No rebuild has looked like Tokay’s.
Twelve seniors from last year’s SJAA championship team graduated. Only four players returned.
That’s what made Monday all the more special.
After being routed 9-1 by Edison on April 8, Tokay’s youth answered in a do-or-die moment — rallying to beat first-place Edison 5-3 at home on April 20 to even the season series.
Now, both teams are tied for first at 10-2 with two games to go.
“We took our lumps early,” coach Scott Campbell said. “We learned what it takes to play at the varsity level. For young guys, that adjustment is real. Now it’s paying off. We’re competing every at-bat. Playing all seven innings. Our pitchers are throwing strikes and going after hitters. Our defense is making plays. When we do that, we’ve got a shot to win every game.”
Sophomore starting pitcher Alex Preap added, “I looked up to a lot of the players on the team last year. We wanted to keep it going for them.”
Despite giving up three earned runs in the third inning, Preap settled in. He went six innings on 99 pitches, allowing eight hits and striking out one.
Fellow sophomores Nico Ferroni and Cooper Whatley each contributed. Ferroni went 2-for-3 with two RBIs, while Whatley added an RBI.
“I’m really proud of this team,” Preap said. “A big part of it is that we’re young and we keep having fun. Even after a tough loss to them, we didn’t let it change us. We just show up ready to play every day.”
Three of the four returners also made their presence felt, as senior Jake Sell went 3-for-3 and junior Myles Apalit and senior Gavin Severson each added an RBI.
“I hadn’t played with any of the underclassmen before,” Sell said. “But we’re a tight group. It was easy to step in and lead. It’s been the most fun I’ve had playing baseball.”
For Edison, senior pitcher Santiago Moreno went four innings, allowing nine hits and three earned runs — his highest totals of the season. He still leads the Sac-Joaquin Section with 83 strikeouts, but was limited to just three.
Senior Isaac Stewart got Edison on the board, driving in his younger brother Roman with a third-inning single. Parker Biedermann followed with a two-RBI single shortly after.
“The way they care about each other and the camaraderie off the field has made the difference,” Campbell said. “They’re family.”
‘How you respond’
Batting average. Earned run average. Hits. Doubles. Triples.
Preap leads Tokay in all of them.
He’s also second in on-base percentage, stolen bases, runs and slugging percentage.
Hard to believe he was on junior varsity last year.
“With a senior-heavy class, we decided his spot was better at the JV level,” Campbell said. “He accepted that and grew from it. That development is showing right now.”
The second inning got shaky — three walks and the bases loaded — but Preap worked out of it with a double play.
The third was tougher. Three runs crossed.
“Baseball is a hard game,” Preap said. “Bad things happen. It doesn’t always go your way. You can do everything right, and it still goes wrong. I had to flush it and trust my defense and offense.”
From there, he settled in, shutting things down over the final three innings.
That kind of response — from Preap and the rest of the team — is why Tokay is two games away from going back-to-back.
Much of it traces back to that junior varsity experience.
“It allowed us to make mistakes,” Preap said. “More importantly, it showed us it’s okay to make mistakes. It’s all about how you respond.”
‘It’s a family win’
The top of the lineup gets the credit.
They bring the power. They get on base. They drive in runs.
But the bottom of the lineup is just as important.
“Being able to turn it over and get back to the top is essential for sustained success,” Campbell said.
Trailing 3-0 in the bottom of the third, Sell, the No. 8 hitter, doubled.
He moved to third on a passed ball and scored on a single from Ferroni, the No. 9 hitter.
“We can trust every guy in our lineup to do a job,” Sell said. “It’s awesome knowing everyone on our team can put the ball in play and score runs.”
It was more of the same in the fourth.
Severson, the No. 6 hitter, doubled, and an error brought Brody Steele home from first to make it 3-2.
Evan Dodero, the No. 7 hitter, walked, and Sell followed with a single to load the bases.
Ferroni came through again, tying the game at 3-3 with a single.
“We had a lot of great at-bats that inning,” Sell said. “We drew a couple of walks, kept putting the ball in play and made them play catch. That led to a lot of runs.”
Whatley, usually near the bottom of the lineup, delivered a sacrifice groundout as a pinch-hitter to give Tokay its first lead, 4-3.
Apalit added the final run with an RBI single in the fifth.
“Each of them accepts the role they’ve been given,” Campbell said. “They view it as a family effort. When we lose, it’s a family loss. When we win, it’s a family win.”
This article originally appeared on The Record: Tokay baseball’s young roster comes of age, nears back-to-back SJAA titles
Reporting by Dylan Ackermann, The Stockton Record / The Record
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