Local alumni bring Ohlone baseball to final four Local alumni bring Ohlone baseball to final four (June 25, 2004)

College ball brings it to the next level, player says
by Heidi Massie

For the first time in school history, Ohlone Community College's baseball team made it to the "Final Four" of the 2004 Community College State Championships under coach Paul Moore. Several of the key players were alumni from Amador Valley and Foothill high schools.

Amador alums Jeff Soulages, Matt Bush and Zack Aguirre - considered by many to be last year's top pitching trio in the East Bay Athletic League - Trevor Pierson and Matt Cooper, and Foothill alum Mike Hoefs, were instrumental in powering Ohlone to the May 29 playoff game at Fresno City College.

Though Ohlone was eliminated after losing its first "Final Four" game to defending state champion Cypress 10-8, the Renegades had a great season.

"Just to have the experience of playing in the Final Four was great," said pitcher Jeff Soulages, alumnus of the Amador class of 2003. Soulages and his fellow Amador teammates came together with players from former rival high schools, like Mike Hoefs of Foothill, and with players from powerful baseball programs including Newark Memorial, James Logan, Granada and Livermore, and made the team successful in the postseason.

"Our regular season record was not that impressive, but once we got to the playoffs, everybody stepped up," said Soulages. "The teams we played were huge and our coach told us to focus on each part of the game rather than the outcome. It made a huge difference."

Ohlone closed its season with a 23-17 record and was the No. 14 seed entering the playoffs.

Leading the offensive attack was first baseman and Foothill alum Mike Hoefs, who averaged .440 for the regular season with 39 RBIs, 15 doubles and six homeruns. Hoefs was selected for the All-Coast South first team and All-Northern California team.

Also selected for the All-Coast South team for his hitting prowess was Amador alumnus Matt Cooper, a former football player for Arizona State University. Cooper averaged .377 with 17 RBIs and also pitched 80.1 innings in the regular season.

Early in the season, pitcher Zack Aguirre got hurt, so fellow Amador alum Matt Bush stepped in as Ohlone's starting pitcher for most games. Bush, who was also selected to the All-Coast South first team, finished the regular season with a 10-2 record and a 2.90 ERA, striking out 78 in 90 innings. Soulages was the team's primary closer, with a 1.24 ERA and 50 strikeouts in 36.1 innings.

Soulages was not only selected for the All-Coast South team but also named to the 2004 All-America team for Northern California.

Soulages said that his experience on the Ohlone team has taught him a lot and helped him to advance to the next level.

"Playing college ball involves a much bigger commitment than in high school," he said. "You practice four to five hours every day, five days a week, including weight room workouts. It makes you more focused on the game."

Soulages had only good things to say about coach Moore, who has coached for 34 years, 15 of them at Ohlone. "He knows more about baseball than anyone I've met so far. I've really learned a lot from him."

What made the season fun was the way the players from various area high schools still boasted about their high schools and whose team was better, said Soulages.

"A lot of the guys from the other side of the Bay talked about how great their schools and teams were and who beat who last year," said Soulages. "Before every game, someone would bring up the rivalries between schools and we'd all get a good laugh."

Soulages, who is traveling this summer with the Hawaiian Island Movers baseball team to play in Japan and Korea, has accepted a scholarship to pitch for Cal State Fullerton this fall. The Fullerton team is currently competing in the College World Series.
@photocredit:Ashanta Riley-Person, Ohlone College Monitor

Amador alumnus Jeff Soulages has helped the Ohlone Renegades baseball team make it to the "Final Four" this year.

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