Up and down year for Troy, but it was fun

Rain and close losses dampen Petaluma chances of playoff spot

June 21, 2006

By JOHN JACKSON
ARGUS-COURIER SPORTS EDITOR

The weather and the scoreboard weren't always kind to Petaluma High School's baseball Trojans, but it was still a good spring for the Petalumans in their first year under the direction of new head coach Paul Cochrun.

Following a remarkable 23-2 Sonoma County League championship team was no enviable task, and the Trojans weren't as talented or as successful. However, a good argument could be made that they were better than their final 11-12, 8-10 SCL, records indicate.

Out of their 23 games, 11 were decided by one run. The Trojans lost five of those games. Turn just two of those close losses around and the Petalumans are back in the North Coast Section playoffs.

"We had a roller-coaster type of season," said Cochrun. "We could never get on a streak. We had our chance (for the playoffs) at the end, but we didn't get it done."

The 23 games the Trojans played made them one of the busiest teams in the Redwood Empire in a season that for some schools threatened to never start because of April and May rains. Cochrun refuses to use the Trojans' busy, and often soggy, early season as an excuse for their losing record.

"I wanted to give the team a chance to play every game we could," he said. "I couldn't go up to my seniors and tell them we were going to knock six games off their season. They deserved a chance to play."

And the Trojans did play well at times. They defeated league and NCS champion Casa Grande twice, losing a third meeting to the Gauchos in extra innings; they defeated NCS finalist Analy in their first meeting; they took two of three games from playoff participant Healdsburg. But, as the coach pointed out, they could never get on a roll, never winning more than two games in succession.

The big hurt came in their final two games when the Trojans, needing to win just one of the two to reach a .500 league record and become eligible for the NCS playoffs, lost to Windsor, 7-1, and Analy 9-4.

At the beginning of the season, Petaluma had a big question mark on the mound, but as the season progressed, Hubble Richmond, Josh Horner, M.J. Enochs, James Perez and Nick McInnis turned the question into an exclamation point. In a hitters' league where most teams scored six or seven runs per game, the Trojans yielded just over four. McInnis was a big find, coming on after the season had gotten off to a soggy start to throw strikes and give the Petalumans a big lift as both a reliever and a starter.

On the other side of the bat, the Trojans had several key hitters, but couldn't bunch their offense, too often in close games leaving a potential tie or victory stranded on the base paths.

Much of the Petaluma offense was carried by sophomore catcher Chadd Krist. Not only did he hit and hit in the clutch, he was perhaps the SCL's top defensive catcher. "He shut down the opposition's running game and made a lot of great defensive plays," said Cochrun. "He continues to work hard." An all-league choice, Krist was considered for SCL Most Valuable Player honors.

Krist was one of two sophomores to play for the Trojan varsity. Second baseman Brett Pawlan also had a big season, showing an excellent glove and by mid-season adding power to his hitting. "He is a great athlete," said the coach. "I hope he works hard this summer and continues to improve."

Senior Andrew Ross, Petaluma High's Athlete of the Year for his contribution to the football, basketball and baseball teams, provided steady play and team leadership at shortstop.

Richmond was one of the team's top hitters and provided some exceptional plays at third base. Mark Gilardi took advantage of a chance to play in Montgomery Rabinovitz spring-break tournament and had some big hits and Mark Dolcini also received playing time.

Horner and Perez were both strong defensive first basemen who supplied key hits.

The Petaluma outfield with Casey Sullivan in left, Perez in center, Ryan Talesfore in right and Enochs and Dane Greco helping out, was exceptional. Not only did they turn in highlight defensive plays, but they also provided spark for the Petaluma attack.

Talesfore in the leadoff spot had an exceptional year, giving the Trojans a threat for both a bunt and a long-ball at the top of the order. Once on base, he was an almost dead lock for a swipe of second. He was selected to the all-league team.

Through the ups and downs, one thing remained consistent -- the Trojans had fun.

"They are good people," said Cochrun. "We had such a good time as a team."

Cochrun says part of the reason for the enjoyable Petaluma season was the help he received from his coaching staff. Last season's head coach Kyle Manford and former Petaluma standouts Ken Johnson and Mike Krist formed one of the most knowledgeable coaching staffs in the area.

"They made my job a lot easier," the head coach acknowledged. "I didn't have to do everything. They are good teachers and they care about the kids."

One of the things Cochrun wanted to continue was the tradition of a strong Petaluma baseball program, and he believes the program is in good hands with Kevin Jackson, assisted by Dan Aschwanden and Dan Munson; coaching the freshmen, and Kevin Harrington, helped by Marc Nadale, Charlie Alejos and Tyson Steeves, working with the junior varsity.

Even though the Trojans were a senior-dominated team, the future looks bright with Krist and Pawlen both returning for two more seasons and Greco, Dolcini, McInnis and several others coming back next season with varsity experience.