Sports
New Coach Foresees Trojans Moving Up in Baseball
Don MacQuarrie once transformed San Rafael from a one-win team to a playoff club; he's hoping to do the same at Terra Linda, which already is off to a 4-1 start.
It takes someone with Don MacQuarrie’s coaching experience to find optimism in ’s 1-17 Marin County Athletic League baseball season last year.
“My first year at San Rafael High,” the ninth-year MCAL coach recalled, “I came in after a one-win season and we made the playoffs that first year.”
And so MacQuarrie, who also has coached Tam and Redwood, attacks his new job with enthusiasm, especially after early indications are this year’s Trojans can both pitch and hit pretty well.
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“Every year that I’ve coached, that’s our primary goal – make the playoffs,” he said. “I hate being left out of the postseason. It’s fun watching them, but it’s fun watching them if you’re going to be participating in them.
“We have a lot more goals, but that’s our primary goal. And I do believe it’s achievable.”
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New to the program, MacQuarrie admitted, “One thing I heard about last year’s team was that they were in just about very game, but didn’t have a whole lot of success in the win-loss column. I think this group will be in every game again … but with more success in the win-loss column.”
That’s already been the case as Terra Linda entered Tuesday’s league opener against Branson with a 3-1 preseason record. The Trojans then edged the Bulls 1-0 to get MCAL playoff on the right foot.
From the get-go, MacQuarrie has been impressed with returning catcher .
“He actually called every game last year from behind the plate, which is not common for high school baseball. My eyes opened up when I heard that,” the coach admitted. “He knows what he’s doing back there. He’s a very strong defensive catcher. And it looks like he’ll be very strong offensively this year as well.”
MacQuarrie is equally impressed with starting shortstop Kazuma Kaneko, a sophomore.
“The young man knows how to play baseball,” the coach observed. “Quick, great hands, good bat … He’ll be our leadoff hitter. I think he’ll be quite a sparkplug.”
Senior , the team’s No. 2 pitcher last season, is the ace of this year’s staff, as he demonstrated in his one-hit effort Tuesday. He’ll be the starting center fielder when he doesn’t pitch.
Versatile Billy Galvin also will pitch. How much probably will depend upon the development of sophomore Brad Bussey.
“He’s got a cannon for an arm,” MacQuarrie said of Bussey. “We’ve been working on his mechanics on the mound. He could be quite a presence out there.”
Another pitcher, Justin Chizer, will start at third base, and Josh Clerc returns as the starting second baseman.
Like any team coming off a one-win season, MacQuarrie’s club is a work in progress.
“From what I’ve seen, the kids can put the bat on the ball,” he boasted. “I hope to see a more lively offensive out of Terra Linda than years past.”
TERRA LINDA’S 2011 BASEBALL SCHEDULE
Home team in CAPS
Terra Linda 7, Lincoln (San Francisco) 0
Terra Linda 8, De Anza (Richmond) 0
John F. Kennedy (Fremont) 10, Terra Linda 4
Terra Linda 2, Analy (Sebastopol) 0
Terra Linda 1, Branson 0
March 11, at Drake, 3:45 p.m.
March 15, at Novato, 4:30 p.m.
March 18, REDWOOD. 4:30 p.m.
March 22, JUSTIN-SIENA, 4:30 p.m.
March 25, at Tam, 4:30 p.m.
March 29, MARIN CATHOLIC, 4:30 p.m.
April 1, SAN RAFAEL, 4:30 p.m.
April 5, at San Marin. 4:30 p.m.
April 8, BRANSON, 4:30 p.m.
April 11, at Elsie Allen (Santa Rosa), 4 p.m.
April 19, DRAKE, 4:30 p.m.
April 21, NOVATO, 4:30 p.m.
April 26, at Redwood, 4:30 p.m.
April 29, at Justin-Siena, 4:30p.m.
May 3, TAM, 4:30 p.m.
May 6, at Marin Catholic, 4:30 p.m.
May 10, at San Rafael, 4:30 p.m.
May 12, SAN MARIN, 4:30 p.m.
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