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Left to right, left-handed pitcher Raffael Chiarella, right-handed pitcher Jaiden Turner and first baseman Owen Bolich are three sophomore returners for a 2025 Hancock College baseball team that will have seven freshmen starters on opening day.
Owen Bolloch swings at a ball during the Hancock baseball game against Cypress in March 2024.
Sports Reporter
Left to right, left-handed pitcher Raffael Chiarella, right-handed pitcher Jaiden Turner and first baseman Owen Bolich are three sophomore returners for a 2025 Hancock College baseball team that will have seven freshmen starters on opening day.
Owen Bolloch swings at a ball during the Hancock baseball game against Cypress in March 2024.
On the day before the Hancock College baseball team’s season opener, the word that was tossed around at Hancock’s practice was “young.”
“We have a young team this year,” said Hancock left-handed pitcher Raffael Chiarella.
“A lot will depend this year on how our young guys step up,” said right-handed pitcher Jaiden Turner. “I feel they already turned a corner during fall ball.”
Veteran Hancock coach Chris Stevens said, “We returned every freshman from last year except one.”
Still, “We have a young team this year,” said Stevens.
Hancock will open its 2025 season against traditional season opening opponent College of the Sequoias Friday. This time, the Bulldogs will play at Visalia-based COS Friday and Saturday. Start times will be 1 p.m. Friday and 12 p.m. Saturday.
The Bulldogs finished 22-20 last year, including 15-9 in the always tough Western State Conference North Division. Hancock will try to bounce back after losing its last six games last season.
“I’m confident we can do that,” said sophomore first baseman Owen Bolich.
Stevens said the Bulldogs’ starting pitcher on opening day will be sophomore right-hander Liam Taft. The first baseman will be Bolich. All of the other Hancock starters, except possibly sophomore Levi Cook at third base, will be freshmen.
Taft was 1-2 with a 7.31 ERA in just 16 innings pitched last year.
Josue Garcia will be one of those freshmen Hancock starters. Garcia was the Times All-Area MVP his sophomore and junior seasons at Pioneer Valley High School. Before graduating from there, Garcia signed with NCAA Division 1 member Cal State Fullerton for a full-ride scholarship but, “He came to (Hancock) during (winter) break,” said Stevens.
Stevens said either Garcia or Matt Kovach will start at catcher for Hancock Friday. Colin Johnston will start at second. The shortstop will be Andrew Sandoval. The starting third baseman will be Garcia, if he isn’t catching, or Cook.
The starting left fielder will be Richie Robles. The center fielder will be Brady Oliver. The starting right fielder will be Shaine Heriford.
Sandoval and Robles both graduated from Pioneer Valley. Kovach graduated from Lompoc.
Bolich was a regular who hit .210 last year. Turner was 4-2 with a 6.38 ERA in 48 innings pitched. Chiarella saw limited action last year, pitching 10.2 innings.
Chiarella graduated from Bishop Gorman High School in Las Vegas. Boling is a Stockdale High School alum. Turner said he appreciated the climate change after coming from Hancock following his graduation from Billings High School in Montana.
“It was nice coming somewhere where it’s warm,” he said.
There never seems to be a pre-season favorite in the WSC North, and Stevens said that is the case again this year. “There’s no telling who will win it,” Stevens said.
Chiarella believes Hancock has the team to make a run in the WSC North this year. “We have very close team, great players, great coaches,” he said.
Sports Reporter
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