LJ baseball: 'Just another day at the office'

By Ed Piper

The stage was set, and La Jolla coach Gary Frank was standing outside the slim dugout on the Lincoln High School field Friday afternoon, May 15. He was asked what the team's mindset was, going into the title decider:

"To come out and play a good game, play to the best of our ability, and we should be fine.

"Just another day at the office."

Obviously, the long-time head coach was trying to project calm and to set a tone for his players. They had lost two straight to the Hornets in the three-game series to end the City League schedule, and they needed to change whatever they were doing.

The dugout, before Frank's response to a reporter's query, was eerily quiet. Hopefully, it communicated grit and resolve, but you didn't know if the silence was going to lead to an activated state on the field--after a pair of disappointments earlier in the week, 3-1 and 6-2.

Frank was asked, "Who is a key player or key players in the game today?"

"Every one on the roster. We're going to need 16 deep to win this game today." The Vikings did, by a breath, 7-6.

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Senior Andrew Cardenas was slated to start on the mound for La Jolla. Pitching coach Koa Scott described Cardenas' pitch mix:

"Four-seam cutter, two-seam cutter, curveball, and changeup."

How does he have to use his repertoire to be effective?

"Low in the zone, try to get (outs)."

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Frank, before that, said what his senior righthander needed to do:

    --"Command the zone."

    --"Pitch to poor contact."

    --"Let our defense do their work."