PVCC men's baseball team trains for championship finish

By Jeffrey Sanders, December 2011
Staff Writer  

The Paradise Valley Community College baseball team is looking for more consistency through the first few months of fall practices.

Victor Solis, PVCC baseball coach, says he is very pleased with the team’s hard work, but needs to see more consistency every day on the practice field.

The coach says, “Pitching and team defense,” will be the Puma’s strength this year. The pitching is led by sophomores Will Abram and Kevin Baumgartner. Abram only gave up 10 runs in 43 innings last year to go along with five wins. Baumgartner was second on the team in strikeouts and produced six wins during his freshman season.

Catcher Ty Johnson is in charge of the team defense and is a leader of the team. He hit .293 last season with 13 runs batted in to help lead the Pumas offensive charge.

Solis is also very excited about his freshman class for the season.

“They all have a very good work ethic with good attitudes,” he says. “They have shown a good rate of improvement.”

First baseman Kris Ayers from Pinnacle High School is one of those freshman Solis thinks highly of.

“Kris has embraced the hard work that is needed to compete at this level,” the coach says .

Ayers focuses on putting in the effort each and every day on the practice field to help his team get better. His only goal is “to do whatever I can to have a role on this team to help reach our ultimate goal of a Junior College National Championship,” says Ayers. “The chemistry on this team is uplifting, and we are all focused on the same goal.”

Besides the ultimate team goal of a National Championship , Solis has the team focusing on the little goals of competing hard every day that will lead up to the big goals. He has his team approach every day with the mindset of “worry about today in that specific moment and time and try not to worry about tomorrow until it becomes today’s moment.”

Solis loves the game of baseball and has the Pumas focused and ready to have a hard-working season that will hopefully lead them to their ultimate team goal of a Junior College National Championship.

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