SHELLY DONAHUE/VIEWSierra Vista High School?s Matt Klein pitches to a Spring Valley High School player on April 12.
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On the strength of its pitching staff, the Sierra Vista High School baseball team is hoping to go where the 2005 team went -- all the way to a state championship.
The Lions are off to a great start in the 2007 season. The main reason is their strong pitching staff, which posts a team ERA of 2.74.
Head coach Nathan Selby said the team's consistency from the mound has been integral to its success.
"Our pitching really sets the tone for us," he said. "When we throw strikes and play at a pace that's suitable to us, it helps all of us."
The standouts on the staff are seniors Matt Klein and Justin Baca, as well as junior Thomas Godfrey.
Klein (seven wins) and Godfrey (six) are among the leaders across the valley. Baca, who has committed to playing his college ball at UNLV, also is having a great season, striking out 36 batters as of press time.
Klein said he feels good about how the season has gone so far.
"We're doing pretty good, better than I'd thought we would have," he said. "Our pitching is doing well, but our hitting is keeping us in games."
While pitching is considered to be the Lions' biggest strength, Selby said it also is their biggest weakness.
"For us to really contend for anything, they are going to have to be sharper then they've been," he said. "They've been good enough to keep us in games, but we would like them to be better."
Besides the pitching staff, other standouts on the team include senior first baseman Lance Ray, junior right fielder Ryan Krasn and senior catcher Chad Claus, who leads the team with 26 RBIs and a .486 batting average.
Defensively, the team has relied on the great gloves of senior shortstop Rich Michelin and senior second baseman Josh Krumme.
The Lions are looking forward to the tough competition they will see from other schools in the valley.
"There are plenty of good teams in this valley," Claus said. "It should be a good fight."
The Lions play in the very competitive Southwest Division with the likes of Durango, Spring Valley, and perhaps the top team in the Las Vegas area, Bishop Gorman.
Despite the tough road ahead, Kline said he feels optimistic about the rest of the season.
"We've got pitching and we've got some hitting," he said. "We'll do all right against them as long as we play our baseball."
No matter how far the team goes this season, Sierra Vista will always be compared to the 2005 team, which went 34-5 on the way to a state championship. Selby said the difference between the two squads is how they played the game.
"They were a lot more physical," he said. "If we are going to have a chance to contend here, we're going to have to ride a couple of arms and we'll have to play better small ball and better defense."
Despite the obvious goal of winning another state title, Selby wants to take this season one goal at a time.
"Our No. 1 goal every year is to win our league," he said. "We've been fortunate to win it the last three years, and that is where we set our first bar."
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