Baseball: Deep staff could send Pride deep into postseason

Mountain Pointe baseball's trip to the state semifinals last season opened the eyes of the younger players along for the ride.

First, the talent level of the four remaining teams -- the Pride, Gilbert Mesquite, Scottsdale Desert Mountain and eventual champion Chandler Hamilton -- was nearly equal.

"The beginning of last year, we knew we had the talent to win it all," said pitcher Ryan Klem, a senior this season, "but come down to the end, everyone's pretty similar in talent."

Secondly, "You get more of a sense of what it really takes to get there," said MP coach Brandon Buck.

"Obviously, the talent helps," Buck said, "but you need a little bit of luck, and you also need a great team atmosphere. Chemistry."

That chemistry has been a focus of the team early on.

"That's what we've been trying to preach, really, since that season was over, is just trying to recreate that team chemistry that we had in the postseason," Buck said. "And it started in May -- as soon as we were done, once we started summer ball -- trying to do that same thing."

Added Klem: "We have a real good group of guys, real good chemistry. It's something we didn't have too much of last year, but this year, from the start, everyone's getting along pretty well."

Though the Pride lost a good amount of talent - notably C.J. Cron, who's now starting at Utah, and pitcher Jordan Madison, who was lights out in the state tournament with a 1.08 ERA - Mountain Pointe returns arguably the same level of state title-caliber talent.

Among the seniors returning is Klem, MP's undisputed ace who threw a team-high 19 innings in last year's postseason, striking out 23 batters along the way without issuing a single walk.

"With the way he threw last year, he's our No. 1," Buck said. "And coming back, the guy's got a lot of experience and he's very savvy out on the mound. He's a great leader, for sure."

Also back is junior infielder Jake Waldren, who hit .417 in the tournament and also drew seven walks to sport a .632 on-base percentage as the team's leadoff hitter. Junior outfielder Josh Alexander, a transfer from Basha who won the team's home run derby during the offseason, should provide protection in a lineup that will likely also feature sophomore Kevin Cron, C.J.'s younger brother.

"Swing-wise, he probably has one of the best swings I've seen since I've been here," Buck said of Cron.

Offensively, Mountain Pointe won't be able to rely on power as much as it has in the past, instead focusing on more of a small-ball approach.

"The past few years, we've had some teams that can just sit back and drop bombs," Buck said. "It takes some offensive strategy out of the game - well, not really takes it out, that was our offensive strategy. This year, it might be a little different. Maybe a little more fun to watch than it has been the last few years."

The Pride's real strength, though, will be on the mound. After Klem, Buck will be able to choose for a plethora of arms, including Waldren, Alexander, seniors Jake Dziubczynski and Steven Skarsten, as well as sophomore Jordan Kipper.

"There are so many guys who are going to be able to throw," Buck said. "We've got a lot of guys, and trying to find innings for them might be a little difficult, and that's a good problem to have."

If the Pride are to make another deep run in the state tournament, it may very well be because of their deep staff.

"I think we definitely have the talent," Klem said. "Offensively, we might not look as impressive as last year, but our pitching staff is probably the best it's ever been."