Vikings Baseball 2020 Preview

The Vikings enter the 2020 season as excited as ever. The Vikes are coming off one of the best season's in recent Barstow history that saw a 20 win season, nine All-Conference players, two Gold Glove Award Winners, one Honorable mention All-So Cal, one All State Honoree that was also awarded 1st Team All Region and All American, and seven players signed National Letters of Intent to NCAA institutions.

Moving forward the Vikings have reloaded with the return of impact sophomores and highly talented freshman class, to continue being a dominate force at the plate, as well as created a foundation to potentially have one of the best pitching staffs in recent Barstow history.

As the Vikings make the switch to the Inland Empire Conference, this season will see the Vikes play five new teams in conference play. The IEAC will consist of Barstow, Cero Coso, Chaffey, College of the Desert, Mt. San Jacinto, San Bernardino Valley, and rival Victor Valley. This is the first year of the Inland Empire Athletic Conference and the Vikes have their sights on being the conferences inaugural season champions. The Vikings are poised to push for a spot at the top and a playoff birth.

On the mound the Vikings will be led by Barstow native and UC San Diego commit Gredan Velasquez. Alongside Velasquez is another Barstow native Jason McCall that looks to be relied on in the rotation. The return of sophomore pitchers Pablo Montante, Bryce Hodges, and Takoda Chaney give the Vikes a experience needed and the addition of freshman pitchers Dalton Dillard, Cole Doebele, Devon Neff, and Dominic Opipari add tremendous ability and depth to the Vikings pitching staff.

Offensively the Vikes return sophomore captains Jack McLaughlin and Sam Smith, as well as Kagen Kennedy and Alex Pena. All four played a big role in last years success and will be looked to this year to guide the way for freshman Brandon Aragon, Juan Aviles, Austin Cullor, Ace Felise, Jackson Folkman, Dominic Folks, Ryan Hoskins, Caden Martinez, Alec Oorin and Robert Valdivia.

Two way players Erik Cruz, Ruben Miranda Jr., and Joey Vera all look to be impact players and add versatility and depth on the mound and at the plate.

"The Coaching Staff and Players couldn't be more excited about this season. We have stuck to our goals of focusing on simplicity to equal effectiveness and trained extremely hard in the classroom, on the field, and in the weight room. This team has more power and speed than any Barstow team I have been around, and the pitching staff is as strong and talented as ever. I believe this team is on the verge of something great as long as we stay focused and together. I am blessed to lead this talented group and work alongside an amazing coaching staff that grinds everyday for the better of our student-athletes." - Coach Walker