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Eight of the best teams were competiting to win a Connie Mack North State Championship, the HOOTS Baseball Club won their Fourth Northern California State Championship with a 7-4 victory over EJ Sports on the final day of the tournament.

Never easy, difficult field of teams, great competition were the key phrases that surround the Connie Mack North State Championship Tournament.  One team stands at the end to advance to represent Northern California at the Connie Mack West Regionals.  The HOOTS became that team behind a solid pitching performance by Duke bound Nick Piscotty and Kyle Slinger, committed to Tufts University.  The defense once again was flawless while the offense was led by Chris Keck, Tyler Davis and Brandon Woo.  The HOOTS will be one of the 8 remaining Connie Mack teams in the west while the winner advances to the Connie Mack World Series in Farmington, New Mexico.  The 2009 HOOTS became one of the first teams in 20 years from Northern California to reach the World Series.  That team was led by Stanford University junior Stephen Piscotty, First Team All Pac 10 and  who is currently playing in the Cape Cod Collegiate League and was an All Star Selection this summer.

The HOOTS will open Regional Play on Thursday at Tempe Diablo Stadium in Arizona.  You can view results of the West Regional at:

www.azdiamondreport.com 

Coach Johns commented on the game with the words of Chris Keck.  "We always try to outwork everyone, Champions are made when no one is watching."

Both teams faced with elimination in the Connie Mack North State Tournament the HOOTS defeated the West Lane Mets from Stockton 5-3 in a well played game by both teams to send them to the Championship game on Monday to determine the berth in the West Regional Connie Mack Tournament.  West Lane took an early lead 1-0 but the HOOTS answered back quickly to tie the game.  The battle between the two teams, who met each other in the North State Championship in 2010, saw the game tied 3 times before the HOOTS scored the 2 extra runs on key hits by Chris Keck and Brandon Woo. Junior San Ramon Valley pitcher James Carter threw 5 very strong innings for the HOOTS and Jack Veronin relieved in the top of the sixth to pitch to the minimum in the final two innings and secure the save for the HOOTS.

The Championship Game will be played at 2:00PM at Chabot College.  The HOOTS and a team to be decided will meet for the berth in the West Regional Connie Mack Tournament which begins on Thursday July 28 at Tempe Diablo Stadium in Arizona.  Three teams remain in the tournament which will conclude on Monday July 25.

The HOOTS lost in extra innings on Saturday 2-1 to NorCal-Cencal Valley in the Connie Mack North State Championship at Chabot College.  Spenser Linney pitched 7 strong innings for the HOOTS and was relieved in the top of the extra inning game.  Both teams played outstanding defense and the offense of both clubs was stalled behind solid pitching.  NorCal-CenCal Valley scored the winning run after the HOOTS intentionally loaded the bases with runner on second and third with one out.  The HOOTS bull pen failed after hitting the batter to force the winning run home.

The HOOTS will play in an elimination game today at 2:00PM at Chabot College.  Four teams remain and after today the tournament will be reduced to two teams to determine who would advance to the Connie Mack West Regionals in Arizona.

The HOOTS Connie Mack advanced to the winner bracket final with a 6-1 win over EJ Sports in the second day of the North State Championship at Chabot College.  Domenic Mazza threw five strong innings for the HOOTS and was relieved by Jack Veronin for the final two innings as both pitchers combined to only give up a solo home run in the first inning. The HOOTS offense got on track early in the game with key hits by Chris Keck, Tanner Pinkston and Tyler Davis.  The HOOTS played solid error free defense in their first two games of the tournament.  The winner bracket final will be at Chabot College at 5:00PM with the HOOTS and the winner of the West Lane and Cencal game held in Stockton late on Friday. 

Saturday July 23 Pairings:

11:00AM         EJ Sports vs Bercovich(elimination game)

2:00PM           EDH vs West Lane(elimination game)

5:00PM           HOOTS vs Cencal/Norcal Valley(winner bracket game)

The HOOTS defeated RBI Baseball 7-3 in extra innings in the first round of the Connie Mack North State Championship and will play in a winner bracket game on Friday at 5:00PM at Chabot College.  Duke bound right hand pitcher Nick Piscotty started for the HOOTS and threw 5 strong innings.  With the game tied 3-3, SRV pitcher James Carter threw 4 shoutout innings.  The HOOTS finally pushed a go ahead run in the ninth inning on a Scotty Mitchell lead off double, and later scored on a Brandon Woo single for the go ahead run.  The HOOTS managed to get a couple cushion runs also later in the inning while RBI made a threat in the bottom of the ninth but Carter was able to get the save.  The HOOTS have won this tournament four years in a row to advance to the Connie Mack West Regional Tournament.  This year could be one of the best fields in recent years with outstanding teams and excellent pitching.  

The HOOTS Connie Mack Baseball team advanced to the North State Championship as the Number 1 seed in their division and the overall #2 seed in Northern California Connie Mack Baseball. 

The tournament is being held at Chabot College starting on Thursday July 21.  The HOOTS will play at 5:00PM versus RBI Baseball the Number 2 seed from the Connie Mack Valley League.

The North State Championship games held at Chabot College are scheduled at 11:00AM, 2:00PM and 5:00PM.  The tournament will continue throught the weekend and will conclude with the Championship on Monday July 25.  The winner will advance to the Connie Mack West Regional Tournament held at Tempe Diablo Stadium in Arizona.

The HOOTS have represented Northern California Connie Mack as the North State Champion for the past four years in a row, a feat seldom achieved in Connie Mack Baseball.  The 2011 field of teams is guranteed to be challenge for all teams and will feature some of the best players in the western United States.

Day 3: 

The Danville HOOTS Connie Mack team won the Championship at the Southern California Wally Kincaid Wood Bat Tournament on Monday July 4 at Blair Field, home of the Long Beach State Dirtbags.  The HOOTS faced the undefeated #1 seed SoCal Angels early on Monday morning and came away with a 4-0 victory.  Left hand pitcher Robert Martinez pitched a complete game shut out for the HOOTS.  Shortstop Andrew Hobson had an outstanding game both on offense and defense making key plays at his position and being the RBI hitter for the HOOTS.

The Championship game was played later on Monday also at Blair Stadium against the Club All Stars.  The HOOTS took an early 1-0 lead behind the pitching of Jack Veronin.  The All Stars took a 2-1 lead in the fifth inning on a defensive error by the HOOTS.  Veronin was relieved in the bottom of the fifth by Tyler Cobb and Trent Yee.  The HOOTS scored three times in the top of the 6th inning on key hits by juniors Christian Gadzar and Andrew Hobson.  Trent Yee, Alameda HS, pitched the final 2 innings without letting a runner on base to secure the Championship for the HOOTS Connie Mack team. 

Congratulations to all the HOOTS Connie Mack players and to Andrew Hobson who was voted the Most Valuable Player in the tournament for both his offense and defense play.  The team finished the tournament with an overall record of 5-1 after a disappointing first game at USC.  Coach Johns comments on the results were very positive.  "I try to tell our players it is not always where you start, it is where you finish.  We finished on top and I am very proud of our players.  Not easy after losing in the first round."

The HOOTS now travel to the very difficult national invitational Gates World Series in Salt Lake City Utah and begin play on Wednesday July 6 at beautiful Gates Field. The HOOTS finished in 3rd place in 2010 and the competitive field for this event hosts 8 of the top amateur teams in nation and teams with consistent records of achievement and many MLB drafted and Division 1 players.  You can view the results on this national invitation only tournament at www.gatesworldseries.com.

Day 2 :

The HOOTS Connie Mack team advanced to the Championship Final Four medal round in the Wally Kincaid Wood Bat Invitational with a 6-1 victory against Batter's Box on Sunday at Pepperdine University.  Spenser Linney and Kyle Slinger combined for a solid pitching effort by the HOOTS.  Slinger pitched five strong innings without giving up a run and only allowed 3 hits against the Colorado team.  Chirs Keck hit a solo home run to right field in the fifth inning to put the HOOTS ahead 3-1 and David Elzig followed with a stand up double to add 2 additonal runs for the HOOTS.

The HOOT will play at 9:00AM in the Championship round on Monday July 4 at Blair Field in Long Beach, home of the Long Beach State Dirtbags against the SoCal Angels.  Four teams remain alive in the tournament and still playing on the final day.  Playa Vista, SoCal Angels, Club All Star and the HOOTS Baseball Club.

Day 1:

The HOOTS Connie Mack team finished their first day with a second round victory at Pepperdine University in the Wally Kincaid Wood Bat Tournament.  They finished their first day with a record of 1-1 after losing earlier in the day to the Playa Vista Orioles 7-4.  That game was played at University of Southern California.  The HOOTS fell behind 3-0 against Playa Vista in the first inning due to walks.  Domenic Mazza entered the game in the first inning and pitched 6 strong innings.  The HOOTS led most of the game 4-3 but was unable to win the seventh inning as Playa Vista scored 4 runs.  James Carter started for the HOOTS in Game 2, followed by Jack Veronin as the HOOTS won 9-0.

Sunday the HOOTS play at 2:30PM at Pepperdine University and will need to win to advance to the Championship round.

Saturday Day 4:  The HOOTS 2010 season ended at the Connie Mack West Regional in a 3-1 loss to the Southern California Conejo Oaks.  The HOOTS ended in 5th place at the West Regional with a record of 2-2 against the best Connie Mack teams in the region.  In a game played with good pitching and solid defense, the HOOTS took an early 1-0 lead.  Conejo came back in the 3rd inning and scored 3 runs off Craig Lanza which was all they would need for the win.  Conejo ended up in 3rd place in a tournament.  The Arizona Firebirds won the Connie Mack West Regional with a overall record of 5-0 and secured the birth in the World Series starting this week in Farmington, New Mexico.  The 2010 HOOTS team faced one of the most difficult seasons in recent years against some of the best teams in the nation.  They represented themselves as a very competitive team with great character and had a high level of success in Connie Mack baseball.  Congratulations to all the players and coaching staff for a great job!!

Friday Day 3.  The HOOTS defeated the Northwest Champion Seattle Schockers 2-1 in a 10 inning game played in the Semi Final round at the Connie Mack West Regional at the University of Washington.  The HOOTS moved their record to 2-1 in the West Regional Tournament.  In an elimination game for both teams Nick Piscotty pitched 7 strong innings of 4 hit baseball and left the game in the seventh inning with the game time 1-1.  Piscotty was relieved by Andy Eslick who pitched the a shutout in the final three innings to secure the victory for the HOOTS. The HOOTS offense was led by junior catcher Steven Moen who hit a double to score the first run and later had a hit for the go ahead run in the 10th inning.  Four teams remain as they head into the Saturday round of play. The HOOTS will play at 11:30AM against Southern California.

The HOOTS lost to Trombly Baseball from Southern California 8-7 in the second game of the Connie Mack West Regional tournament in Seattle, Washington.  One day removed from HOOTS pitchers combining to throw a no hitter in the Connie Mack West Regional, it took four pitchers against Southern California ChampionTrombly Baseball to keep them in the game.  Craig Lanza started on the mound for the HOOTS, followed by Raul Jacobson, Kyle Slinger and Andy Eslick.  The HOOTS took an early lead 1-0 on a Chris Keck home run in the first inning.  The game ended with the tying run at second base but the walks issued earlier in the game by HOOTS pitchers became difficult to overcome against a very good Connie Mack team from their own state.  The double elimnation tournament continues as the HOOTS will play Friday night at the University of Washington.

The HOOTS won their opening game at the Connie Mack West Regional Championship at the University of Washington in Seattle with a 5-0 win over the Northwest Champion Puget Sound Connie Mack team.  Spenser Linney pitched a six inning, no hit shut out and was replaced at the bottom of the seventh inning with the HOOTS leading 5-0.  The game was tied 0-0 through six innings and the HOOTS finally scored in the top of seventh led by a Garrett Moore infield single, another single by Chris Keck, followed by a single by Scotty Quinlan to load the bases.  Steven Moen walked and the first run was scored by the HOOTS.  Corbin Chase doubled to add two more runs.  The final run was scored on a sacrifice fly to give the HOOTS a 5 run inning and the lead.  Andy Eslick relieved Linney in the seventh inning to get the final 3 outs. The no hit pitching effort of Linney through six innings was the key to the victory for the HOOTS.  They advance to Round 2 tomorrow at 1:00PM.

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2009 PROFESSIONAL SCOUTS ASSOCIATION RECOGNITION

Posted by Don Web at Jan 1, 2010 4:00PM PST ( 0 Comments )

The Danville HOOTS and Manager Don Johns were recognized by the Northern California Professional Baseball Scouts Association as the 2009 Summer Baseball Program of the Year.  The award was presented to Coach Johns at the annual scouts golf tournament and award ceremony on December 14 in Stockton by John Hughes from the Florida Marlins organization.  Coach Johns commented that "It always is an honor when you are recognized in baseball by baseball people for what you do, your organization, and what your players have accomplished. We had a special year and our players and coaching staff deserve this recognition for their acheivement. It didn't come without hard work."

Also receiving recognition that evening for his dedication to baseball and scouting was former Chabot College Coach and Houston Astros Scout Gene Wellman who was presented by major league coach Tim Ireland.  Recognized as the High School Coach of the Year was Pete Jensen(now retired) for his 2009 Championship season at Serra High School.  Coach Johns was joined by former SRVHS coach Rick Steen, Chabot College Coach Mike Reardon and retired Serra High School coach Pete Jensen who all have been friends throughout their coaching careers. 

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AABC 2009 COACH OF THE YEAR AWARD

Posted by Don Web at Nov 27, 2009 4:00PM PST ( 0 Comments )

The American Amateur Baseball Congress has awarded the 2009 WEST REGION COACH OF THE YEAR to Danville HOOTS Manager Don Johns.  The HOOTS won both State and West Regional Championships and became only the second team since 1959 from Northern California to acheive a West Region Championship in Connie Mack baseball and advance to the World Series in Farmington, New Mexico. This was the third year in a row for the HOOTS to win the North State Championship for Connie Mack Baseball and advance to the West Region tournament. The HOOTS finished their season with an overall record of 42-9-1.

In a recent interview Coach Johns acknowledged his coaching staff throughout the program for their success.  "I am not big on personal awards, so to me this award is recognition for our players who make the committment to be a HOOTS player and for our entire coaching staff who put so many hours into helping our players improve. I am proud of what we do and who we are and pleased that the AABC have recognized us for that."

"It is obvious I am very proud of this recognition when you consider the number of teams and outstanding coaching staffs that exist in the Western Region.  This is an organization award for the HOOTS program, and not a personal one."

After many of its years in American Legion Baseball the HOOTS joined AABC and the Connie Mack program four years ago to provide their players with a higher level of competition and exposure for the opportunty to play in a college program.