The Santa Barbara Foresters won their second-straight NBC World Series title last August. (EMI Photography)
Team chemistry will be crucial for the 2013 Santa Barbara Foresters as they seek their third straight National Baseball Congress World Series championship. After capturing titles in both 2011 and 2012, the Foresters will look to become the first team to win three in a row since the Fairbanks Goldpanners in 1972-74.
It all starts again this Saturday at UCSB?s Caesar Uyesaka Stadium when the Foresters host the San Diego Waves at 4 p.m. The same two teams will play again on Sunday at 1 p.m.
The Foresters, a semi-pro baseball team made up of some of the country’s brightest college baseball stars, return just eight of the 34 players from the 2012 squad. According to manager Bill Pintard, the team will need to learn to play together in order to win another World Series title.
?I think the number one thing that?s really important for us is to develop chemistry as soon as we can,? Pintard said. ?We just have to gel. We have a brand new club coming in, and we are replacing a lot of players. It?s a lot easier said than done.?
But team chemistry will only be one of the keys to the Foresters? success this season. Pintard said that the team will once again rely on the stellar pitching and defense that led them to last year?s championship.
UCSB southpaw Andrew Vasquez is one of several pitchers returning to the Foresters this summer. (Presidio Sports Photo)
Last season, the Foresters? pitching staff combined for a 2.41 ERA, and was backed up by a defense that sported a .963 fielding percentage.
?We didn?t hit a lot of home runs [last year],? Pintard said. ?We had the ability to scratch out runs, and our pitching was just outstanding. The back end of our bullpen was as good as it has ever been. It?s going to be the same this year.?
As a team, the Foresters hit just 15 home runs over the course of their 49 regular season games. Pintard said that rather than relying on power, the team emphasized small ball strategy.
Among the eight returners from last year?s championship team are starting corner infielders Ryan O?Hearn and Shane Hoelscher. O?Hearn hit .268 for the Foresters and had a team-leading 30 RBIs, whereas Hoelscher had 18 RBIs to go along with his .320 OBP.
The Foresters will also look to Garrett Bayliff and Steven Reveles to provide experience. Bayliff was injured last year, but played for the Foresters in 2011, when he hit .273 in ten appearances.
Reveles, a Goleta native, made 13 appearances for the Foresters last season, hitting .265 in 49 at bats. The middle infielder will be playing for Nebraska next year after being named the WSC Player of the Year for Santa Barbara City College this spring.
?Those four guys, we are looking for them to provide some leadership,? Pintard said.
Hunter Lemke, Willie Kuhl, John Beck and Andrew Vasquez will also be returning to the Foresters? pitching staff.
Foresters manager Bill Pintard has led Santa Barbara to four national championships in the past five years. (Presidio Sports Photo)
The bulk of the Foresters lineup, however, will be comprised of newcomers. Pintard said that the talent of Texas pitchers Parker French, Riley Ferrell and Austen Williams will help the team to another championship.
Right-handers French, Ferrell and Williams pitch for the University of Texas, Texas Christian University and Texas State respectively. French, a starter for the Longhorns, compiled a 2.68 ERA and struck out 46 in the 2013 season. The right-hander was named Big 12 Freshman of the Year in 2012 and was named a Louisville Slugger/Collegiate Baseball Freshman All-American.
Ferrell and Williams will help anchor the Foresters bullpen. Ferrell, recently named to the Big-12 All-Freshman Team, had three saves for the Horned Frogs while posting a 2.20 ERA. Williams allowed just 25 hits in 28 appearances for the Bobcats.
During the offseason, the Foresters secured the talent that they need to make a run at another NBC title, but Pintard continually emphasized the need to mesh as a team. He said that the work that the team does in the community helps them to gel off of the field.
?[The community service] develops chemistry for our team because we get involved in the chemistry of our town,? Pintard said.
Among other projects, the Foresters run the Hugs for Cubs organization, which focuses on supporting children battling cancer. Each season, the team visits hospitals and raises money to help these children.
Longtime Foresters volunteer Jim Buckley said that the Hugs for Cubs charity is a huge part of the Foresters? organization.
?The Hugs for Cubs is part of our mission and our players and coaches do everything we can year-round to take part in that fight against cancer,? Buckley said.
Additionally, the Foresters will also host their annual summer camp. The co-ed camp is open to kids ages 7-12 and will take place in June and July. Buckley said that the opportunity to be coached by potential future MLB players is invaluable for the campers.
On the field, the Foresters will look to get on track this Saturday against the Waves. Pintard said that the Foresters? success this season will come down to the team staying within themselves and sticking to the small-ball strategy.
?We play our game,? Pintard said. ?We don?t go out there to play the other team. We play our game, and if we are good enough, we will get the job done.?
ADDITIONAL INFO: Find ticket information HERE. The Foresters are always looking for host families to board players in the summers. Learn more HERE.
