Little did anyone know that March 7, 2020 would signal the last time the Pasadena City College baseball team played a regular season game. The lingering COVID-19 pandemic cancelled the '20 season after just 21 games played and the entire 2021 season. On Thursday, PCC finally returns to the field when it plays at Citrus College in a 2 p.m. first pitch.
PCC head coach Pat McGee, beginning his seventh season on the field and eighth in charge of the program, is as anxious as the players to return to action.
"I think everyone, players and coaches included, are chomping at the bit to play games," McGee said. "For me, it's been difficult to be delayed from coaching games for so long. There's something about being on the field and in the dugout where I can't wait to get back to being in that groove. Looking back, it was really tough to do zooms with kids instead of practicing. Then all of the COVID protocols everyone has faced and the many setbacks because of the length of the pandemic. Give the returning players who have stuck with the program all this time a lot of credit because it truly defines commitment to the team."
McGee is thrilled that eight players from his 2020 Lancers and one from 2019, second baseman Andrew Scannell, have returned to play this season.
The team's core, however, includes a new group of players that will occupy a majority of the PCC starting nine sprinkled in with some of the lettermen.
At catcher, the position is still a battle between three freshmen including Matthew Delgado, a 6-foot, 210-pound Monrovia High product who has a strong throwing arm and was named All-Rio Hondo League First Team as a senior (batted .344 with 19 RBI). Matt Rice, who slugged 2 homers with 16 RBI last year as an All-Valle Vista Second Team selection from San Dimas High, and Brennan Beckley (Capistrano Valley High) will also challenge for playing time behind the Lancers plate.
At first base is hard-hitting Jake Trabbie, 6-1, 195, who batted .345 as a senior at Temple City High in 2020. He helped Temple City win the CIF Southern Section Division 5 title as a sophomore with clutch RBI in the semifinals and finals. Playing second base is Scannell, a redshirt sophomore, hit .291 with 15 RBI as the team's regular second baseman on PCC's South Coast Conference North Division co-champion team in 2019.
The important shortstop position will be occupied by Raider Tello, who comes to PCC with bells and whistles. Tello originally earned a scholarship to NCAA Division I Portland University after a stellar prep career at Arcadia High. Tello was the Pacific League MVP and All-CIF as a junior (hit .384, 29 RBI) and made the Pasadena Star-News All-Area Team as a senior in 2019. A solid hitter and fielder, the 6-foot, 205-pound talent will play as a redshirt freshman.
The early starter at third base is Toshiki Kuriya, a fundamentally sound international player from Chiba, Japan. Filling in as a key utility infielder will be Isaac Luevano, a transfer sophomore from Citrus College (2019), who will see action at shortstop, third base and second base for the Lancers. Ironically, Luevano's last game for Citrus was in a 3-1, first-round, SoCal Regional playoff loss to the Lancers at Brookside Park in 2019 when he was the Owls starting shortstop for the game. Luevano is originally from nearby South Pasadena High.
PCC's outfield includes returning starting leftfielder from 2020 in Aryonis Harrison, who batted .273 with six stolen bases in the shortened 21-game season. Harrison is one of three Lancers returners from 2020 who will play as redshirt freshmen as they were granted their year of eligibility back due to the COVID circumstances. In center field will be sophomore transfer Max Blessinger (played last year at D1 Dallas Baptist University, Texas). Blessinger had a storied prep career at Maranatha High as he was the Olympic League MVP while hitting .459 as a senior. He finished his career as the school's all-time leader in hits. His 31 stolen bases in 2019 also set a school record.
In right field is Jakob Guardado, a lefty hitter, right-handed thrower who played at Beckman High (Tustin). His father is former Major League Baseball reliever "Everyday" Eddie Guardado, a 2-time, All-Star who pitched 17 years in the big leagues including a long stint with the Minnesota Twins. The younger Guardado also may pitch for PCC. Nicolas Day, an All-Area Second Team selection from Temple City High, Kenny Kim, a sophomore transfer from Riverside City College (2019, pitched only for the Tigers), Japanese import Yuto Mimura (lefty batter), and Blake Beckley, Brennan's twin brother, add depth to the team's outfielders.
At designated hitter is 2020 returner and lefty-swinging Collin Johnson, another redshirt freshman.
"Offensively, we could have one of our best hitting teams in my tenure," McGee said. "Blessinger, Tello and Trabbie are incoming guys who can hit for average and drive the ball. But until we hit the field and get some games under our belts, only then can we find out if we can develop consistency in producing runs."
The Lancers are carrying their largest pitching staff ever under McGee with 13 exclusively listed pitchers and five others who are positional fielders as well as hurlers. Topping the staff are 2020 redshirt sophomore Benny Olguin (1-2, six starts and a save in 2020, 2-1, 2.35 ERA, 14 games as a reliever in 2019) and redshirt freshman Ryan Graves, who was a 2-1 with a 2.76 ERA, including two 7-inning shutout starts in SCC play, in the Lancers shortened '20 campaign. Other '20 returners are relievers Andrew Fernandez (no earned runs in seven appearances), Martin Hernandez, and lefty Chase Pedersen.
Incoming freshmen expected to contribute are Casey Popham (La Salle High as a senior, also played on a CIF championship team at Maranatha), La Canada product Nathan Mertens (0.85 ERA, three wins, three saves as a senior), and Coleman Mitchell, an All-CIF selection and Rio Hondo League Pitcher of the Year at Monrovia High.
"We are deep in numbers on the mound for a couple of reasons. Because of the potential of COVID-related postponements, we could have a number of rescheduled game days pushed closer together. That means we may end up needing everyone to eat innings for us. The other factors are situational pitching and making sure we don't have to go to guys too often who are not rested between appearances."
On the team's experienced players, McGee said, "It's pivotal to have some of our older players like Olguin, Scannell, and Harrison provide some leadership and teach our younger players about Lancers baseball. I think having the PCC-only lettermen and also having college-experienced transfers joining us will make a difference. This year, you will see across the state that community college baseball teams have tremendous depth, larger rosters, and more 4-year university bouncebacks than we've seen at this level in a long time. The competition should be fierce."
McGee coached SCC title teams in 2017 and 2019 and has a 3-year streak of directing the Lancers to the postseason (2017-2019). Returning from 2020 as his assistant coaches are Steve Allyn and Mike Guzman while Race Gardner, an All-SCC First Team selection from the 2017 team, joins the staff as the program's new pitching coach.
Pasadena's first home game at Brookside's Jackie Robinson Memorial Field will be Thursday, Feb. 3 against Pierce College at 2 p.m. The 24-game, South Coast Conference schedule won't begin until Feb. 22 when PCC faces Mt. San Antonio in a 3-game series.
PCC 2022 Schedule below at link:
https://pcclancers.com/sports/bsb/2021-22/schedule