February 16, 2005

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Palo Alto Online

Patience pays off for Cardinal catcher

by Rick Eymer

John Hester learned patience the past two years and its paying dividends this season as the Stanford baseball team has won seven of its first nine games.

The latest victim was Kansas, as the sixth-ranked Cardinal sweep a three-game series from the Jayhawks, 7-3 and 9-2 in Saturday's doubleheader and won 7-6 on Sunday.

Junior Mark Romanczuk recorded his 25th career victory in the first game on Saturday, and the sweep leaves Stanford coach Mark Marquess three wins shy of 1,200 for his career.

Stanford travels to Texas (7-0 entering play on Tuesday) for an important three-game set this weekend, beginning with a 12:30 p.m. game on Friday.

The Longhorns, who have a team batting average of .306 and a team ERA of 2.43, were the national runnerups to Cal State Fullerton last year.

Former major-league pitcher Greg Swindell is an assistant volunteer coach with the Longhorns.

Texas is ranked fourth in the nation by Baseball America, and first by Collegiate Baseball, Sports Weekly/ESPN, and the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association.

Stanford is sixth in two polls, fifth in one, and seventh in another.

Hester collected three hits and drove in two runs in the first game, and then sparked Stanford's seven-run rally in the sixth with a two-run double in the second game.

Hester's offense is a bonus for Marquess, who says his true worth is measured by the way the junior catcher handles the pitching staff.

"It is critical," Marquess said. "His number one job is handling the pitchers. Whatever I get from him offensively I'll take. He can catch, he can throw, he can throw runners out and he blocks the ball well. When he's not hitting he's sitting next to (pitching coach) Tom Kunis and the pitcher in the dugout. He's made himself a better player."

Hester had to wait patiently the past two years as Ryan Garko and Donny Lucy - both high draft picks in the Major League Baseball amateur draft - received the bulk of the playing time.

He used the time to hone his skills.

"I wanted to play every day but at the same time I knew who I was behind," Hester said. "I wasn't going to kid myself because I knew my time would come."

Regulated to midweek games and the occasional start at designated hitter, Hester appeared in 28 games, seven starts, in his first two seasons. The highlight was a pinch hit home run against Cal Poly during his freshman year.

"Garko and Lucy helped me understand the depth of the game," Hester said. "When I came out of high school I knew about catching and hitting but there was a whole new element to the game. Every pitch mattered. Garko treated me great when I was a freshman and I still talk to Garko and Lucy. They helped me understand there is always more to learn."

Hester is not just an honorary member of the pitching staff; he's almost like a second pitching coach. He attends the meetings and has developed a close relationship with his pitchers.

"You're really only as good as the catcher you're throwing to," Stanford pitcher Jeff Gilmore said. "He knows my pitches and what I need. He's huge and physically strong and he's a very bright guy. He has the respect of the pitchers."

Gilmore, the second game winner on Saturday, junior Matt Manship and Hester all played for the Mat-Su Miners of the Alaskan League over the summer. Their relationship was solidified by the experience.

"One of the most important things of a pitcher-catcher relationship is you need to think as one unit," said Manship, who won Sunday's game in relief. "Yes we're friends off the field, but on the field it's more of a professional relationship. He has no problem expressing himself. If he sees something he doesn't like, he'll let you know. Playing together over the summer, and all school year, has made it even better."

Hester knows that catching is more than just physical talents. He's looking at the game more as a coach than as a player, trying to find ways to keep his pitchers focused.

"I definitely want to keep their heads in the game," Hester said. "If they get rattled you have to bring them back down. Some guys do need me to yell at them; it fires them up. It's about knowing the pitchers and their approaches. Sometimes I do feel like a coach. I'm riding them most of the time."

So while Hester is hitting a solid .333 (with 11 RBI) this year, the measure of his success can also be summed up in the team's ERA: 3.42.

"He's a great hitter and he's a smart catcher," said Gilmore, who has a 1.89 ERA after three appearances. "He's learned from two of the best in Garko and Lucy. It's been worth the wait."

Jim Rapoport also had three hits and Chris Lewis drove in two runs to support Romanczuk is Saturday's first game.

Romanczuk (2-1) allowed two runs on six hits over 7 1/3 innings. He struck out six and walked two. Greg Reynolds finished off the win.

Gilmore (2-0) allowed one earned run on four hits in seven innings with six strikeouts and two walks as the Cardinal swept their sixth consecutive doubleheader. Stanford split a doubleheader with USC in 2001.

After Kansas scored five runs in the top of the ninth to tie Sunday's game at 6, Adam Sorgi hit a one-out double to score John Mayberry, Jr., who walked to lead off the bottom of the ninth, with the winning run.

Manship walked in the trying run, but retired the final two batters to leave the bases loaded and earn the victory. Freshman Nolan Gallagher (0.90 ERA) pitched five shutout innings in his starting debut.

Sorgi had a career-high four hits and the first two-double game of his career. Jed Lowrie had three hits, including a home run, and drove in two runs, and Mayberry also homered. Freshman Michael Taylor had his first career two-hit game.

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