The Branham baseball team will do whatever it takes to get past St. Ignatius Thursday afternoon in the Central Coast Section Division II semifinals: by hook or by Krook.
The 10th-seeded Bruins, who reached the semifinals with impressive wins over Monterey and Gilroy, are expected to meet up with potential MLB first-round draft pick Matt Krook, the Wildcat left-hander with the mid-90s fastball. First pitch is scheduled for 4 pm at San Jose Municipal Stadium.
"It's a different mindset to the ballgame we just played," said Branham coach Landon Jacobs, whose team routed Gilroy, 13-1, in the quarterfinals on Saturday. "We expect runs to be at a premium."
Krook, who mixes in a changeup and curve ball with the 90s heater, is ranked as the 32nd best draft prospect in the country - including college players - by Baseball America and projects as a possible first-round pick in the upcoming June baseball draft.
"They are excited about the opportunity," Jacobs said. "For our guys, it will be fun to see how they stack up against a pitcher like that. We need to make him execute and do his job."
Branham has certainly done the job in the postseason so far, advancing past Monterey in the first round, 5-2, on the strength of a two-run, game-winning home run in the eighth inning off the bat of Drew Cooper. The Bruins then blasted Gilroy pitching to the tune of 13 runs on 12 hits, including a 3-for-3 performance from senior Jacob Grace, who scored three runs and drove in two.
"Our guys are buying into the team offensive approach - to do what the situation calls for," Jacobs said. "Whether that means moving guys over, scoring a runner from third, trying to get on base, we'll do what it takes."
The Bruins feature talented pitchers themselves, with junior lefty Alex Zarate (5-5, 2.41 ERA) expected to get the call against the Wildcats. But in a one-and-done situation, Jacobs realizes that the situation could call for all hands on deck.
"We'll go to anybody we need to," he said. "We're not going to hold anybody back."
In addition to Krook, who is also an outstanding hitter, the Wildcats feature other talented players like senior Jack Stinn, the star quarterback for the CCS title-winning football team, and junior Logan Steinberg. The Wildcats finished sixth in the ultra-competitive West Catholic Athletic League and reached the semifinals as the No. 14 seed with wins over Saratoga (11-3) and Soledad (5-1).
