The UCSD baseball team is the 2005 California Collegiate Athletic Association Champion, and the feeling of victory will not soon be forgotten, especially for the 11 graduating seniors, Keith Hernandez, Logan Boutilier, Shlomo Lipetz, Brian Robinson, Ricky Pinocchio, Alex Gascon, Joel Clark, Ryan Langone, Brad Beltz, Craig King and Matt Anderson.
The fat lady sang:
“Without question, the most memorable moment for me in my four years playing here at UCSD was May 14, 2005, when we won the CCAA Championship up in Chico,” Triton senior shortstop Hernandez said. “After four grueling games in two days, to be able to run out on the field and dogpile with my teammates was the most incredible feeling ever. All year we talked about how good it was going to feel in the end after all the hard work we put in day in and day out, and [the championship] definitely was everything I expected and more.”
UCSD senior ace pitcher Boutilier agreed.
“Without a doubt, the dogpile when we won the conference championship in Chico — beating Chico on their home field — was the best feeling,” he said. “We’ve worked so hard and come so far as a team, it was outstanding to let it all go and celebrate something great.”
San Diego natives Hernandez and Boutilier spearheaded the effort for the championship and the Triton success over the past four years.
Hernandez, a four-year starter at shortstop, has been extremely successful under the tutelage of UCSD head coach Dan O’Brien.
“It has tr uly been a privilege to play for coach Dan O’Brien and the UCSD baseball program for four years,” Hernandez said. “This year was truly a special year and I will never forget this year’s team or the final night of our season up in Chico.”
Herdandez is the only Triton to start in every game since he was a freshman — 223 consecutive starts. As a freshman, he earned the team’s Rookie of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year honors. As a sophomore, he earned an All-CCAA Honorable Mention. As a junior, he earned All-CCAA Second Team honors and set a school record of 85 hits. In his senior season, Hernandez hit .307, smacked the first two home runs of his collegiate career, had 40 RBIs and was selected to the All-CCAA Honorable Mention squad.
“Keith will always be remembered as the shortstop that brought UCSD baseball to the national level,” O’Brien said. “He’s that good.”
With graduation approaching, Hernandez awaits the June 6 MLB draft and is considering playing baseball in Europe.
Boutilier has developed over his four years in the program as well. He began as a closer, stepped in as a reliever for the majority of his junior year and became the ace of the UCSD pitching staff during his senior season. In 2005, Boutilier was selected to the All-CCAA First Team and posted an astounding 11-2 record with an ERA of 3.47.
“Logan represents what UCSD baseball is all about,” O’Brien said. “His outstanding year was a result of a superior attitude and a superior state of mind.”
Also on the pitching staff, Triton closer Lipetz led the Tritons with seven saves on the season.
“Shlomo [Lipetz] was there for us in tough situations and got us out of a lot of jams,” O’Brien said. “He will be missed as a player and as a leader.”
Not only will UCSD need to fill two crucial pitching positions, but O’Brien and his staff must refill the infield, as first baseman Robinson, second baseman Pinocchio, third baseman Gascon and Hernandez leave the team.
Robinson stepped up and hit .283 for the Tritons in 2005. He smacked 12 doubles and five home runs and posted a .478 slugging percentage.
Pinocchio was also recently selected to the All-CCAA Honorable Mention squad. He hit .299 this season with 15 doubles and a .441 slugging percentage. The second baseman also swiped eight bags, had 124 putouts and collected 61 hits this year.
Leading the 2005 Tritons with a .374 average, Gascon delivered the game-winning single in the final game against Chico State to give UCSD the CCAA Championship. For his efforts, Gascon was selected to the All-CCAA Second Team. He spent much of the conference season among the leaders in hitting and has been an all-around athlete at third with great defense and 15 stolen bases.
O’Brien will miss utility player Clark, who hit .337 with a .408 on-base percentage. The senior is fourth on the team with 64 hits in 2005 and was named to the All-CCAA Honorable Mention team.
Outfielders Langone, Beltz and King, and catcher Matt Anderson will also be leaving big holes in the field.
“I’m so proud of the leadership skills that this senior class developed throughout this year,” O’Brien said. “They are the reason that this team was a national contender.”
Teammates before they were Tritons, Hernandez and Boutilier said they will both sorely miss their teammates and the experience of playing baseball at UCSD.
“It’s the time in the team room, after practice, before games, on the bus — times when it’s just the team and me that I’ll miss the most,” Boutilier said. “The friendships and seeing people everyday will be missing in my heart. There’s something about sports and college sports specifically that gets to the heart. I’ll miss the group of guys fighting together daily for a common purpose that brings us together like nothing else can; it’s the stuff movies are made of.”
Hernandez agreed with Boutilier’s words.
“I will miss just being out there everyday going through the normal routines of practice,” he said. “I’ve been here for four years, so I’ve been accustomed to being out on that same field day in and day out. I will also miss playing with all of my teammates and coaches, who I’ve become extremely close with over the years.”
As always, the closing of one season begins the next, and the future of the UCSD baseball program is extremely bright.
“The teams in the next few years will have their sights set on not only winning the CCAA Championship but the Regionals and eventually [the NCAA Nationals in] Alabama,” Hernandez said. “With the coaches and players that come up in this program, I have a good feeling that it won’t be long until UCSD has a national title for baseball.”
The 2005 Tritons captured the CCAA Championship in what O’Brien called a “gutsy performance by our ball club.” Yet, even with the victory, the team was denied a bid to the NCAA Regional Tournament.
“We made something special out of this season, and for the seniors, something special worthy of going out with a bang,” Boutilier said. “No one can take that from us. While the bitterness [of not getting a Regional bid] may still be here, everyone should know that whoever wins the ‘championship’ this year didn’t face us.”
