After his team went 5-0 to win the Central California Babe Ruth 14U State Tournament, Orcutt manager Jose Nevarez Jr. said his group needed to spruce up some things before hosting the Pacific Southwest Regional.

At a team practice Tuesday, Nevarez said the team had spruced those things up.

“We cleaned up our defense and base running,” Nevarez said after his team went 5-0 in the gold bracket to win the 14-team Summer Games Travel Ball Tournament that took place last Saturday and Sunday.

“The hitting and pitching have always been there for us.” 

The weekend travel ball tournament was a tune-up for Orcutt before the double elimination Pacific Southwest Regional Babe Ruth 14U Tournament that Orcutt will host at Morrison Park July 20-26. The winner will advance to the Babe Ruth 14U World Series that will take place at Hot Springs, Arkansas Aug. 7-20.

Orcutt hosted the Central California state tournament that ran June 28-July 2 as well as the travel ball tournament last weekend.  

As the host team, Orcutt gained an automatic regional berth before the state tournament began. Madera, the state tournament runner-up, and Hanford, the third-place finisher, also advanced to the regional. 

Nevarez said Orcutt’s first regional game will be against the Casa Grande, Arizona Youth Baseball squad July 21 at 9 a.m. 

The 2023 Orcutt team won the Babe Ruth 14U World Series for the first Babe Ruth World Series championship for a Santa Maria Valley squad.

Most of the current Orcutt 14U team played for the Orcutt squad that finished fourth in the 2024 Babe Ruth 13U Pacific Southwest Regional.

To improve on that fourth-place finish and advance, “We have to improve on defense a little more,” said Orcutt shortstop Mason Padilla. Padilla was the state tournament MVP.

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Padilla, first baseman Zander Andersen and pitcher-utility player Elijah Ortiz are among the Orcutt 14U team members who played on the Orcutt 13U squad last year. 

“Our bats are hotter than they were last year,” said Padilla. “I think we have a good chance to advance to the World Series.”

Andersen has been a particularly big hitter for Orcutt. The first baseman had multiple extra-base hits in the state and travel ball tournaments.

“We’re definitely a lot more deep in the hitting lineup than we were last year,” said Andersen.

Ortiz stuffed a Madera rally in the seventh inning in the first game in the championship bracket at the state tournament and preserved the 4-3 Orcutt win that gave the host team the championship. Ortiz entered with runners on first and second base with no outs. He faced three batters and got three outs.

“I think our pitching’s a lot better this year,” said Ortiz. “We have more options.”

“We have a lot of guys who can pitch,” said Nevarez. “Our main pitchers are Elijah, Eli Solis, Kayden Silva and Ozzie Gerfen.”

Solis gave Orcutt six solid innings as the starting pitcher against Madera in the championship bracket game. Ortiz came on after the first two Madera batters in the seventh got on base.

Orcutt players include Padilla, Andersen, Ortiz, Solis, Silva, Gerfen, Julian Romero, Rob Reynoso, Antonio Vargas, Austin Stevens, Cayden Gradoville, Cooper Gradoville, Dominic Quiroga, Easton Verbryke and Josiah Curiel.

The coaching staff includes Nevarez and coaches Paul Ortiz, Marc Lopez and Carlos Horta.