GLADS BASEBALL ON A CRUSHER COURSE
The Chabot College baseball team is a power player. The Glads entered the week leading the state in home runs with 26 in 17 games, thanks in large part to the Big Fly trifecta of sophomores Brian Duroff, Casey Cummings and Alonzo Guijarro.
March 8, 2023
The Chabot College baseball team is a power player. The Glads entered the week leading the state in home runs with 26 in 17 games, thanks in large part to the Big Fly trifecta of sophomores Brian Duroff, Casey Cummings and Alonzo Guijarro. They have combined for 19 homers.
Chabot (11-5-1), which hosts Ohlone today at 2 p.m., is coming off a pair of road victories over Cabrillo 8-6 and Monterey Peninsula 9-2 (eight innings).
Duroff is No. 1 in the state in RBIs with 34 and No. 2 in home runs with seven. He was 4 for 4 with two home runs, including a grand slam, and eight RBIs in a recent 23-4 blowout of Diablo Valley.
"He's a relentless worker" head coach Will Tavis said of the outfielder out of Monte Vista High. "He's very good at what he does, but he puts in a ton of time. The success he's having is a byproduct of his overall work ethic and his commitment to his craft."
Cummings (San Ramon Valley) and Guijarro (Moreau Catholic) are tied for third in the state in home runs with six apiece. Guijarro, the first baseman, is also tied for second in RBI with 29. Cummings is No. 7 in batting average at .484 and tied for No. 1 in both stolen bases with 14 and runs scored with 33. Now that's production.
Tavis describes Cummings as a "hyper-athletic player. He has all the tools on the baseball field and he's done an excellent job preparing himself for performance. With all those guys, their performance in games is a byproduct of their preparation leading up to those games."
The Glads, ranked ninth in the North, open play in the tough Coast-North on March 14 at College of San Mateo, currently 13-3.
Others in the Coast-North are solid: Skyline (12-4), Canada (10-7), CCSF (7-6), and West Valley (6-9).
"There are some good teams with good talent and I expect that it will be very competitive," Tavis said of the conference.
Cummings, the center fielder, and DuRoff, in right, pummeled Cabrillo pitching, combining for six hits and four RBI from the top two spots in the order. Cummings had a home run and a triple, three runs scored, and stole a base. Reliever Wyatt Burnell (American) got the pitching win.
In the win over Monterey Peninsula, Chabot starter Sam Heyman (Acalanes), a 6-foot-2 right-hander, got the victory, throwing five shutout innings, allowing three hits and striking out six.
"He did an excellent job," Tavis said of Heyman. "That was actually his first start of the year. He did an excellent job controlling the game from the mound. His stuff is amazing."
Duroff and Cummings raked against Monterey. Cummings was 2 for 2 with a double and three runs scored. Duroff was 2 for 3 with three RBI and two runs scored. Kacen Shreffler (Livermore) and Brady Wetzel (California) both had two hits and two RBI.
What's the Glads' secret sauce?
"They have good camaraderie; they're close," Tavis said. "I think the one thing that we try to do is really simplify things. They play hard and they play together, and those are things that are controllable and those are the things that we emphasize."