Baseball:

By Brian Reed-Baiotto, Sports Editor

It would be difficult to find an SGV area program that made a bigger turnaround in 2020 than Rancho Cucamonga.

One year after going 7-20 overall, and 3-12 in Baseline League games, the Cougars claimed nine victories in their first 12 games.

And it wasn’t like RC rolled out a soft schedule.

The Cougars defeated San Dimas, Crescenta Valley, Alta Loma and La Salle, just to name a few of their victims.

But no victory, make that two, meant more to the players and coaches than winning the season series in the Baseline League opener against a Damien program that had the Cougars number in recent years.

On March 2, the boys from Rancho made a trip to La Verne and left Damien with a 7-6 victory in the series opener.

Two days later, Jayden Lopez clinched the walk-off, 4-3 triumph, by driving in Emilio Garcia.

In the series finale on Friday, the Spartans would salvage the third game, 4-3, but not before Rancho Cucamonga had not only made an enormous statement by winning 2-of-3, they also proved there wouldn’t be any wilting under the pressure of one-run games against top-notch competition.

When word got to the players and coaches that COVID-19 was officially ending their dream season, the heartbreak was palpable.

At that time, RC was sitting atop the Baseline League standings, they had made a dramatic about-face with their program and had started to collect an impressive list of wins on their resume.

More importantly, though, this group of seniors changed the atmosphere, expectations and chemistry for the better.

On top of all of that, what the players were able to achieve on the field wasn’t even their most impressive feat.

Just take a glance at the list of this senior class, their GPA and where they were expected to continue their baseball careers at the next level.

Abraham García (4.0, UC Irvine), Owen Cain (4.4, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical), Darius Price (4.6, Hawaii Pacific University), Max Beaulieu (4.0, Hawaii Pacific), Lorenzo Martinez (4.3, Worcester Poly Institute), Joel Gaitan (3.6, Chaffey College), Emilio Garcia (3.0, Chaffey College), Cesar Luevano (3.7, Chaffey College) and Aaron Allen (4.0, Comm. Christian College-Redlands).

But let’s get back to baseball for now.

The optimism of making a 180-degree turn as a program in 2020 didn’t get off to a great start.

With just a few months to go before the first pitch of their season, RC needed a new coach, because a job opening in Orange County understandably was too good of an opportunity to pass up.

So, Rancho Cucamonga teacher, Tony Garcia-Bautista, the father of catcher, Abraham Garcia-Pacheco, took over the reigns of the program.

But before any drills, batting practice, bullpen sessions or even cardio began, Garcia-Bautista started from scratch.

The Cougars program did team-bonding exercises and events and completely changed the dynamics and chemistry of the club.

Instead of having cliques, they were one big family. They liked each other, got along and even hung out off the baseball field.

After defeating one of the SGV’s most respected and successful programs (San Dimas, 4-1) to open the season, confidence grew and it was just the start to what looked to be a record year for Rancho Cucamonga.

Amongst a long list of contributing players (and coaches), it seemed catcher Abraham Garcia-Pacheco or Bam as he’s called, and Owen Cain made enormous contributions, both in the field and at the plate.

Owen Cain played almost every position in the field, including behind the plate to give Bam a rest from time to time.

When he wasn’t needed in the field, Cain served as the Cougars DH.

In all the ways that Cain raised his game to another level, it was with his dramatic ascension at the plate that made him one of the Cougars biggest contributors in 2020.

One year after an anemic .091 batting average with one hit, one run scored and a pair of RBIs, Cain was a different (young) man.

In 2020, he raised his batting average 332 points to .423.

He had 11 hits, scored seven runs, drove in six, doubled, tripled and walked six times.

Cain admitted it wasn’t that he didn’t know how to hit in 2019.

It was a lack of confidence that seemed to dramatically take over when he’d go from the success and fluidity in the batting cage to facing pitchers in a live-game scenario.

Well, being the genius that he is, and that’s not an exaggeration, Cain got his head straight and SGV area pitchers and coaches took notice.

He wasn’t an easy out, in fact he was quite the opposite, only striking out twice in 2020.

“My turnaround happened because I put in the work with my guys,” Cain said. “When I stepped up to the plate, I wasn’t scared or uncomfortable anymore. Last year, I wasn’t thinking what can I do for my team, most of the time when I was up, it was like you better get a hit right now or you’re going to be taken out of the lineup.”

Three paragraphs above, we mentioned he’s a bright dude, and that’s an understatement.

Cain finished with a 4.4 GPA and he’s head Embry-Riddle Aeronautical in Prescott, Arizona, where he wants to become a Rocket Scientist and design jets.

He’ll also compete for the baseball program.

Owen’s great intellect is matched only by his enormous heart.

On more than a few occasions, in a Wednesday night phone interview, Cain broke down crying, and it wasn’t because he’s weak. It was just the opposite.

He loves his coaches, teammates, family, friends and the game of baseball, and wears his heart on his sleeve.

“I’d almost rather go 7-20 again this year if it at least meant I got to finish out my season with my guys,” he said. “But I couldn’t be more proud of what were able to accomplish and how much each guy did to make this a special and successful season.”

Invoking the names of Cain’s parents, Nyma and Sean, brought out his most sustained flow of tears.

While Sean and Nyma are no longer together, they are equally fabulous parents to their kids and Owen is so grateful to have both in his life.

“I probably wouldn’t be playing baseball without my mom. I had a bad sophomore year, and had no motivation and she said ‘I put in this effort for you, you’re going to do this for me,’ and I’m so glad she did that, because I wouldn’t have been able to experience this great feeling had she not pushed me to see this through. My dad, and his work ethic really inspires me. He can get out of bed at five in the morning, fly to Sacramento, return later that day and there he was in the stands with a suit on and cheering me on. I can’t put into words how much that means to me.”

When it comes to his forced free time during the pandemic, Cain got a guitar, plays Call of Duty and rides his mountain bike.

We asked Cain if there was anyone he was especially close with, what he’d want his younger teammates to remember about him and his message to the coaches.

Said Owen Cain: “Lorenzo Martinez is my best friend and we’ve been really close since the second grade. I’d want the guys who are coming back to remember how bad I looked at times in batting practice and through hard word and working on the mental side of the game, I was able to completely change the level in which I played the game, and so can you.

And to the coaches, I really feel Coach Garcia has no idea how much he impacted us individually and as a team. He made all the difference in the world and we all owe him so much. I also wanted to name Coach Joe Spiers, who was just like Coach Garcia, in giving us the facilities and training to be as good as we were. Coach John Piazza is more dedicated to the program than anyone I know. He put in countless hours to the field and over the years, and through a number of coaching changes, he’s been there and cares so much for all of the players.”

Also, part of the crew that deserves credit is pitching coach Larry Nevarez, who led the staff to a 1.50 team ERA.

Another close buddy of Owen’s, Bam, said the following: “Owen is one of the most caring people that I’ve ever met. He is a great person and friend. At the plate, a big part of his success was mental and lacking confidence. But the whole team believed in him and he didn’t let us down.”

Abraham Garcia-Pacheco lives up to the mantra of no one understanding the game of baseball better than catchers.

He is a very bright, confident, articulate and selfless leader.

Even if you didn’t know his father was a baseball coach, it wouldn’t take long to figure it out, because he’s an encyclopedia.

Bam is the only baseball player in school history to play all four years at the varsity level and he’s was a full-time starter from 2018-2020.

In a late night phone conversation on Wednesday night, it was really interesting to pick his brain and get his thoughts on baseball, life, grades and family.

Because of all he offers and his 4.0 GPA, Garcia-Pacheco will be attending and competing for UC Irvine in 2021.

During his freshman campaign, Bam collected four hits in 11 at-bats.

Over the next two years, he batted .315 and .300, respectively.

But he saved his best for last.

This year, he batted .385, with 10 hits, seven runs, 11 RBIs and two doubles.

His biggest contribution to the success of the Rancho Cucamonga program, along with his natural leadership abilities is what Garcia-Pacheco does behind the plate.

He has a unique ability in his brain to store information about each hitter that the Cougars face, including their habits, strengths and weaknesses

And because of that uncanny skill and his enormous baseball IQ, his coaches and teammates trust him to call the first to final pitch in each game for the Rancho Cucamonga staff.

Bam is also a guy who doesn’t give a rats (butt) about headlines or stats.

As long as the program won that day, he’ll go home happy, regardless if he went 0-for-4 or 4-for-4.

Cain described his buddy this way: “Bam is one of the best teammates you could ever have. He’s always at practice giving everything he has, and he picks up the spirits of everyone on the team. He’s one of those key players that without him, the whole team chemistry just feels a little off. Even people who don’t know him, like him. He comes off as a cool dude, but if you really get to know him, he’s one of the most funny and down to earth guys you could ever meet.”

You all know his dad is the head coach, Tony Garcia-Bautista, who Bam loves playing for and respects immensely for a number of reasons. Who you might not know is his mother, Rosy Garcia-Pacheco.

“My mom’s biggest impact is the love and support she shows my two siblings (Rosyvette & Tony), my dad and I. She does everything for us and always makes sure I have everything ready every day. Both of my parents push us hard to value education and to be good and respectful people.”

The one-upmanship at the Garcia household includes Abraham playfully needling his 22-year old brother Tony, that while he played Division 2 baseball at Concordia in Irvine, Bam will be playing D-1 ball at UCI.

When asking Bam what he hopes his legacy is, the role he felt was his duty to carry out and what he’s most proud about, Garcia-Pacheco said the following:

“I hope I’m remembered as a guy who worked hard, that I cared about my teammates and their success as much as I did my own and that I was willing to sacrifice for our success as a program. I also wanted each of my teammates to know they were vital and important in our success. I appreciate all of my teammates and coaches and this is a time I’ll always look back to with great pride.”

During the stay-at-home orders by both the state and federal leaders, Bam said his dad wakes him up a little too early sometimes just to work out, but that he does enjoy it and that’s it’s obviously productive.

And he acknowledged with a laugh that he’s been known to be up until 4 in the morning playing video games against his buddies.

While it’s true that every player on this resurgent program was nothing less than devastated when word came down that a forced quarantine and a pandemic would end their final prep run, in time, there is nothing or no one that can take away from the accomplishments of this close-knit unit.

This 2020 Rancho Cucamonga baseball team changed the bar for both expectations and work ethic. They did not get to finish what they started, but through hard work, by building a ‘we’ atmosphere and chemistry, they became the first baseball team in school history to be nationally ranked.

And that’s pretty impressive.

Finally, we asked RC coach Tony Garcia-Bautista why his club got off to such a great start to 2020 and what he appreciated most about Cain and Garcia-Pacheco.

Said Garcia-Bautista: “Our team got out of the gate running full throttle because of our offseason training and our mental approach to our game. Our players understood from day one that if we out-worked all of our opponents, and we trained to be a champion, we would play to win a championship. We emphasized the running and team game at practice, and combined a plethora of practices with physical, strength, power and speed training, as well as mental trainings and sessions. Sports psychologist, Dr. Mario Soto, was big for our players mental state.

I appreciate their character… their work ethic, and their down-to-earth, level-headed human persona and kindness. Both of these kids took younger kids under their wing, freshman, junior varsity and varsity alike, and showed them the way. They protected and nurtured the young ones. Both were amazing role models, and both leave a leadership legacy behind, a torch they passed down to the junior class to assume for next year. And these freshmen and sophomores that they nurtured, have learned the value of looking out for your younger players, and that we were one team as a program; from our freshman and JV players, to our varsity level. I can not wait to see the next chapter in their lives. Our future as a nation is in good hands because of kids like our 2020 senior class!”

Quotable:

Rancho Cucamonga coach, Tony Garcia-Bautista on Owen Cain: “Owen Cain was our second catcher, during both his junior and senior year, and our starting third baseman as a senior, with García-Pacheco doing most of the catching. He was our No. 5 hitter in the lineup and became Mr. Clutch for us in big games. He batted .423. Cain played first base catcher mostly. His exceptional defensive play allowed us to keep his bat in the lineup, while giving much needed rest to other players. He was a tireless horse for us. He lead by example and was vocal when needed.”

Rancho Cucamonga coach, Tony Garcia-Bautista on Abraham Garcia-Pacheco: “Abraham García-Pacheco was the second catcher his freshman and sophomore year, catching the middle game of the three-game a week league season. As a junior, he became the starter at catcher, bat in the No. 3, 4 or No. 5 holes in our lineup, and would play third base in the middle game of the three-game league series. As a junior and senior, he was a leader on the team, and served as our team captain this 2020 for his senior year. As a senior, he was our No. 3 hitter and led our team in RBI’s and was amongst our top hitters, batting .385. He called his own game and leading the pitching staff to a 1.50 season team ERA, including five consecutive shutouts. At the plate, he led the charge, taking pressure off the younger players and delivering big for us the entire season. He was our vocal team captain that kept the troops focused.”

Rancho Cucamonga Records:

2020: 9-2-1 overall, 2-1 in Baseline League

2019: 7-20, 3-12

2018: 19-11, 9-6

2017: 9-18, 3-12

Final 2020 Baseline League Standings:

Rancho Cucamonga (9-2-1 overall, 2-1 in Baseline League

Upland (5-1, 0-0)

Chino Hills (4-1-1, 0-0)

Etiwanda (3-2, 0-0)

Los Osos (4-5, 0-0)

Damien (5-4, 1-2)