Baseball: Titans heating up again

This baseball season at Poway began much like the 2015 season.

The Titans were floundering with a 5-7 record last year during the Lions Tournament when suddenly everything began clicking.

A resurgent team went on an 18-6 tear the rest of the way to conclude the season with a six-game winning streak to claim the San Diego Section Division I championship with a 10-6 victory over Eastlake in the finals.

“We played so well after it all fell into place,’’ Poway coach Bob Parry said. “Tyler Nevin (CIF player of the year and first-round draft pick of the Colorado Rockies) was our rallying point.

“There is nothing like a winning streak when it’s happening.’’

The title was the first one since 2009 and the fourth for the Titans since 2006.

With a new championship banner in the gym, expectations ran high in 2016 except the Titans tripped again coming out of the starting gate.

After eight games, Poway was a lackluster 2-6 with the final game of the Lions Tournament against Henderson (Nev.) Green Valley, one of Nevada’s strongest programs.

Former Titan player Anthony Gwynn showed up to watch that game. Parry invited him to sit in the dugout during the game.

Gwynn offered advice on how to change the players’ approach.

It worked. Poway won 5-4, sparking an 11-game winning streak that was finally snapped in the second game of a doubleheader at Torrey Pines.

“In our first game, we led La Costa Canyon 5-0 and lost,’’ Parry said. “We led Granite Hills 2-1 and lost the second game of the year.

“We started pressing and played terribly. We lost to (St. Augustine) on a walkoff hit in the game before Tony Gwynn Jr. showed up and we started playing much better.

“That can’t be a coincidence.’’

From the depths of a slow start, the Titans now sit atop the Palomar League.

“You hope to catch fire late in the year rather than start fast and have a target on your back,’’ Parry said. “Guys weren’t having fun playing the game.

“Since Gwynn’s visit, they’re having fun again.’’

Even last week in a three-game series against Torrey Pines, the Titans rallied from a 6-1 deficit to win the first game 7-6 and followed that up with a 3-1 win in the first game Saturday.

Poway scored six runs on seven hits in that seventh-inning rally.

“That looked like last year,’’ Parry said. “When you’re in a streak like this you don’t wash clothes, you don’t get haircuts, you don’t change a thing.

“We had one of our coaches using a cracked fungo bat rather than using the new one he got.’’

Parry pointed out some of the Titans who have ignited this surge.

Derek Gaswirth, a junior, was inserted into the lineup at third base and is now hitting .412.

Senior Kevin Bristow is hitting .308 with a team-leading 19 RBIs.

Sophomore Deron Johnson is hitting .340 and another sophomore, Dayton Dooney, is hitting .350.

Senior Clayton Zollmann has been the biggest surprise with a .361 average.

The pitching staff now has a 2.49 ERA. The team batting average, which was .150 during the first eight games, is now up to .327.

“When I was at San Diego State we once won 19 games in a row,’’ recalled Parry. “I wore the same T-shirt every game and it stunk so bad, but I refused to change it.

“We won the (Western Athletic Conference title) that year.

“When we relax, you see what we can do. Last year’s streak was unbelievable and so is this year’s streak.’’

One thing Parry won’t do is try to figure out why his club is playing to its potential after a second consecutive sour start.

“If you can figure out why a team can turn it around so quickly, write a book and make lots of money,’’ he said. “You have to have talent. We’ve had talent both years.

“It just took us a while to find out how to play to our potential.

“Just don’t let it be anytime soon.’’

Monahan is a freelance writer.