Skyline’s baseball team has been a bit unpredictable this season, winning some and losing some. Through March 31, they were in third place in the Coast Conference North standings, just one game out of second place and playoff position.
“We’re hot and cold,” Coach Dino Nomicos said after the Trojans’ 7-6 loss against Cañada last Thursday. “We won three games before the break, we beat some good teams. We just got back from the break and we’ve lost two games. We’re off and on.”
As of the end of March, College of San Mateo was currently in the conference lead, followed by Cabrillo College in second, but Skyline is ready to move up the leader board. Nomicos still says he feels they will make the playoffs and could win the conference championship again.
“Anything can happen,” Nomicos said. “I’ve been doing this for 20 years; I’ve seen strange things happen. CSM could go on a losing streak. They still have to play us two more times.”
According to the coach, all the teams in the conference have been beating each other up, so, even with the standings, most of the teams were relatively even, with five teams tied for second and third place. Only CSM is alone in their #1 ranking, having a four-game advantage on the other teams.
Skyline just needs a good winning streak, according to Nomicos, and they will get that playoff spot.
“I think if we put it together, we’re only one game out, we have a good chance to go to the playoffs,” he said. “In baseball, since we play so many games, one week can turn a whole season around.”
Skyline is a little more than halfway through their season, having less than 15 games left of 38. Their overall record is 13-8, and their conference record is 4-6. The biggest struggle the team has had this season is their hitting.
“We leave too many runners in scoring position,” Nomicos said. “That’s been our biggest downfall this year. Right now, pitching is the best part of the team. Our ERA is 3.8, which is very good.”
Nomicos also said that their defense has been a strong part of the team this season.
But regardless of the outcome of a game, Nomicos is proud of the effort his team gives and really thinks they can pull it off this season.
“We’ve been inconsistent, and that’s why the kids are at a junior college. It’s a learning experience. They are all good kids, good players; they want to do well. … It’s just that you want the kids to win so bad because they play so hard and they have pride.”
Nomicos mentioned that other schools seem to look at Skyline with a bit of arrogance, like the Trojans are “second-class citizens,” but that doesn’t change how he feels about his team.
“We’re different here, we’re blue collar. I wouldn’t change that,” he said. “I get more effort out of my guys. I think that’s why it hurts them more when they lose because they practice hard, they play hard, they do well in school as a majority. We have a lot of pride.”
