It has been three years since the Santa Barbara Foresters won their NBC record 10th World Series title.
That’s too long a drought for longtime manager Bill Pintard.
“I’d be lying if I told you I wasn’t focused,” Pintard told Noozhawk before the season began. “[A World Series] is our goal. Our goal is not to get to the semifinals. I also work for the Yankees, and with the Yankees, if you don’t get to the World Series, it’s a bad year.
“Last year, we got to the quarterfinals and we lost by one run. Not a good year. We weren’t happy. The year before, we lost in the championship game. We have high goals and we’ve got good players.”
Pintard will look to lead the Foresters to an 11th NBC World Series title this week in Wichita, Kansas. The ‘Sters will begin their run on Friday at 6:30 p.m. PST against the Derby Twins from Kansas. The game and tournament will be broadcast on the Foresters’ YouTube channel.
Santa Barbara will play three games in Pool C, with the top two teams from each of the four pools advancing to the quarterfinals on Thursday, July 31.
The Foresters will have to fight through some adversity to reclaim their spot as champions, fighting through several injuries and moving pieces during the final weeks of the regular season.
“We’re a little beat up, and we’re a little thin on our staff going in. But we feel that with energy and everything else, if we just get some base hits, then we can go compete in that World Series,” Pintard said.
Despite the constant movement that takes place within a summer college baseball team, Santa Barbara enjoyed a strong regular season that ended with the team atop the CCL South standings with a record of 23-9.
There have been plenty of contributors in all facets of the game throughout the summer, but the duo of Terrence Kiel II (Texas A&M) and Brenton Clark (Arkansas) have been in the middle of the action towards the top of the lineup.
Xavier Esquer of UCSB has soared up to the leadoff spot after going on a tear to end the regular season, giving the Foresters a formidable top half of the lineup heading into the World Series.
“Not only are we really talented and skilled, but we’re all really baseball-minded, so we really want to win,” Esquer said. “We got a really good group of guys that really enjoy winning… That’s a big part of our game, so we’re going to enjoy it while we’re playing.”
The offense is riding high heading into Wichita, as the Foresters scored a whopping 38 runs in their final three games of the season.
“We were getting shut out a little bit, but we’ve been really putting the bat on the ball,” Pintard said. “Some of the guys that we’ve been waiting for all summer are arriving… We’re coming together.”
On the mound, AJ Krodel (UCSB) was one of the top pitchers in the CCL after pitching to the tune of a 1.74 ERA and striking out 44 batters in 31 innings pitched. Fellow Gaucho Frank Camarillo, who was drafted by the Mets earlier this month, has been an impact pitcher as well in the starting rotation.
The bullpen has been dominant as well, anchored by Steele Eaves (Arkansas) and Josh Hyneman (Crowder CC), who have received plenty of late-inning opportunities.
While the talent on the field is present on a yearly basis for the Foresters, Pintard believes this year’s team shares a unique bond off the field.
“This group has been an exceptional group,” Pintard said. “Their camaraderie is really wonderful. I really appreciate the way they care about each other… They’ve developed friendships and bonds that they’ll have for the rest of their life.”
With the team united and playing some of their best baseball of the summer, the Foresters will look to complete the goal that Pintard set after the final pitch of last summer: return to the top.
“We want them to have fun playing the game, but winning is important,” Pintard said. “Winning is the end result of how you play the game. We’re process-oriented, but winning shows you how well you did the process.
“Our motive is to develop these guys and get them better, and that’s what we do during our league season. When we go to Wichita, it’s about winning.”