Thursday, May. 08, 2008

James Burns: Same big two for BC -- or maybe -- what?

Good news, folks.

The forecast calls for plenty of clear skies -- unless you happen to be the unlucky baseball team that draws Buhach Colony in the playoffs.

In that case, it's nothing but dark clouds for you.

Right now, the short straw appears to belong to one of three teams from the San Joaquin Athletic Association: Bear Creek, Lodi or Lincoln.

All season long, Buhach has struck with the force and fury of a storm you'd expect to see somewhere in the midwest.

Plenty of thunder and lightning. Plenty of Dylan Floro and Brett Mooneyham.

Some CCC insiders say if they if they had to choose between the two, they'd rather face Mooneyham and his major-league heat.

Why?

Control.

Mooneyham can leave you helpless with his mid-90s fastball, but he can be a bit of a loose cannon.

Which is why so many fear the younger, smaller Floro.

When Floro is picking his spots and burning the corners of the dish, he can turn a game into a quick set of pleasantries.

Hello and goodbye.

Of course, most CCC teams haven't had the luxury of a choice -- they typically saw Floro on Tuesday and Mooneyham on Thursday, one of the heaviest 1-2 punches in all California prep baseball.

And more times than not, both have gotten the job done.

In the last two seasons, the dueling aces have combined to win 33 games against just 5 losses -- with 390 strikeouts.

Amazing stuff.

And now you know why Buhach's games have been a hot spot for MLB scouts and college recruiters.

But here's something to think about: Both pitchers have gone through patches near the end of the league season, and BC -- the 18th-ranked team in the state -- has looked vulnerable because of it.

Floro was blasted by Turlock last week in a game dripping with title and playoff implications. The junior was tagged for five earned runs as BC failed to clinch a playoff berth.

Mooneyham sealed the deal two days later against Turlock, but control continued to be a problem.

In the 8-1 victory, Mooneyham walked four, plunked one and uncorked a wild pitch in six innings.

Floro looked sharper in Tuesday's win over Atwater, but he was lifted after six with another sketchy line: two runs, seven hits, one wild pitch.

Could we see a change come playoff time, like reduced innings or a tighter leash?

Conventional wisdom says skipper Wayne Fitzgerald won't change the status quo.

It would be odd if he did.

However, it's worth noting that following Tuesday's win, Fitzgerald did tinker with the idea of introducing a third starter for the playoffs.

"We've got a couple of guys who fit the No. 3 spot," Fitz said. "Guys more than capable of getting a start."

Regardless, if Floro and Mooneyham start to struggle, BC knows that it has options out of the bullpen, and they could prove to be stars.

Here's a name you should remember come playoff time: Justin Koehler, the kid with a full-ride scholarship to Cal State Fullerton tucked into his back pocket.

Fullerton actually recruited and signed Koehler to be a pitcher, though Fitzgerald has used him at third base.

Koehler has pitched in 10 games, logging a shade under 30 innings while compiling a 2-2 record.

But he hasn't started a meaningful game since, well...

Never.

Markus Melgosa is another diamond in the rough. The St. Mary's-bound senior has a plus fastball -- rumor has it he can hit 90 mph on the gun, too -- and closed out Tuesday's win.

The others have also been just as productive in limited appearances:

Garrett Adams is third on the team in innings pitched (21) and Conner Oldcorn is averaging better than 1.5 strikeouts per inning.

Both have saved a game.

So what should we expect to see from BC in the postseason?

The forecast calls for much of the same: Heavy doses of lightning and thunder.

But you know how the weather can change.

James Burns is a Sun-Star sports reporter. He can be reached at 385-2417 or via e-mail at jburns@mercedsun-star.com.