MaxPreps Student SectionApril 14 - Woodland, CA - Sunny days, freshly cut grass, and the smell of wet dirt are small signs of life that can stir excitement in the baseball world. At Pioneer High School, Rotary Field is a lively place to be on a beautiful afternoon in mid-April. This spring season also comes with an itching sensation to win.
Craig Marquez has been the Head Coach of the Varsity Baseball team at
Pioneer (Woodland, Calif.) for the past two seasons. Before that, he served as an assistant coach for three seasons. In addition to his tenure at Pioneer, Marquez has coached at Butte Junior College in Oroville, California as well as with Regis in Denver, Colorado. Marquez is joined by assistant coaches Richard Church and Ryan Juarez. Former head coach Matt Bryson often supports the team from the dugout.
Pioneer High School's Varsity Baseball Team has 17 players on its current roster which consists of seven seniors, seven juniors, and three sophomores. This year's squad has high hopes. Coach Marquez and his players have a simple goal for this season: "To win every series." If they can take at least two out of three games from every team they face in League, the Patriots will be soaring their way into the postseason.
In 2006, the Patriots won the Division IV Sac-Joaquin Section Championship. Since then, the Patriots have been hungry to return to playoff competition. When asked to rate the strength of this year's team in comparison to teams of the past, Coach Marquez was thoughtful with his response. "If you consider our offense, defense, and pitching- it is one of the strongest all-around."
On the mound, the starting series rotation has typically been senior right-hander
Nathan Gonzalez, followed by sophomore left-hander
Robert Daugherty, and fellow sophomore southpaw
Zack Aukes holds the #3 spot. Behind the plate is usually battery-mate senior catcher Michael Barron.
The best game to date was against Yuba City on April 12th, but the series the Patriots are most looking forward to is with cross-town rival Woodland High School on May 3rd, 5th, and 6th. Until then, Pioneer will continue causing headaches for its opponents by playing solid defense, launching an air-attack with their bats, and wreaking havoc with their "never say die" mentality.
