Rams coach Ron Keester is excited.
This year, Millikan is trying to win its fourth consecutive Moore League championship. That would be the first time in school history the Rams achieved that feat, and the first time any team in the league did it since Lakewood’s epic 1969-84 streak.
“We don’t feel a difference between us and the other teams,” said Keester. “Everyone has pitching this year, everyone has guys. This year is really about this year. There’s no room for error in our league–two losses and you’re sitting in fourth.”
Keester’s roster is set up very nicely for the rigors of the Moore League, which coaches agreed will be the most talented it’s been in several years.
The Rams roster is a well-built, complete one this year. They have strong pitching with a rotation of Julian Aguiar, Tyler Conant, Aidan Majerus, Moises Guzman, and Chris Vital, all of whom could see big innings this year.
They also have experience–the top five hitters in the Rams’ lineup have been through the Moore League battles before, and they’ve got one of the league’s top players in first baseman Cody Bey, who’s signed with Wagner College in New York.
“He was a pleasant surprise last year and he’s gotten bigger,” said Keester.
Junior Christian Yogi is the team’s best shortstop and best catcher, but is most likely to be behind the dish this year. Griffin Misajon and Nico Briones will also bring hitting and defense.
What had Keester and Bey talking was the young talent in the program. It’s always nice to be able to get a peek at the future, and the Rams have got a couple of big freshmen talents in 6’3”, 230-pound Ryan Geck, who’s likely to DH for the team this year, and outfielder Caleb Brandon, who Keester and Bey acknowledged may be the team’s fastest player already.
“It’s nice to have an infusion with some guys who are dynamic with speed and power,” said Keester. “I’m a little nervous because we haven’t been able to practice this year, and we could have games with two freshmen and two sophomores starting.”
Sophomores Bilal Ali and Daniel Murillo add to the Millikan youth movement.
“We’re better offensively this year than we’ve been the last two years,” said Keester. “A lot of that is young, and early on you can get young out. What we have is a lot of speed–if we can get on we can do some stuff that we haven’t been able to do in the past.”
Long Beach High School Baseball Preview
With the high school baseball season starting two weeks earlier this year due to a calendar shift by the CIF State office, local players have had to trade their bats for umbrellas.
