PREP BASEBALL: New year, hope for Bengals

Bonanza able to beat rival teams it lost to last season

Durango may be ranked in the top 25 high school baseball teams in the country, but fellow Southwest Division school Bonanza has also looked strong this season.

The Bengals, who placed third in their division last year and went 18-14 overall, beat defending state champion Green Valley and a highly regarded Basic squad early this season on their way to a 5-1 start.

"They're playing hard and they're not getting intimidated by teams like Green Valley and Basic," fourth-year coach Rick Barry said. "They've handled themselves very well, and it's really becoming a team atmosphere.

"All the guys feel they're contributing early and we're showing depth we're not sure we had. They're confident."

When Barry took over the team three years ago, Bonanza didn't even make the playoffs. Two years ago, the Bengals advanced to the Sunset Region tournament and last year they narrowly missed a trip to the state tourney.

"Last year, we had to beat (Sunset Region champion) Bishop Gorman twice to go to state and we didn't. Our goal is to make it this year," Barry said. "It's early, but as the games go on, I think we'll get stronger as a team, overcome our weaknesses and beat the teams we need to beat. We're beating teams we lost to last year."

Bonanza returns several starters from last season's squad, including seniors Andrew Smith and Kameron Francom, both of whom were named first team all-Sunset Region and second team all-Southern Nevada last year.

Smith, a shortstop who hit .426 last season, has accepted a scholarship to the University of San Francisco.

"He's the best hitter on the team right now and we expect a lot of production out of him. We basically built the lineup around him," Barry said. "He's just an all-around great player and he's a leader by example. Defensively, he's solid. I think he's one of the better shortstops in the area. He looks like a man among boys right now, the way he's playing."

Smith, who started the season 5-for-7 at the plate, went 2-2 in a come-from-behind win over Green Valley.

Francom, a pitcher/outfielder who posted a 2.90 ERA last year, beat both Basic and Green Valley on his way to a 3-0 start this season.

"Him and Andrew go hand in hand. He's the level-headed guy on the team in any situation. He had guys on second and third against Basic with no outs and he got three outs. He knows what he needs to do to take control of things," Barry said. "He's smart and he keeps hitters off balance. His (mid to high 80 mph) fastball explodes past hitters and he has a real nice curve that goes with it.

"I expect a lot from him, being the leader of our pitching staff, and he's doing exactly what we expected."

Other returning senior starters include Billy Osgood, Mark Severino, Dustin Molisee, C.J. Garcia and Brandon Wilmott, all of whom have been key contributors this year.

Osgood, a center fielder/catcher, cracked a game-winning, bases-loaded single against Chaparral.

"Wherever I put him, he's outstanding," Barry said. "He's a leader by example. He gives 110 percent every time and he really gets the team fired up the way he plays the game."

Severino, Bonanza's starting catcher, hit a two-run homer to help spark the Bengals past Memorial (Okl.). Severino also showed his toughness when he suffered a dislocated shoulder in the team's lone loss, to Foothill, then popped it back in, finished the game and smacked a homer in the next game.

"He's a hard-nosed hitter and his hitting and defense have improved," Barry said. "I look for a lot of good things out of him and he handles the pitching staff very well."

Molisee, a third baseman/pitcher, fired a four-hit shutout against Valley, striking out eight. Molisee is expected to be the team's No. 2 starter, behind Francom.

"He didn't throw a whole lot last year, but he had a good winter and proved himself," Barry said.

Garcia, a left fielder and Bonanza's cleanup hitter, knocked in eight runs in his first three games while Wilmott, a first baseman, hit a leadoff homer to spark the Bengals' comeback against the Gators.

Seniors Keith Beall and Micah Teepe are also expected to see some action on the mound for Bonanza, which also features senior utility player John Giesler and junior second baseman Bobby McMurray, who went 3-3 with four RBIs in the win over Chaparral.

The Bengals also have five promising sophomores on the squad -- utility player Kyle Cooper, center fielder Jaiven Estrada, first baseman Chris Forsythe, outfielder David Huffman and third baseman Alex Garcia.

Jon Berger, a freshman pitcher, started the season 2-0, with a complete-game win over Coronado.

"We want to continue to build our confidence and improve as we go into league play," Barry said.


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