Baggett Stadium may have closed its gates for the summer, but that doesn’t mean players from the Cal Poly baseball team are done playing this year. Each and every player — unless injured — will be out on the diamond.
Whether it is with a semi-pro, club, or summer collegiate team, no one is taking any time off from baseball.
Numerous Cal Poly players will spend their summer as members of the San Luis Obispo Rattlers playing summer collegiate ball. For junior pitcher Mason Radeke, this is the perfect time for him to bounce back from an injury that kept him on the bench for most of the season last year.
Radeke, who has been watching summer collegiate baseball since he was five-years-old, has been playing on the Rattlers for the past three summers and loves being able to take a break from Cal Poly baseball. Radeke, who injured his elbow last season, is regaining strength and said he looks forward to a summer where he can practice his fastball and changeup.
“For me this summer is about recovering and getting ready for next season. It’s a time for me to get some experience and gain some confidence especially with the wood bats,” Radeke said.
Eugene Wright, also a Cal Poly pitcher and originally on the roster for the Rattlers, will also spend his summer recovering from a strained elbow. But for Wright, recovery will involve watching rather than competing.
“My arm needs rest and I plan to just start over in the fall,” Wright said.
Although he is not able to play with the Rattlers this year, Wright said playing in the summer is important to a player’s improvement.
Rattlers’ manager Roy Howell agreed.
“It’s a time for creating toughness. They need to get out there and grind it out,” Howell said.
And by “grind it out,” Howell means his players need to be mentally and physically strong enough to play approximately 50 games in a two-month span — sometimes even playing a game every day of the week.
Besides playing nearly every day, the Rattlers offer these players an opportunity to get some innings without the pressure they are used to on their collegiate teams. There are no practices and Radeke said he appreciates being able to go out and simply play the game.
“Obviously the competition is different, there’s a lot less pressure. It’s a nice vacation,” Radeke said.
Also, joining the Rattlers gives players a chance to meet new people, develop friendships and take a break from their respective collegiate teams’ dynamic.
Howell said his main goal for the players is to send them back to their collegiate ball clubs as better players than when they arrived at the beginning of the summer.
“My hope is that they understand their abilities and utilize them at the next level,” Howell said.
Playing for the Rattlers also gives incoming Cal Poly freshmen a chance to get playing time with other collegiate players before entering Division-I play.
“It’s less of a culture shock, you know,” Radeke said about the freshmen getting to play with some of their future teammates before heading to college.
Two freshmen coming to Cal Poly next year are Jimmy Allen, an infielder from Vista, Calif., and Chris Hoo, a catcher from Cupertino, Calif. Both of these players are playing for the Rattlers and adjusting to collegiate play.
Howell said his assistant Casey Belt has been working extensively with Hoo on all of the things he will need to be effective as a Cal Poly catcher. As for Allen, Howell has been sprinkling him throughout the infield, having him play shortstop, third base and second base.
However, Radeke said he and his fellow teammates are looking forward to the upcoming season.
“We’re ready to redeem ourselves. We didn’t live up to our standards last year and as always our main goal is definitely going to Omaha,” Wright said.