SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Santa Clara baseball enters the 2015 campaign on the heels of its most successful season in recent memory, which included a top-four conference finish and a berth in the West Coast Conference Baseball Championship. The Broncos closed out the 2014 regular season by winning five consecutive series for a total of 16 conference wins — the highest count since a 16-win WCC output nearly a decade earlier in 2004.
As fourth-year head Coach Dan O'Brien and the 2015 Broncos build off a successful season, the program knows its foundation is as key to sustaining that success as recent results.
"Whether we're coming off a tough year like we did two years ago or a great year for the program last year, I always like to emphasize that this program is not about winning baseball games," O'Brien said. "I feel strongly that if we put the right system in place and bring in the right kind of people, that winning will take care of itself. That's why I'm so excited about where we are because the program has never been as healthy as it is right now."
O'Brien added that he started to see players take more accountability and ownership of the team toward the end of last season, a trend that has continued through fall and early spring preparation. One such player that stepped into a leadership role in 2014 — then-sophomore Jose Vizcaino Jr. — was one of only two Broncos to play in all 56 games and led the team in batting average (.323), RBIs (28) and stolen bases (11).
"There's definitely more expectation and pressure to work harder and push that little extra to hopefully get us to the championship and regionals," Vizcaino Jr. said. "Last year we got a taste of that and were so close that we really feel like it's something that can happen this year … I think our practices are more productive; we don't have to talk about the little things as much because guys' mindsets are sound and focused on getting better."
The San Diego native joins sophomore catcher Stevie Berman (.322) and senior left fielder T.J. Braff (.309) as returning starters in the field, all three of whom hit better than .300 a season ago. Berman finished fourth in the WCC with a .443 on-base percentage and was named to the conference's all-freshman team. Braff took over first base in April after an injury to senior Mac Hess, and hit safely in 16 of 20 starts while recording 20 RBIs during that span alongside a spotless 1.000 fielding percentage at first base.
Santa Clara's 2015 freshman class, ranked 64th in the nation by Perfect Game USA, along with junior college transfers Ryan Budnick and TC Florentine from Edmonds (Wash.) Community College will compete with returning position players to round out the starting nine. O'Brien said the new Broncos have made an impression because of their confidence, energy and maturity, giving the 12 freshman newcomers a chance to be a young group well beyond its years.
"We've added some solid young infielders. One of our top priorities is to be the best defensive team ever to play at Santa Clara," O'Brien said. "We have lot of players that are versatile, so we'll try a number of things defensively until we find the right nine."
On the hill, Santa Clara features a weekend rotation of three pitchers that each made at least nine starts last season: junior Peter Hendron, redshirt sophomore Steven Wilson and junior Jacob Steffens. Hendron led the team with six wins as the Broncos' Saturday starter, Wilson pitched as a Sunday starter for most of the season, and Steffens provided a late spark — the Broncos won seven in a row when the Phoenix, Ariz. native took the mound at the end of the regular season.
Santa Clara also returns its four most-used relievers in junior and 2014 First Team All-WCC Selection Reece Karalus (6-2, 2.25 ERA, 34 appearances, 11 SV), sophomore Jason Seever (3-2, 3.12 ERA, 29 appearances), junior Nick Medeiros and sophomore Kevin George.
"I think they're truly going to be the ones that carry us," Vizcaino Jr. said of the Bronco pitching staff. "Coach [Gabe] Ribas has done a great job of developing the younger guys and making the older guys mature on the mound. They have a presence I've never seen. Having that good pitching staff alleviates pressure on the hitters. I honestly feel like this year our pitchers are going to keep us in a lot of games."
The Broncos' veteran pitching staff will be tested throughout the season, beginning with a Feb. 13-15 matchup against defending national champion and Collegiate Baseball preseason No. 1 Vanderbilt. Santa Clara is the only squad in the country to play a three-game set at both the top-ranked Commodores and No. 2-ranked TCU Horned Frogs (Apr. 17-19). Home-and-homes against 2014 super regional participant Stanford and regional finalist Cal Poly are also on tap for the Broncos in non-conference play, which includes a trip to Manhattan, Kan. to face perennial Big XII powerhouse Kansas State in a weekend series March 6-8.
"This is the toughest schedule the program has played in a long time. It's not a coincidence that this is also the year that our first recruiting class — a majority of which were future front-line pitchers — are in their third year as juniors," O'Brien said. "We wanted this to be the toughest schedule and most veteran pitching staff coming together at the same time."
At the end of their 27-game conference slate, the Broncos can make a repeat trip to the WCC Baseball Championships with a second consecutive top-four conference finish. Just one team in the WCC — Gonzaga — has qualified for the tournament in each of the first two years under the current format. O'Brien and the Broncos step onto the diamond as what the head coach calls an athletic group that has a chance to be a really balanced team.
"For a while, we haven't had that success to make us really feel confident," Vizcaino Jr. said. "We know that we can compete with the best and we really have the makeup to win the last game of the season. I think it's fun and it's going to be an exciting season."
