Losing 2-0 in last year’s Sac-Joaquin Section Division II championship game left a bad taste in the mouth of Benicia High’s varsity baseball team. Fourteen Panthers return from that 27-5 squad, and with an influx of even more talent up from the junior varsity, Benicia is poised to get back to the Section title game again this year.

FRED WILLIAMS leads a potent Benicia offense.

“This is a team we kinda started building two years ago and we’re looking forward to the season,” said Benicia head coach Jim Bowles. “We’re very talent-laden and full of experience. We’re excited. We have as good a shot at winning the Section title as we’ve ever had.”

Leading the charge is senior right fielder Fred Williams, who signed a letter of intent to play for the University of Hawaii-Manoa after graduation but is getting some serious looks from professional baseball scouts. Williams, an All-SCAC First Team pick, led the Panthers with a .492 batting average last season and will anchor the top of Benicia’s lineup this year.

Senior catcher Hudson Bishop – another All-SCAC First Team pick – hit .469 and was second on the team in base hits. Add veteran starters Anthony Clyma, Anthony Fellman, Caleb Van Blake and Nate Palmer to the mix and Benicia is loaded offensively. Clyma returns in centerfield while veteran Clayton Hutcheson holds down left field.

Van Blake and Fellman will split time at shortstop. Palmer returns at second base, and veteran Tanner Marchant opens the season at first base. Jaden Lane and Jason Ramirez are battling for the third base spot.

Pitching has been a Benicia strength over the years and 2014 is no different. Senior Steven Diani is 17-1 in his varsity career and senior Matt Brown has already inked a deal with San Jose State.

“I consider Steven and Matt to be our dual aces,” Bowles said. “You’d be hard pressed to find two better starting pitchers in a high school program.”

Van Blake and Fellman will share the closer role, and Ryan Galiza and Dillon Palomino are veteran pitchers. Bowles is really excited about junior Taylor Greene, a JV call-up who can pitch or play third base or outfield.

“Nobody knows about him, but by the end of this season, I think everybody will know who Taylor Greene is,” Bowles said. “He’s an outstanding pitcher and athlete. He’s looked really, really good and has been a real bright spot out of the new guys.”

Senior Jared Hanson is back and will share catching duties with Bishop. Newcomers to watch include Niko Leon Guerrero, Jason Toumbs, Blake Yarbrough and Jack Bowles.

“We have a good combination of pitching, offense and defense – and experience everywhere,” coach Bowles noted. “We have a lot of versatile guys and we’re gonna use every one of them. I think our depth is what will separate us from the rest of the league.

“I sprinkled a lot of non-league games throughout the season because our pitching is so deep. I wanted a lot of three-game weeks to keep our whole staff working.”

Benicia went 14-1 in the Solano County Athletic Conference last season and won the league title by four games. Vanden is expected to be Benicia’s biggest challenge in the SCAC this year, with American Canyon also a potential threat.

Winning the SCAC title is almost expected from the Panthers, but what the team really wants is its first Section championship since 2011.

“It would be a big disappointment not to win league, but I think these guys are hungry for more than that,” Bowles said.

Benicia was scheduled to open the season at Napa on Friday, but rain may wash that out.

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