2004 5A Pitching staffs

The engine of any successful baseball team is it’s pitching staff. It’s the rare team that is able to provide enough offense to overcome mediocre or below average pitching. As we head into the 2005 season, here’s my take on the pitching staffs of some of the 2005 5A teams.

Mountain Ridge: The Mountain Lions will feature 2 of the top right handers in the Class of 2005 in Brian Budrow and Cory Burns. Burns transferred from Moon Valley and combines with Budrow to form arguably the top 1-2 punch in the state. The number three spot looks like it may fall to lefty Eric Green or Ben Ziertan.

Left to right: Brian Budrow, Chris Highmark and Jeff Urlaub

Brophy: RHP Ryan Masterson had Tommy John surgery in early January and is lost for the season. Coach Tom Succow knows it will be tough to replace Masterson, who won 15 games for the Broncos over the last 2 years. Dependable lefty Chris Highmark is still around, and underclassmen Andrew Tonner and Matt Newman return as well to pick up the slack. However, all three are leftys, and North Canyon transfer R.J. Preach will probably be ineligible.

Horizon: The Huskies seem to always have pitching, and this year is no exception. Coach Eric Kibler can trot out the senior duo of RHP Eric Anderson and lefty Jeff Urlaub. In addition, 2 of the state’s top sophomores, RHPs Tim Alderson and Kevin Roderick, wait in the wings.

Desert Mountain: The Wolves graduated Josh Satow (10 wins) and Jeff Germain (7 wins) who accounted for 17 of the 28 DM victories and more than half the innings last season. Coach Brian Rice knows that filling that hole will be no easy task. Junior Justin Hendrick and senior Reid Kelly will man the top of the rotation, and they are certainly capable of big things. Hendrick saw a lot of time as a sophomore in key situations, and he has great poise along with a solid repertoire. Kelly missed most of 2004 with injuries, and his continued health will be a big factor. Fountain Hills transfer Matt Woehrle should fill the 3 spot. Mike Dufek and Jeff Rowland will see some innings and even SS Dustin Kaats may throw in a pinch. The Wolves should find a way to make this work.

Desert Vista's Max Mooney

Hamilton: Gone are the 1-2 punch of Brandon Farmer and Tommy Cronenwett, but don’t shed many tears for the 2 time defending champs. I liked what I saw of Jake Bartholomew this summer and fall. Travis Peep is a grinder whether he stands on the bump or the middle of the infield. Jason Kudlock will eat some innings as well. Dylan Johnston can roll out of bed and sit in the upper 80s if Coach Mike Woods needs him to throw. Count on this: Coach Woods will have a staff ready to perform come playoff time

Mountain Pointe: Senior lefty Matt Neal ate up a lot of innings for the Pride last year, and he’ll be expected to shoulder a big part of the load in 2005. Junior righthander Jason Mitchell has one of the livelier arms in the 2006 class, and he should be a big part of the rotation this year. The wild card is junior Mike Ford, who struggled with mechanical issues this summer and fall. He’s potentially one of the top pitchers in his class, and if he can come around the Pride will make some noise. Coach Roger LeBlanc also has righty Pedro Pulido, who looked good when I saw him this fall.

Canyon Del Oro: New coach Lyn Anderson takes over a team that has 6 returning pitchers that saw varsity time last year. At the top of the list is 6-3 righty Taylor Lewis, and he’s a handful. Look for the Dorados to be a factor come playoff time.

Mesquite: Righthanders Seth Furmanek and Ronnie Welte return to shoulder the bulk of the work, and it’s sometime difficult to remember that they are only juniors. Big sophomore Nolan Church will get the ball early and often. This team should score a bunch of runs, so serviceable pitching could take them a long way. I still think another arm or two will have to rise up and contribute.

Gilbert: You don’t lose arms like Brandon Thompson and Steve Smith and not feel it. However, Coach Matt Guttierez has returners Nick Cook and Devin Fuller to build around. Fuller is one of the top 07 arms around. Nevertheless, there will need to be big contributions from guys I don’t know about for the Tigers to challenge in the Fiesta.

Corona Del Sol: With innings eater Chris Reap gone to graduation, Gabe Sandersius will return as the #1 guy in Aztec land. After that Coach Ron Davini has a committee of T.J. Stapp, David Lovett and Matt Ortiz to fill the rotation. There’s some real potential here, but not much in the way of proven commodities.

Goldwater: They took the #1 seed out of their region tournament last year, and most of the pitching is intact. Senior Freddy Rothermel brings hi 80s heat, and Joe Gustafson was one of the state’s top sophomore pitchers last season.

Mountain View (Mesa): The Toros return their #1 guy in Nick Shannon, and both Justin Kirkpatrick and Jake Borup show some flashes as the 2-3 guys in the rotation.

Tolleson: They have a bona fide stud in lefty Brent Fisher. Aaron Capono and Rene Ramos will be the 2-3 guys and they’re pretty good. They’ll need contributions from elsewhere.

Sunrise Mountain: They lost a ton of innings when Eric Lamb graduated. However, Jordan Fenton has been on the hill for 2 seasons already. Taylor McGregor, Trey Burks and James Wood can throw. Coach Eric Gardner has some young talent in the wings.

Marcos De Niza: Don’t look now, but Coach George Sanchez has the beginnings of a pretty salty rotation with righties Adam Prange and Kyle Brule. Prange, at 6-6 225 has the body scouts dream about, and his mechanical improvement in the last year is impressive. Brule is a top echelon 07 arm who continues to strengthen and mature. Fellow sophs K.C. Boyles and Shaun Deisler will see innings as well.

Marcos De Niza's Kyle Brule

Desert Vista: The rotation will be anchored by seniors Max Mooney (RH) and Derrick Deroche (LH). Mooney has a live arm that can produce hi 80s velocity. He’s one to keep an eye on. Deroche brings a load of varsity experience to the hill. Roy Metter is an impressive 07 who saw some time as a freshman. He should be the #3. Chris Brown and Clint Helling will contribute.

Mesa: The Jackrabbits have a good one atop the rotation in Caleb Hunsaker. He has a nice repertoire of pitches and great command. Junior Rudy Owens is a comer as well.

Red Mountain: Newcomer Chris Love will probably be the #1. He’s a junior and one to watch in the future. Patrick Joyce is another good arm, but he suffered a leg injury and will miss the early part of the season.