Poe Finds Success With the Big Kids

Ryan Poe has been part of a championship team before this spring at Saddleback College, but then it was strictly from behind the scenes.

Poe spent much of last summer throwing batting practice to the team from South Mission Viejo that reached the championship game of the Little League World Series.

“Being in Williamsport [Pa.] was amazing,” Poe said, “It was like living the Little League dream.”

But Poe is living his own dream right now as he and his Saddleback College teammates began play in the state baseball tournament Saturday at Fresno College.

Poe, a sophomore right-hander, is one of the top pitchers in the state. He is 14-1, has won 10 in a row and has a earned-run average of 2.28.

He is also the single-season and career victory leader at Saddleback but never considered this much success possible.

“I thought I’d have a 9-5 year and be happy with it,” he said, “Fourteen and one isn’t all me. It’s everybody contributing.”

Poe has been impressive all season but he’s clearly been at his best in the playoffs. He is 2-0 with shutouts against Glendale and Cypress.

Poe’s competitive spirit and all the running he’s required to do has kept his arm strong in the second half of the season. Plus, he is having fun.

He led the charge to the mound when the Gauchos beat Cerritos in the final game of regional play Sunday to advance to the state tournament for the first time since 1984.

Poe dashed to the foul line as Saddleback was turning the game-ending double play then was right in the middle when the traditional pile of players started to build.

Bill Cunerty, Saddleback’s former football coach, watched Poe and said he had recruited Poe as a football player because Poe enjoys things so much and people like that are fun to be around.

But Poe, who was an offensive lineman at Trabuco Hills High, quit playing football after his junior year to concentrate on baseball.

Working mostly in relief, Poe was 7-5 with a team-high four saves as a freshman at Saddleback. But by last fall it was clear Poe was going to be a starter. He is quick to give credit for his record this season to team camaraderie, but a conversation with Coach Jack Hodges about three weeks before the season started also helped.

Hodges told pitchers they needed four pitches to be most effective and Poe had only three.

So he started working on a change-up to go with his fastball (clocked in the upper 80s), curve and slider.

Poe, who has signed with Long Beach State, said the pitch has helped him against left-handed hitters most and that “it’s been the reason for a great deal of my success.”

Control is another. He has 105 strikeouts and eight walks in 130 innings. Poe hopes such numbers catch the attention of professional scouts as well.

“I’m very competitive,” Poe said, “and I want to get to the next level and to do that I have to be confident.”

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Community College Baseball

* What: State tournament

* When: Saturday through Monday

* Where: Fresno College

* First-round pairings: Saddleback (37-10) vs. Canada (35-7) at 2 p.m. and Sacramento (41-2) vs. Los Angeles Harbor (32-15) at 7 p.m. The first-round losers play Sunday at 11 and the winners meet at 3 p.m. There is an elimination game at 7 p.m. Sunday.

* Championship game: 11 a.m. Monday

* Notes: Saddleback hopes to carry on the tradition of the Orange Empire Conference, which has won the last five and six of the last seven state titles. Cypress won in 1991, ’94 and ’97. Santa Ana won in 1993, ’95 and ’96. The Gauchos are led on offense by third baseman Kirk Bolling (.474, 18 homers, 71 RBIs), shortstop Nick Punto (.384, 66 runs, 53 RBIs) and designated hitter Greg Pines (.335, 14 HRs, 62 RBIs). Los Angeles Harbor center fielder John Pham (.345, 43 runs, 34 RBIs) was a reserve at Saddleback last season. He played at Irvine High. Sacramento lost to Cypress in the title game last year.