FRONT ROW: A breath of fresh air

UNDERSIZED OVERACHIEVERS: Every once in a while, I end up covering a game that reminds me why I chose this line of work.

Like most of you, I get frustrated with all the nonsense that clutters the “fan experience,” and I need that jolt of excitement that can only be provided through a purely enjoyable sporting event.

Saturday afternoon at the Sahuarita High School varsity field provided that jolt.

First, a little back story.

I’ve been covering the Mustangs’ baseball program since 2006, right at the tail end of that fantastic run of top-level talent (Manny Barreda, Ramon “Chapo” Delgado, Fernando Mejia, and a handful of others). Those Bryan Huie-managed teams were just fearsome — strong, disciplined, driven. For a school the size of Sahuarita, those teams were out of this world.

But reality hit last year when the Mustangs moved from 3A to the 4A-II Gila region and those phenomenal athletes graduated. The 2008 Mustangs had all the heart you could ask for, but stringing together enough hits for a sustained offensive rally was always a tall task.

Then, tragedy struck when Shaun Glover’s younger brother Deshun died in a frightening scene at Reid Park in Tucson on July 25, 2008. The loss rocked the Sahuarita baseball team to its core.

It was a rebuilding season in every sense, but the patience is starting to pay off in a really big way.

Second-year manager Sam Gelardi calls this team his “undersized overachievers.” There aren’t any Barredas or Delgados in this bunch. Nobody throws a 95 mile-per-hour fastball or hits a home run every four at-bats.

Leo Sierra is the obvious exception to the rule here. At 6-foot-5 with top-end strength, speed and coordination, Sierra has eye-opening physical tools.

But the rest of this roster is full of kids who stand under six feet, but play the game harder than any group of teenagers I’ve ever seen. They possess an inspiring respect for the game and for the Mustang program. It’s been a joy to cover them this season.

Saturday’s 5-0 win over Douglas was the culmination of everything this team has gone through during the past couple years. They earned all the smiles, all the high-fives.

The Mustangs will look to continue their march through the state baseball playoffs today at Phoenix Municipal Baseball Park, when they face sixth-seeded Greenway at 4 p.m.

For more coverage on the Sahuarita baseball team, check today’s edition of the Sahuarita Sun or visit www.sahuaritasun.com for all of my weekly stories throughout this exciting season.

ANGRY WILDCATS: Mike Candrea has spent his career building the Arizona softball program into a true dynasty, with eight NCAA Women’s College World Series titles and 19 appearances in the tournament.

If the Wildcats are going to add to that total, they will be doing it far away from home.

On Sunday night, Wildcat fans sat glued to ESPNU to find out where Arizona would be opening the postseason. Few expected to see the Wildcats headed to Louisville, Ky.

No. 9-seed Arizona (41-14), will open its quest for another title far away from home, kicking off the round-robin regional portion of the tournament against Tennessee-Martin on Friday at 1 p.m. Host school Louisville and Purdue are also in Arizona’s pool. Sadly, no TV coverage is planned for this part of the tournament.

Should the Wildcats advance, they would face the winner of No. 8 Stanford’s regional.

There is no doubt that the Wildcats feel slighted by this placing. Perhaps they will react like they did last season, when they tore through the Hempstead, N.Y. pool.

nprevenas@gvnews.com | 547-9747