After an unprecedented run to the state championships a season ago, Glendale Community College's baseball team is doing its best for an encore. And the first act will begin Saturday at Stengel Field, when the fifth-seeded Vaqueros host No. 12 San Diego Mesa in the first round of the Southern California Regional.
Vaqueros Coach Chris Cicuto’s squad began its run to state last season with a similar seeding and hosted a first-round regional, as well. With a healthy mix of returners and newcomers coloring this year’s run to a second consecutive Western State Conference South Division title, it’s a safe bet that the returners’ postseason experience will pay dividends, while contending with the pressure of duplicating last year’s histrionics.
“I’m gonna guess there’s a couple of our sophomores that are feeling some stress to duplicate last year’s success, but if we can maintain the mentality that you can’t think about Super Regionals before you get through regionals, if we can just worry about those small little battles, we could be back there,” said Cicuto on Sunday after the pairings were released. “We’re gonna take it pitch by pitch. That’s the game plan.”
