Turlock Christian’s historic season continues with NorCal win over Mendota
If you asked students at Turlock Christian last season to write down who was on the baseball team, chances are Gavin Farinha’s name wouldn’t be one on their list.
The Eagles’ ace spent all of his sophomore season recovering from Tommy John surgery – a surgical procedure done mostly on baseball pitchers where a ligament in the elbow is replaced with a tendon from somewhere in the body or from a cadaver.
After playing three games his freshman year, and pitching five innings in one, Farinha had surgery and spent his sophomore season recovering and doing rehab.
“I did good,” the lefty said of the limited opportunity his first year. “But after that, it was like no one at the school really knew I played baseball.
If you saw him pitch Tuesday in the Northern California Division VII, you’d be surprised to find out that just last year, he was limited to throwing drills and workout sessions with a trainer. No game reps allowed.
“(Rehab) was so boring, but I always tried to look ahead. The bigger picture is what motivated me.”
The Turlock Christian baseball team could be in the midst of its best season in school history.
The Eagles have won 20 games for the first time since the 2017-18 season, which is also the last time they made the postseason. They made it to the section title game for the first time since 1997 (a 23-5 loss in Division IV to Mariposa) and secured the school’s first-ever section title with a 1-0 win in the Division VII championship over Valley Christian.
On Tuesday, the historic season continued as they opened the CIF Northern California Championships with a 6-0 win over Mendota. Farinha pitched six shutout innings with eight strikeouts and allowed just one hit.
“This is special,” said Eagles coach Bill York. “We’re going day-to-day. It’s ‘Johnny all staff’ every game because we have to win that game in front of us. We did what we set out to do, which is win a CIF (section title). This is just an added bonus.”
The Eagles’ 23-4 record is a byproduct of a number of things. York credits timely hitting and good pitching, and the numbers back it up. They have two players who have been in more than 20 games batting over .500: senior Julian Espinoza (.560) and freshman Jayden Espinoza (.513). Two other players have an average over .400: junior Rob York and senior Matt Leonesio.
Farinha has a perfect 12-0 record on the mound with a 0.00 ERA, 10 complete games, 10 shutouts and six no hitters. Rob York is no slouch, either, with a 7-2 record, 1.02 ERA and three shutouts.
“We’ve been blessed,” Bill York said. “They all come out to compete. We’re trying to instill into them that baseball is a privilege”
Turlock Christian had 12 hits Tuesday, led by freshman Beau Blake, who went 3-for-4. Senior Myles Jenkins and freshman Xavier Ruezga added two hits apiece.
It also helps that the team is full of overall athletes. Farinha, and seniors Jenkins and Julian Espinoza also helped the Eagles’ basketball team win the school’s first section championship in February. They missed a couple of baseball games because of the prolonged hoops season, but found ways to stay sharp.
“It wasn’t really a big change because I know ... we all put in the work even outside of basketball practice. So we were in tip-top shape for baseball season.” Farinha said.
It’s going to be a team effort to keep things rolling Thursday as every game is win or go home. But they can’t get too high or too low.
“It’s always even keel,” Bill York said. “It’s not at a crescendo to a Friday like football. We’re gonna have a regular practice tomorrow, have some fun, and have another game. You’re gonna have another at bat, you’re gonna have another ground ball and you’re gonna have another pitch to make. So if they keep that mentality, I think they’ll be OK.”
