Mustangs Dominate Monterey

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ON THE MOUND: Mustangs pitcher Matt Valencia on Jan. 31.

The Delta College baseball season is now underway and from the look of things, it’s going to be an exciting one for the Mustangs.

ON THE MOUND: Mustangs pitcher Matt Valencia on Jan. 31.
ON THE MOUND: Mustangs pitcher Matt Valencia on Jan. 31.

Since finishing third in Northern California last season, the Mustangs have been hard at work on the diamond.

Head Coach Reed Peters enters his seventh season, with a team that has seen 70 players either move on to play at four-year schools or on professional baseball clubs.

The team looks to improve on its record from a year ago by playing fundamentally sound baseball.

“The depth of our pitching staff is valuable … We have 12 pretty good pitchers,” said Peters.

The Mustangs took the mound against Monterey Peninsula College in its second game of the season and dominated from the opening pitch.

Starting Pitcher sophomore Matt Valencia threw five scoreless innings, allowed two hits and five strikeouts, which motivated the Mustang batters to put some runs on the board.

The team did just that.

Sophomore Infielder Conner Torres had a monster afternoon for the Mustangs with six RBIs, one stolen base and great defensive plays from his position at third base.

Fellow sophomore Andrew Urbistondo also gave an impressive performance with three hits, three runs scored and three RBI’s, totaling nine RBI’s between the neighboring infielders.

The big bang of the game came in the third inning when sophomore First Baseman Wyatt Castro blasted a solo home run over the fence in right field.

“Honestly, the home run was indescribable … It was amazing, it’s the best feeling a baseball player could ever have,” said Castro.

Though conference play hasn’t started yet, the Mustangs are showing the competition how hungry the team is to eat its way into the post season this year.

The Mustangs next game will be on Feb. 6 at 2 p.m. on campus at Nick Cecchetti Field.