A year removed from finishing as a runner-up in the Sac-Joaquin Section Division VII championship, the Turlock Christian High School baseball team finds itself back in the mix as one of the most dominant small-school programs in the region. The Eagles kept soaring above the competition over the past week with a lopsided, two-game sweep of Millennium (Tracy) to improve to 5-1 in the Central California Athletic Alliance and to 11-3 overall.
With only two games remaining in conference play this season in the form of a two-game set against defending league champion Venture Academy of Stockton next week, the Eagles now control their own destiny in their quest of winning their first CCAA title since 2023.
Keeping the momentum going in Tuesday’s 9-0 route of Millennium at Pedretti Park was the power pitching of junior Cam Kelley. The 5-foot-11 right-hander struck out a season-high15 batters while surrendering only three hits in the complete game effort. He struck out the side in both the fourth and fifth innings. Eleven of his punchouts were swinging, including all three in the fifth frame.
The outing marked Kelley’s second shutout of the season, the first being in a 1-0 pitcher’s duel against hurler Armando Flores and the Bobcats of the Ben Holt College Prep Academy on March 27. Kelley’s record improved to 4-0 on the year and his ERA dropped to a miniscule 0.76.
“He has always had a pretty good baseball IQ,” said TC head coach Bill York. “But he’s a year older. Now he’s understanding what he can do in those situations. He also has ice water in his veins. He’s such a low heartbeat kind of kind of guy, and he's applying it when he gets on the bump. It's really fun to watch.”
The key to Kelley’s success has been the fastball, one with significant break as it approaches the plate and tempts batters to offer a swing. It is complemented with a looping curveball and an occasional slider.
“I feel like I was able to hit my spots today,” Kelley said. “Everything felt good, all the pitches. And Michael (Miller) called a good game for me. We kept them off balanced and the fastball had a lot of tail on it. I was just confident in myself. I know I've put in the work, so I knew that it was going to be a good day from the beginning.”
Miller, TC’s senior captain behind the dish, led all hitters with four hits, an RBI and three runs scored from the leadoff spot. It followed up a three-hit performance, two RBI and three run outing in the opening game last Wednesday, a 17-7 road win. His team-leading batting average has increased to .523 (23 for 44), on-base percentage to .644, slugging percentage to .795 and run total to 30.
The Eagles lineup collected 13 hits on Tuesday. Jakobe Garcia had two to drive in three runs, while Winston York collected another two with an RBI. Kelley, Jake Dein, Blake Starn and Landon Taylor also had RBI hits on the afternoon.
“It’s a part of what our coaches tell us every day in their speeches, to keep the gas pedal down no matter what,” Miller said. “I think everyone here wants to win, too. That's a big part of it. Everyone likes hitting, and last year motivated us a lot.”
The fact that each of the 12 players of the Eagles roster are returners from last year’s section title bid has been another luxury for York.
The difference between this year and last year is that there is no difference,” York said with a laugh. “It's the exact same team, and they're each playing with that one more year of maturity, both mentally and then physically, which is fun to see. They were in midseason form from the third week of the season. It’s fun to have the same group of guys. They know what I'm going to expect from them and understand what our coaching staff is expecting them.”
Miller agreed: “I think that loss (in the section title game) has motivated us a lot,” he said. “I think everyone wants to get their ‘get-back,’ per se. It gave us more experience. We know what to do in big situations now. We’re a better team overall because of that, even though it hurt at the time. Right now, though, we’re feeling good about ourselves. We need to keep it rolling.”
Turlock Christian will enter next week in a race for first place with River Island of Lathrop, who are 3-1 with a two-game series to be played later this week against Ben Holt College Prep Academy. The final week of the CCAA season will start under the lights of Pedretti Park on Monday when the Eagles host Venture Academy for a 7 p.m. first pitch. The conference finale is slated for next Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. from Billy Herbert Field in Stockton.
