Tynan Pedretti takes reins of Atwater Aviators summer baseball team

Tynan Pedretti wasted no time addressing the elephant on the diamond.

At 24 years old, the Merced College and Merced High School alum could easily be mistaken for one of his players. It wasn’t that long ago that the new Atwater Aviators manager was participating in a summer collegiate wood-bat league himself. So Pedretti gave his new squad a quick rundown of his résumé as a player and coach in the group’s first meeting and practice Tuesday.

“I think not being much older than these guys could be an advantage,” Pedretti said. “The main thing is they know I’ve been where they are now. I’ve competed in Division I and Division II. I went a couple places during the summer and got that experience and spent a year playing ball in Europe.

“I spent the last year assisting at Merced College, and I intend to call on all of those experiences in my first head coaching job.”

Pedretti becomes the Aviators’ third head coach in as many years. He said he was approached by general manager Aaron Ruiz about the job after former coach John Boyett chose to spend extra time with his newborn.

The Aviators are entering their seventh season and third in the Golden State Collegiate Baseball League. The Aviators finished 19-31 a year ago and missed the playoffs for the first time.

Pedretti will attempt to right the ship when Atwater opens the season at home Friday at 7 p.m. against the California Glory at Memorial Ballpark. It’s the first of five games this weekend, as the Aviators will travel to Hayward to play the South Bay Storm in a doubleheader Saturday and then host the Storm in a doubleheader on Sunday.

Pedretti said the busy weekend should at least allow him to see what he’s working with.

“The toughest thing right now is how quickly it all gets going without my knowing who can do what,” Pedretti said. “We’ll have two practices before the season starts, but I probably won’t even have everyone’s name down by then. The good thing about five games in three days is I’ll have lots of opportunities to try guys in all kinds of different places.

“Hopefully by the end of the weekend, I’ll have an idea of what everyone’s capable of.”

This year’s squad is a mix of players coming in from abroad and hometown talent. Notable players with local ties include Chowchilla alumnus Dustin Gaither, Merced College and Merced High alumnus Joe Salmeri, Buhach Colony alumnus Leonard Aue and Escalon alumnus Aaron Pangilian.

Pedretti said he had 22 players Tuesday, and the roster should swell to about 30 by mid-June.

This story was originally published June 3, 2015 at 6:38 PM with the headline "Tynan Pedretti takes reins of Atwater Aviators summer baseball team."