Baseball: Notes

Catcher Jackson Hyytinen stretches for a Sam Schneider

pitch over the Bonita Vista batter's head in the Lions

Tournament April 16. (Photo by Ed Piper)

After I spoke with Viking second baseman Sean Hofmann, I asked catcher Jackson Hyytinen about his having played second base last year on the JV's. Hyytinen said it was true, that he had played second base during a hiatus from catching to let his knees recover. "I've caught my whole life," he said. But his knees had tightened up and were hurting after years of crouching behind the plate. He said he learned stretching exercises he can do, and his knees are fine now.

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Pitching coach Jake Grosz had a funny comment during the May 19 win over Mission Bay at home. After Alex Eliopulos gloved a grounder near third base and made a complete 360-degree pirouette before throwing the batter out at first, I said, "Is that something you guys teach?" Grosz said, "It's natural. We concentrate on ballet in practice so that our players have more balance," and so forth. He said it deadpan, as if he were serious, which made it that much more humorous.

What showed concentration on Grosz's part was that he replied to me in the midst of giving signals to his catcher, Jackson Hyytinen, for each pitch. He didn't miss a beat.

James Whelan, who made a

sensational catch in right-centerfield

to preserve Sam Schneider's one-hitter

May 19. (Photo by Ed Piper)



Proud papa Greg Volger, a teacher at LJHS who photographs each home and away game for the Vikings, pointed out his son Brett holds not only the record for games played in a career (at 113) but also the record for times hit by a pitch--20. What's remarkable is that Brett stood in the way of pitches 15 times his freshman year. He only has two hit-by-pitch (HBP) this season, his senior year.

Father and son disputed whether Brett got hit three times in one game, but they agreed he has been hit twice in a game. Greg said one opposing coach told his pitcher sarcastically, "You've already hit the guy twice. You might as well hit him again." Which he proceeded to do.

 Copyright 2014 Ed Piper