could be good at baseball and now we have baseball players that are athletes. I could say I’m shocked at our success, and I don’t want to sound cocky or over-confident, but I’ve seen it coming since I signed up to coach. I’m very surprised by this success this year, but I thank God for everything. I can truly say this was God’s plan. He sent me an awesome coach in Max Valencia, and without him, we wouldn’t be half the team we are now. And I’m serious about that. He brings a lot of experience and grit to our team. The sky is the limit for our program. We have a lot of good baseball players coming in the future, so I expect to be a force in the San Gabriel Valley for the next couple of years.”
Muir Baseball Record Through The Years:
2018: 11-7-1 (overall), 7-5 (in league) & third place with two games to play.
2017: 12-14, 5-9: tied for fifth
2016: 5-20, 2-12: last place
2015: 0-22, 0-14: last place
2014: 1-21, 0-14 :last place
2013: 1-18, 0-14: last place
2012: 6-19, 1-13: last place
2011: 3-19, 2-13: last place
2010: 0-17, 0-14:last place
