Photograph by Douglas Rider

Los Gatos right-hander Matt Swanson, who was stuck with a tough loss in a 2-0 setback at the hands of Saratoga, figures to be the ace of the pitching staff this spring.

LG Cats chasing De Anza pennant

Shanker, Swanson lead Wildcats into 2001 season

By Dick Sparrer

Don Ardissone isn't predicting a division championship for his Los Gatos baseball team this spring.

But that doesn't mean the veteran coach doesn't expect his Wildcats to be in the pennant race in the rugged De Anza Division of the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League.

Ardissone took over as the Gatos baseball coach last year after coaching stints at Bellarmine and Cupertino. His Wildcats posted a 15-17 season record and went 9-9 in division play.

The league mark was good enough for a berth in the Central Coast Section playoffs, but Ardissone and his Cats are looking for more in 2001--like to battle Wilcox for the division flag.

"We're going into this thing with that idea," said Ardissone. "It's taken a while, but we've got a lot of pride out there. I'm really pleased with the attitude [of the players]."

The coach looks to Wilcox as the title favorite in the De Anza circuit, but ranks his Cats as contenders.

"Wilcox only lost one kid, [Eric] Dean, their shortstop," said Ardissone of the Chargers, who won the division championship last season. "But we look forward to playing 'em three times.

Los Gatos will get an early look at the Chargers. The Cats will visit Wilcox on March 7, 3:30 p.m., before hosting Cupertino on March 9, 3:30 p.m. The Wildcats will then take on Mitty on March 10, 6 p.m., at Washington Park in Santa Clara in the finals of the Wilcox Tournament.

Gatos lost its opener in the Wilcox tourney 7-0 to Live Oak, but came back to beat Mitty 8-2, Live Oak 7-0 and Santa Clara 2-0 to move into the finals against Mitty.

But last week the Cats dropped a 10-0 nonleague decision to St. Francis and were blanked 2-0 by Saratoga in the De Anza Division opener for each club.

The loss to the Falcons was a heartbreaker for the Cats, but Ardissone was pleased with the reaction of his players after the game.

"I've always said there was nothing good about a loss," said the coach. "But there was a lot of concern after Friday's game." And the concern was encouraging, he said.

"We're going to be OK," he added.

Top Returners

With a solid group of returning and a strong cast of sophomores and juniors moving up from last year's championship frosh-soph squad, the Wildcats could be better than OK this spring.

Seven players are back from last year's club, including all-league returners Ben Shanker and Matt Swanson.

Shanker, a top hitter for the Cats, returns after winning a place on the all-league first team in the De Anza Division last spring. Shanker will start in right field for Los Gatos and could also see action on the mound.

Swanson, a second-team all-league pick last season, returns to the mound as the Gatos ace this year. The 6-foot-7, 215-pound right-hander gave up basketball this year to concentrate his efforts on baseball and is expected to rank among the best in the division.

Seniors Joey Warren, Markus Willard and Brandon Burke and juniors Steve Sweeney and Chris Eagen are other varsity returners for the Wildcats.

Warren will start at shortstop for the Wildcats with Sweeney at third base and Eagen at second. Willard is the starting center fielder for Gatos, and Burke joins Swanson on the starting mound staff.

Sophomores Travis Howell and Alex Rollin join the varsity after winning all-league first-team honors on the Gatos frosh-soph squad last year. They both also saw a little varsity action late in the 2000 season. Howell is the Gatos catcher and Rollin will double as a pitcher and infielder.

Rollin, Swanson and Burke make up the starting rotation for the Wildcats. Rollin will start at first base when he's not pitching, and could also play third when Sweeney takes a turn on the hill.

Dan Holtzman, a junior first baseman, is another frosh-soph all-leaguer moving up the varsity squad this season. The 5-foot-11, 220-pound slugger was the league batting champion in the De Anza Division as a frosh-sopher, and will be the club's designated hitter.

Juniors Alex Anderson and Chris Willard both move up to the varsity after winning all-league spots for the championship frosh-soph team. The two will share time in left field, and Anderson is also a utility infielder for the Cats.

Juniors Matt Cooke (pitcher, infield), Jayson Furia (infield, outfield), James Gentry (outfield), Anthony Frangadakis (pitcher, outfield) and Tyler Wilson (pitcher, outfield) are other top prospects up from the frosh-soph.

Cooke is the top man out of the bullpen right now for the Cats, and Sweeney and Frangadakis have also pitched well in relief. Wilson is expected to see playing time in left field.

Warren and Holtzman have started the season swinging the hottest bats for the Cats, both with averages over .500 through six games. Sweeney is hitting in the upper .300s, said Ardissone.

"Up to the St. Francis game, we'd gotten really good hitting," said Ardissone. "We're a really good hitting ballclub."

Wildcats are 3-3

But the Wildcats could manage just five hits (two by Warren) in the 10-0 loss to the Lancers and only two more in the 2-0 loss to the Falcons last week.

"Matt Swanson pitched really well against Saratoga," said Ardissone of the big right-hander, who tossed a five-hitter in the 2-0 loss. He gave up three infield hits, and only two balls reached the outfield, according to the coach. One run scored on an infield hit and the other on a fielder's choice.

The Wildcats lost their opener 7-0 to Live Oak despite a solid pitching performance by Rollin. The Acorns had just four hits, but Gatos committed three errors in the game.

Los Gatos came back with a convincing 8-2 win over Mitty later the same day. Swanson was the winning pitcher as the Cats allowed just four hits.

Warren doubled and had three singles to lead a 15-hit attack for the Wildcats. Warren drove in three runs in the win.

Shanker doubled twice and singled, and Holtzman and Sweeney ripped two hits apiece.

The Cats got a little revenge against Live Oak for the 7-0 loss when they answered back with a 7-0 win over their own against the Acorns. Burke was the winning pitcher as Gatos put together a two-hit shutout. Sweeney had two hits and Holtzman knocked in a couple of runs in the win.

Gatos made it three in a row with a second straight shutout, beating Santa Clara 2-0 behind the pitching of Rollin. Warren and Holtzman cracked two hits apiece in the win and the Cats allowed the Bruins just three hits.

Field preparation

Work on the Los Gatos baseball facility continues even as the Wildcats begin the 2001 season.

The Friends of Wildcat Baseball have been working with the Gatos coaching staff "to tackle needed facility improvements," according to Philip Shanker, "and many of the most pressing are near completion as the season opens."

Current projects either under construction or planned for the near future are:

• A fully weatherproofed, lighted batting cage;

• Practice pitcher's mounds;

• Ongoing field and fence maintenance and repairs;

• A permanent scorekeeper's booth;

• Installation of a sound system.

  The booster group is also hoping to raise funds for a new scoreboard.

  For more information on The Friends of Wildcat Baseball or to donate funds for the projects, call Shanker 408.358.3559, Ron Denevi 408.356.2136 or Joe Sweeney 408.356.3000.

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