2007 Falcon Baseball Team Has Record Setting Season

The 2007 season for West Hills College Falcon baseball team was a season filled with many team and individual accomplishments, which in turn enabled the Falcons to set a single season record for wins going 26-14 and 17-11 in the tough Central Valley Conference. The Falcons had a total of ten players receive post season honors. As a team, the pitching staff posted a team Earned Run Average of 3.38 which is an exceptional feat at the college level with the use of the aluminum bat. Offensively, the Falcons hammered out an overall team batting average of .311.

Mike Southern [Glasgow, Montana] led the way for the Falcon pitching staff as he was named Central Valley Conference Pitcher of the year. Southern, who is expected to be drafted in the first five rounds of the Major League amateur draft in June, relied on a fastball between 90-93 mph and a major league slider at 85-86.He recorded 6 wins and 6 saves while striking out 90 hitters in 86 innings of work. He allowed only 60 hits in his 86 innings pitched. At least 12 different major league organizations have indicated Southern is on their draft list. A. J. Comaskey, from Central High in Fresno, was also a stalwart on the mound for West Hills. He posted an overall 8-1 record while going 7-1 in conference play. A freshman, Comaskey also led the team with a 1.67 ERA. For his performance, A J was named a second team All - Conference performer. Freshman right handed pitcher Dylan Lightell [Rosamond], was named honorable mention All CVC. The hard throwing right-hander recorded 2 wins and 4 saves while striking out 55 hitters in 51 innings. Both Lightell and Comaskey will be strong prospects for the June 2008 draft after their sophomore season and highly recruited at the collegiate level.

Offensively, the Falcons were led by sluggers Pernell Halliman and Troy Hamilton. Halliman [ Edison High, Fresno], was drafted as a freshman last season as a pitcher by the Pittsburgh Pirates. He has the options of signing before the upcoming draft, going back into the June 2007 draft or accepting a baseball scholarship at the four year level. Halliman's bat led the Falcons in the second half of the season as the team put together a 9-3 conference record after the Easter Break. His .403 batting average, 38 RBI's and .597 slugging percentage led the Falcon's offensively. Pernell also struck out 54 batters in 57 innings of work on the mound. The 6 ft.7 right-hander used a fastball between 92-94 miles an hour to overpower opposing hitters. Troy Hamilton [ Springfield, Virginia], anchored third base while batting cleanup. The freshman, who is going to spend the summer playing for the Fairbanks Goldpanners in Alaska, slugged a team leading 5 homeruns while driving in 31 base runners and hitting .358 with a .516 slugging percentage. Hamilton is a strong candidate for the 2008 draft. Sophomore Phillip Boren, [Kerman], was named second team All-CVC Utility. Boren who is being recruited by Sacramento State, Hawaii Pacific, William Penn, Stanislaus State and Dickinson State, batted .381 for the Falcons while hitting in the 3 hole. He also contributed on the mound going 6-3 for the Falcons with a 3.99 ERA. Another Kerman product, freshman outfielder Jacob Motsenbocker, was named Honorable Mention All CVC as he hit .337 overall and .324 in league play. His strong arm in right field ranked with anyone in the conference. Clovis East product  freshman David White batted .336 overall and .347 in league play while also receiving honorable mention in the Central Valley Conference.

Defensively, the Falcons were strong up the middle with solid play at the catcher, shortstop, second base, and centerfield positions. The Falcons were anchored by freshman catcher Kyle Cowger, [Clovis East] and freshman shortstop Isacc Vivas [McClane Fresno]. Cowger, who received second team All Conference honors, guided the pitching staff  while catching 38 0f 40 games. He also batted .278 with an on base percentage of .350.Vivas was the starting shortstop in all 40 games for the Falcons while batting .322 overall and .318 in league play with an on base percentage of .409. He received Honorable Mention and has the potential to be one of the top shortstops in Northern California for 2008 season. Sophomore centerfielder and leadoff batter Joe Rodriguez[ Fresno High], batted .311 while providing the Falcons with spark at the leadoff position and strong defensive play in centerfield. Rodriguez had 5 assists over the course of the season.

The 2007 season should be a kick start for next year's 2008 season as the West Hills returns a solid nucleus of freshmen with 5 returning pitchers and a total of 9 freshman who started at some point in time during the 2007 season. Team awards went to Mike Southern and AJ Comaskey as Most Valuable pitchers. Most Valuable Offensive Player awards went to Pernell Halliman and Troy Hamilton. Most Valuable Defensive awards were presented Isacc Vivas and Joe Rodriguez. Kyle Cowger and Jacob Motsenbocker received awards for Most Improved, and Leadership and Hustle awards were garnered by David White and Phillip Boren.