Northridge coach Mike Huston recalls last year’s devastated dugout scene in detail.
The dropped heads. The mix of anger and regret that comes from having a state tournament berth slip through the fingers.
The Grizzlies had outplayed up until the decisive final moments of that Class 4A regional championship game, which the Eagles eventually won 7-6 in extra innings before advancing to capture the state title.
Northridge racked up 16 hits in the game but stranded 10 runners on base and committed a key error with two outs in the bottom of the seventh, when a bad throw on a routine ground ball enabled Valor Christian to tie the game.
“At the end of the game last year, we sat there and told the players, ‘Know what this feels like,'” said Huston, in his 17th year as the Northridge head coach. “That hurt because we felt we had done everything to put ourselves in a position to move on, and that didn’t happen.”
The Grizzlies seeped in the disappointment that day. They mired in it. And then, quickly thereafter, they accepted it, and after graduating just one senior, appear to be out for vindication this season.
“That’s all of our motivation right now, because we know we had Valor on the ropes,” junior centerfielder and southpaw pitcher Kaylor Werner said. “We know we can play with the best in the state, and we’re determined to show everyone that we’re back and better than we were last year.”
No. 6 Northridge (8-1, 4-0 Northern League) has already posted a number of impressive victories, including back-to-back over No. 7 Longmont. The first was a 3-2 extra-innings triumph over the Trojans last Thursday, followed by a come-from-behind 10-7 win Monday in which the Grizzlies erased a three-run deficit in the seventh inning.
In addition to Werner, senior first baseman/pitcher Jacob Lombardelli and senior second baseman/pitcher Justin Frye also highlight the roster, while junior righty Chance Eben has solidified his spot as the team’s ace and guys such as senior catcher Valentino Miranda — who had the go-ahead hit on Monday — give the Grizzlies depth.
“Eben has been great for us so far with his command of the zone and his confidence, and I think our team feeds off that when he pitches,” Huston said. “And we’re a lot deeper than just Eben with our arms. I’ve got five guys I have confidence handing the ball to.”
A tough league schedule ensures Northridge will continue to get tested down the stretch, especially from April 13-22, a span in which the Grizzlies play twice against both and No. 2 .
It’s a challenge the Grizzlies are hungry to take on as they aim to be playing their best ball come playoff time — with the expectations being that they have the skill and experience to make a run at the program’s first state championship.
“We felt like we haven’t necessarily gotten the recognition we deserve, but we’re okay with that,” Werner said. “If people don’t know about us, that just gives us more of a reason to go and make a statement to let people know who we are and put Northridge baseball on the map.”
