A special thanks to Brian Jean for his Taft College Baseball Photo Gallery

Latest News



Ventura Slugs Fifth Homer as Cougars Romp
by Dennis McCall
Taft Midway Driller
Mar. 11, 2010

Sophomore catcher Darby Ventura bashed his fifth home run of the season Tuesday as Taft College hammered visiting Porterville College with a 17-hit attack to earn a 12-3 Central Valley Conference baseball victory. It was the third straight conference win after an 0-4 start and moved the Cougars up a notch on the CVC ladder heading into Thursday’s game in Porterville. The finale of the three-game series will be Saturday at 1 p.m. on the TC campus. The Cougars scored in all but the third inning.

Nine players collected at least one hit. Second baseman Jeremiah Twisselman and outfielder Michael Hayes led the way by going 3-for-4 and driving in two runs each. Third baseman Perry Rogan was 3-for-5, designated hitter Josh Dickey 2-for-3 with an RBI, and leadoff batter and shortstop Anthony Rodriguez 2-for-4 with an RBI. Jordan Howard cracked a solo homer and Rodriguez and Dominic McGovern had doubles and an RBI. The Cougars hit the ball consistently off three Pirate pitchers, scoring single runs in the first, second and fourth, two each in the fifth, sixth and seventh before scoring three times in their last at-bat.

TC used four pitchers Starter Austin Christiansen went five innings, giving up a run on four hits, striking out five and walking one. Devin Thomas pitched two innings and was tagged for a run on two hits while striking out two and walking one. After closing out the Porterville series Saturday, the Cougars will play a three-game set with West Hills, a team that is a game ahead of the Cougars in the conference standings.

Cougar Baseball Ends Drought, Beat Reedley Twice
by Dennis McCall
Taft Midway Driller
Mar. 8, 2010

After starting Central Valley Conference baseball play 0-4, Taft College bounced back by beating Reedley College twice. In both games, the Cougars erased Tiger leads to climb out of the CVC basement – winning 5-4 Thursday in Taft with a two-run rally in the bottom of the eighth and 6-3 on Saturday in Reedley after falling behind 3-0 early. The victories give the Cougars a 2-4 conference record heading into this afternoon’s home game with 0-6 Porterville. The Cougars are 9-6 overall. “Even though we got two wins, we didn’t play great baseball,” head coach Vince Maiocco said. “But we got the monkey off our backs and hopefully we can move forward.”

Catcher Darby Ventura went 4-for-8, smacking his fourth homer of the season and driving in three runs to run his total to a team-high 21. “Darby’s homerun was just a bomb,” Maiocco said. “Reedley has a big field, and he hit one that left no doubt.” The sophomore drove in the tying run in the first game after Josh Dickey, who had three hits in the two games, doubled to lead off the eighth. Jeremiah Twisselman ran for Ventura, moved up on an infield error and scored the winning run on a pinch-hit single by Braden Keathley.

The Cougars used four pitchers. Freshman David Carmona was effective in his three innings of work from the sixth through the eighth. He held the Tigers scoreless, giving up two hits and striking out three to get the win. Jesus Del Rosario pitched the ninth, getting a groundout and two strikeouts. In Saturday’s game at Reedley, the Tigers took a 3-0 lead after three innings, but the Cougars came back with a run in the top of the fourth, two in the fifth and one each in the sixth, seventh and ninth.

TC banged 11 hits, including Ventura’s solo homer in the seventh and doubles by Dickey, Perry Rogan and Rex Blaylock. Ventura leads the team in slugging average at .614. Juan Belran and Shawn Davisson pitched the first five innings, giving up three runs and six hits between them. Jose Colon and Del Rosario split the final four innings, holding the Tigers scoreless on three hits. Del Rosario struck out four. “Our bullpen was outstanding,” Maiocco said. “Shawn, Jose and Jesus pitched very well. Jesus is turning out to be an outstanding closer for us.” The Cougars were without a starting pitcher and first baseman for Saturday’s game because they showed up late for the bus, the coach said. After hosting Porterville today, the Pirates will host Thursday’s game and the teams will close out the three-game series in Taft on Saturday.

Taft College's Conference Skid Reaches Four in a Row
by Dennis McCall
Taft Midway Driller
Mar. 4, 2010

Vince Maiocco was not a happy camper after his team dropped its fourth consecutive Central Valley Conference baseball game Tuesday – a 5-2 decision to Reedley College. “That was just frustrating,” the Cougar head coach said. “You can live with the fact that you flat out get outplayed. Reedley didn’t play well, but we were worse.” The Cougars officially had two errors, but Maiocco cited other deficiencies that didn’t show up in the scorebook. “All of our mistakes were mental,” he said. “We made two base-running mistakes, we didn’t bunt well, we missed a squeeze play, we hit ground balls with the infield drawn in. “We didn’t deserve to win that game. Even as bad as we played we still should have won.”

The Cougars out-hit Reedley 10-8, but stranded nine runners. “We’re getting a lot of runners on base, but we just aren’t getting the clutch hit. Our No. 4 hitter Darby (Ventura) is our table setter, and you can’t have your cleanup hitter be our table setter.” TC took a 2-1 lead into the seventh scored three times before adding an insurance run in the eighth. Ventura, Stefan Norman, Tyler Blair and Travis Derby all had two hits. Blair drove in both Cougar runs with a double that plated Ventura and Norman, who opened the third with back-to-back singles and moved up on Dillon Smith’s sacrifice bunt.

The loss gives the Cougars an 0-4 start to conference play after winning seven in a row. Reedley, by contrast, entered CVC play at 0-7. The Tigers started the conference 2-1. On Monday, the Cougars dropped a 3-2 decision at Fresno City College in a game that was postponed from Saturday by rain. TC scored runs in the first two innings, but Fresno scored all its runs in the sixth on a three-run homer by catcher Zach Sullivan.

Cougar starter Braden Keathly hit the first two batters of the inning to set the table for what proved to be the game-winner. Keathley gave up just two other hits in his seven innings of work. He struck out six and walked only one. Fresno’s sweep of the Cougars puts the Rams atop the CVC heap at 3-0. Sequoias is 3-1, West Hills and Reedley 2-1, Merced 1-0 and Taft and Porterville 0-4. The Cougars finish their three-game set with Reedley tomorrow in Reedley and begin a series with Porterville next Tuesday at home. Game time is 2 p.m.

Fresno Scores Early, Late to Beat Taft College
Taft Midway Driller
Mar. 1, 2010

Fresno City College did it again. For the second time in three days, the Rams scored early to take the lead and then added five runs in the ninth to pull away. This time – on Thursday afternoon – Fresno jumped out to a 6-0 lead, then saw the Cougars score three in the fifth to get close. The Rams erupted for five in the top of the ninth to win going away, 11-3. That gave Fresno a 2-0 start in the Central Valley Conference.  Fresno is 6-3 overall while the Cougars are 7-4 overall and 0-2 in the CVC.

The third game of the series scheduled for Saturday in Fresno was rained out and will be made up this week.  The Cougars also have a three-game series with Reedley beginning today in Reedley. The Tigers come to town Thursday at 2 p.m. and the finale will be in Reedley on Saturday. TC managed to bang out 12 hits against Fresno.

Leadoff batter Anthony Rodriguez was 3-for-4 with two doubles while Darby Ventura, Austin Christiansen, Perry Rogan and Travis Derby all had a pair of singles.  Stefan Norman had the other hit. Garret Jensen pitched the first three innings for the Cougars and took the loss – his first of the year after winning his first three.  He gave up three runs on five hits. Jesus Del Rosario worked five innings, giving up six runs on five hits, striking out two and walking four. Jordan Howard and Shawn Davisson finished up.

TC got all its runs in the bottom of the fifth. Derby and Rodriguez led off with back-to-back singles and after two fly-ball outs, Ventura walked to load the bases. Christensen punched a single to drive in a run and Norman cracked a two-run single. The third game of the series was re-scheduled for Monday.  See Friday’s Midway Driller for details.

Taft Baseball Team Wins 7th Straight
The Bakersfield Californian
Feb. 21, 2010

TAFT -- Travis Derby's grand slam powered Taft College to its seventh straight victory, 13-8, over Monterey Peninsula on Sunday afternoon. It was the first home run of the season for Derby, who broke open an 8-7 game for the Cougars (7-2). Derby scored the go-ahead run onan RBI single by Darby Ventura in the sixth inning. Dominic McGovern went 3-for-5 with three RBIs, including a two-run double in the fourth to give Taft a 7-1 lead. Monterey (5-2) scored six runs in the sixth to tie the game. Ventura was 2-for-5 with two RBIs and Anthony Rodriguez added two hits and four stolen bases. The Cougars had six steals and were 23-for-25 on steal attempts in three games over the weekend.

Taft College Sweep 3 Games Over Weekend
by Dennis McCall
Taft Midway Driller
Feb. 15, 2010

Taft College combined good hitting, solid pitching and effective base running to sweep three non-conference baseball games over the weekend that erased the disappointment of the previous weekend when the Cougars went 1-2 because they gave up a dozen unearned runs. This time the defense was better, but still needs some improvement, according to said head coach Vince Maiocco. “We played much better defensively, but I know we can playeven better.” He was disappointed that his team was able to turn but one double play although there were several other chances. “One of our goals is to be at least 70 percent with our double play opportunities,” he said. While the Cougars went 3-0 in the mini-tournament College of the Siskiyous left town even at 2-2.  Barstow lost two one-run decisions to Siskiyous before getting thumped by the Cougars in the final game. TC scored 24 runs on 30 hits and committed six errors.  The Cougars had 13 the week before. The Cougars also stole 14-of-15 bases. Cougars 5, Siskiyous 3

Anthony Rodriguez and Stefan Norman each had a double and single and drove in a run and Josh Dickey and Perry Rogan drove in runs with base hits to back up solid pitching by Braden Keathley, who worked 6.2 innings with five strikeouts and a walk. Juan Beltran came on in relief when Keathley surrendered all three runs in the seventh.  Beltran got the final out and got the side out in the seventh to get the win.  Austin Christiansen struck out three batters in the ninth to get the save.

Siskiyous tied the game in the top of the seventh, but Rodriguez belted a one-out double in the bottom of the inning and rode home on Dickey’s single. Stefan Norman and Rogan bashed back-to-back doubles to lead off the eighth for the final margin of victory. The Cougars were 8-for-8 in stolen bases.  Dickey had three, Rodriguez and Norman two apiece and Tyler Blaylock one. Cougars 10, Siskiyous 6

The Cougars scored four times in the first and second innings for an 8-0 lead and then hung on after the Eagles bunched five runs in the fourth and fifth. Catcher Darby Ventura went 3-for-4 and drove in four runs with a homer and three singles, Dominic McGovern doubled and singled to drive in two runs, Michael Hayes homered and singled and Rogan cracked a two-run double. Jesus Del Rosario got the win.  He gave up five earned runs on eight hits, struck out eight and walked one.  Jordan Howard worked the final four innings to get the save.
Rodriguez, Dickey and Christiansen had stolen bases. Cougars 11, Barstow 3

Garrett Jensen gave up a two-run homer in the first inning, but shut out Barstow over the next five innings.  During that span his teammates scored 10 runs.  Jensen allowed just three hits, struck out 10 and walked only one batter while recording his second win of the young season. Devin Thomas and Patrick Fratto held Barstow hitless over the final three innings.
Rogan paced Taft’s 13-hit attack by going 3-for-3 with four RBIs, three of them coming on a towering homer in the seventh.  Rodriguez was 3-for-4 and drove in two runs, and Dickey had two hits. Rodriguez and Dickey picked up their fourth stolen bases of the series. The Cougars will host their third three-way series this weekend when Lassen and Monterey Peninsula colleges visit. TC will play Lassen Friday at 2 p.m. and Saturday at 10 a.m. and finish up with Monterey on Sunday at 2 p.m.  Lassen also will play two games against Monterey.

Taft College Hosts 3 Game Baseball Series
Taft Midway Driller
Feb. 11, 2010

Taft College is looking for better results this weekend with a three-game baseball series against College of the Siskiyous and Barstow College. The series begins with a 2 o’clock game Friday afternoon against Siskiyous. The same teams will hook up Saturday at 10 a.m., and the finale will be Sunday at noon against Barstow. There is no admission charge for any of the games.

The Cougars dropped two of the three they played last weekend with Feather River and Cabrillo colleges. A look at the statistics would lead you to think TC swept the series.
As a team they hit .315 (34 hits) while the opposition managed 23 hits for a .211 average. The Cougars used nine different pitchers.  Five of them worked 16 innings without giving up an earned run. The only rub was that Feather River and Cabrillo combined for 17 unearned runs on 12 Cougar errors.

There were some impressive individual numbers. Travis Derby, a freshman infielder from Hawaii, went 5-for-9 with a double while Josh Dickey, a freshman outfielder from Centennial High in Bakersfield, was 5-for-10 and drove in four runs. Sophomore Anthony Rodriguez also had five hits in 16 at-bats and drove in three runs. Dominic McGovern, another soph, banged four hits and drove in two runs. Sophomore outfielder Stefan Norman cracked a two-run homer. Freshman right-hander Braden Keathley out of Henderson, Nev., had the best pitching numbers.  He worked six innings, gave up no earned runs on three hits, struck out eight and walked one. Cougar pitchers struck out 23 batters and gave up 10 walks over the three games.

Errors Plague Taft College Baseball Team on Opening Weekend
by Dennis McCall
Taft Midway Driller
Feb. 8, 2010

Taft College out-hit and out-pitched the opposition in its season-opening baseball series Thursday and Friday, but didn’t out-defense them. As a result, the Cougars escaped with just one victory in three games, salvaging an 8-3 win over Cabrillo College on Friday after giving up a dozen unearned runs in Thursday’s 4-3 and 11-9 losses to Feather River College. “It’s not stretching it at all to say we should be 3-0 instead of 1-2,” said head coach Vince Maiocco.  “I know we are a much better defensive team than we showed.” Feather River, which had the best record (43-5) in the state last year, took advantage of Cougar miscues for two eighth-inning runs to win the first game and then rode five errors to a 10-inning win in the second game.

TC almost climbed back in the second game of the twin bill, scoring five times in the seventh but missing opportunities in the eighth and ninth to pull out a win. “Getting a win in one of those games Thursday would have been big,” Maiocco said.  “If we just play average defense we win those.  You can’t fault our pitching.” Or the hitting. The Cougars banged out 33 hits in the series, including five each from freshmen Josh Dickey and Travis Derby.  Dickey also drove in five runs.  Both cracked doubles. Anthony Rodriguez went 4-for-11 and drove in three runs while Dominic McGovern was 4-for-13 with two RBIs. Braden Keathley, a freshman from Henderson, Nev., pitched well enough to win the season opener, working six innings.  He gave up just three hits, no earned runs, struck out eight and walked one. Austin Christiansen and Juan Beltran finished up.  Christiansen was tagged with the loss when the Cougars gave up the two unearned runs in the eighth.

Four pitchers gave up just three earned runs in the 11-9, 10-inning loss.  Starter Jesus Del Rosario worked four innings, giving up seven hits, struck out four and walked three.  Jordan Howard gave up just one hit and struck out two in three innings, Shawn Davisson gave up a hit and fanned two in 2.1 innings and Jose Colon got the final two outs but was touched for a run on one hit. Sophomore Garret Jenson worked five innings of the win over Cabrillo, giving up three runs on four hits, striking out two and walking four.  Devin Thomas fanned three in three innings of shutout work and Christiansen retired the side on three pitches in the ninth. Designated hitter Stefan Norman bashed a two-run homer in the third that broke a 2-2 tie and gave the Cougars the lead for good.

Feather River left town with a 3-0 start on the season after beating Cabrillo Friday morning.  Cabrillo finished 0-2. The Cougars will have a chance to redeem themselves with another three-game home series, playing College of the Siskiyous Friday at 2 p.m. and Saturday at 10 a.m. before entertaining Barstow Sunday at noon.

Taft College Baseball Gears Up for New Season
by Dennis McCall
Taft Midway Driller
Feb. 4, 2010

Taft College kicked off its baseball season today and tomorrow with a three-game home stand. The Cougars took on northern California powerhouse Feather River College yesterday in a doubleheader and came back this afternoon with a single game against Cabrillo College. Feather River and Cabrillo played earlier in the day. Feather River is one of the top teams in the state.  The Golden Eagles have been in the state playoffs every season for the past decade, winning the regional championship the past two years. The three-game series marks the start of three such outings – all of them on the TC campus diamond.

Next weekend the Cougars will host Siskiyous Friday at 2 p.m. and Saturday at 10 a.m. and take on Barstow Sunday at noon. The weekend of the 20th-21st, TC will roll out the carpet for Lassen and Monterey colleges. Following the nine-game, non-conference home stand the Cougars will launch Central Valley Conference action against Fresno City College. The CVC will follow the same format it experimented with last year.  Each team will play the other six teams four times but the first three will be played consecutively. The Cougars also have a spring break week series up north, playing two at San Joaquin Delta College in Stockton and one at Modesto Junior College.

The Cougars finished fourth in the conference last season, their best finish since 1992 when they took third. Coach Vince Maiocco and assistants Ryan Watson, Jeremy Wedel and Jeff Twist are working with a team that has 14 returnees from last season’s 24-19-1 outfit (14-10 in the conference). Half of the sophomores are pitchers, five are outfielders, two are infielders and one a catcher. Lanky 6-6 right hander Garret Jensen is the only returning pitcher with plenty of game experience.  He went 6-3 last season, working 63 innings (second most on the staff) and finishing with a 3.57 earned run average. Outfielder Dominic McGovern led the team last season with a .363 batting average and was second in stolen bases with 14-of-18. Catcher Darby Ventura hit .304 last season – fourth best on the team – and led the Cougars in homers (6), doubles (11), RBIs (35) and slugging percentage (.500). Outfielders Gentry Mitchell and Stefan Norman hit .291 and .246 respectively. Infielders Anthony Rodriguez and Jeremiah Twisselman hit .190 and .182 respectively.

Taft (8) vs Cabrillo (3)
by Freddy Medina
Feb. 5, 2010

The TC Cougars hosted the Cabrillo Hawks in the third game of the season today. The game was a grind in the early inning but as it developed the Cougars were able to produce. Stefan Norman hit the first homerun of the season for the Cougars giving them the lead in bottom of the third (4-2). The Cougars continued an offensive attack on the Hawks tacking on 4 more runs on a total of eleven hits for the first win of the season. (8-3)