Being ranked nationally rankles coach at Cimarron

Nick Christensen

Wednesday, March 23, 2005 | 8:48 a.m.

When Andrew Hatch made his much-publicized transfer from Coronado to Cimarron-Memorial last summer, most of the attention was focused on the impact he'd have on the Spartans' football team.

Now signed to play quarterback for Harvard next year, Hatch can sit back and relax with the other sport he loves -- baseball.

Not that Hatch has a thing against pressure. He's assumed the role of closer for the Spartans, ranked 49th nationally by Baseball America and the state runner-up last year.

"I like it in the game, when it's a tight score," Hatch said. "You've just got to put in a good inning, you don't have to pitch for as long. It just comes down to a few pitches. I like the pressure of the game."

Pressure is the name of the game at Cimarron this year. Ranked 49th nationally by Baseball America this preseason, the Spartans advanced to the state championship last year before losing to Reno. Cimarron returned much of its core of players from that title near-miss, and being the only nationally ranked team in Nevada just increased opponents' drive to defeat the Spartans.

"I thought it was really cool to be part of a program ranked nationally," Hatch said. "There are tons of high schools in the country, so if you can be in the top 50, that's a big accomplishment."

Another advantage is the attention it brings from people other than opponents.

"It helps get exposure for a lot of players," Hatch said. "Major league scouts come out when (Mark) Willinsky pitches, they take a look at other players."

But while Hatch thought it was cool for his new team to have such high accolades, coach Mike Hubel was a little less amused.

"I couldn't care less about the rankings," Hubel said. "I care about wins, I care about working hard."

Hubel is a realist, and knows that the ranking only made the bull's-eye on the Spartans even larger. But he also knows that what happens now has no bearing on where his team winds up in May's playoffs.

"It's nice to be recognized like that, but it puts a big target on their back," he said. "It's still early in the year. Hopefully we're up for the challenge later in the year."

On the other hand, the attention has given Cimarron a little swagger without having yet developed that killer instinct.

"When we played Spring Valley, we thought we were going to beat them," outfielder Brandon Troddick said. "They stuck with us the whole time. We need to come out of that thinking we're the team to beat."

And, Hubel said, his team's 5-1 loss to Sierra Vista on March 15 wasn't an eye-opener, either.

"Everybody says losing can be a good thing," he said. "I don't believe in that. I believe in coming to the baseball field, working hard, practicing hard at practice and getting better."