Hackler strikes out 10 for Turlock in series-clinching win over rival Pitman
Every Wednesday during CCAL play, Turlock’s bullpen stays quiet.
When Bulldogs ace Mason Hackler is on the mound, head coach Michael Souza doesn’t have any worries.
He knows the junior will pitch at least six innings, keeping batters off-guard by mixing his fastball-cutter-curveball combination to the tune of at least seven strikeouts.
“He’s been on all year for us,” Souza said. “It’s nice to have because I know he can come out, throw strikes and just dominate. When he gets into that mindset where he comes out and dominates, no one can touch him. He’s been our dude all year.”
Wednesday was no different.
In his final regular-season outing against crosstown rival Pitman, Hackler racked up 10 strikeouts and walked only one batter in six innings of work. He gave up four total hits, one home run, three runs and a pair of earned runs, pitching the Bulldogs to a 5-3 win.
The outing was just the most recent of Hackler’s impressive outings this season. He has pitched at least six innings in his last eight starts and recorded at least 10 strikeouts in his last five straight games. He has not had an earned run average of over three in his last eight games and did not give up an earned run in three straight starts entering Wednesday.
After pitching just 10 total varsity innings last season as a sophomore, Hackler turned in a CCAL Pitcher of the Year or CCAL MVP performance in 2026. He has thrown 59.2 regular-season innings, has a career-low 1.88 ERA, has 84 strikeouts, good for sixth in the Sac-Joaquin Section, and has an opponent batting average of .160.
“My mindset is to try to make it as far as I can while being efficient,” Hackler said. “I don’t want to go as far as I can and throw the most pitches. It’s trying to make sure I can go the full seven innings while still being able to produce in other areas as well.”
Some of his drastic improvement comes with just maturing and being more comfortable against varsity competition, Souza said.
But most of it comes with the work Hackler put in this offseason on the field and in the pool.
Hackler plays water polo in the fall, which he said helps with his arm strength. He also honed his pitching skills, worked on his approach in the batter’s box (he is hitting a career high .344) and grew from 5-foot-10 to 6-foot-2.
Locking up a series win
Turlock locked up a three-peat as Central California Athletic League champions Monday, beating the Pride 6-1, but there still was something to play for Wednesday.
The Turlock-Pitman rivalry is a must-watch every year, in every sport. The fact that this year’s rivalry series doubled as the regular-season finale was just icing on the cake. The Bulldogs held Pitman’s high-powered offense to three or fewer runs for just the second and third times in league play.
“For the kids, (winning the Pitman series) is just for bragging rights because all those kids went to school in elementary and junior high and played little league with them,” Souza said.
For the second straight game, the Bulldogs had to come from behind.
Monday, they gave up an early run at Pitman in the bottom of the third before erupting to score six in the top of the sixth for a five-run win. Wednesday, Hackler gave up a two-run shot over the left-field fence to Ben Vilhauer as the Pride took a 3-1 lead early. The Bulldogs responded in the bottom of the fourth, scoring three runs to take a 4-3 lead, then adding another in the bottom of the sixth to win 5-3.
“I felt like I had to move on, I couldn’t let that affect me,” Hackler said of bouncing back after giving up the home run. “It was one pitch, it’s gonna happen. As a pitcher, you can’t let it affect you going into the next pitch because then it starts to spiral and that’s how bad outings happen. You’ve just got to move forward and come back with a strike on the next pitch.”
Offensively, Hackler, Cameron Henard and Brandon Keyler had two hits, and three other batters added a hit apiece. Henard and Keyler each doubled, and Hackler, Keyler and Landyn Fitzgerald each recorded an RBI. Owen McCord entered for the seventh inning as a relief pitcher and struck out two while giving up a hit.
Momentum for the postseason
The Bulldogs will enter the postseason with momentum. Being league champions gives them confidence. After Wednesday’s game, they have won five straight contests, giving up five total runs.
Anything can happen in the first few rounds of the playoffs, and after scares in the first two games of the Pitman series, the Bulldogs have seen it all. They know how to play with a lead, they can win a shootout and they can come from behind to secure a win.
“It gives us confidence in all aspects, but playoffs are hard,” Souza said when asked to look ahead to postseason expectations. “You’re going to face their No. 1 (pitcher), we’re going to throw our No. 1. It’s just one of those things that’s tough because anyone can win.”
But the Bulldogs still want to finish the regular season strong. They aren’t looking past Friday’s regular season finale against the Pride, who will be hungry for their own momentum as they hope to lock up a postseason spot with a top-three league finish. The postseason brackets come out Saturday afternoon in the Sac-Joaquin Section website.
“We’ve got to get through Friday first and take this momentum into the playoffs and play team ball in the playoffs,” Hackler said. “But we’ve got to make sure we get that win on Friday first. We can’t look too far into the future because that’s how bad things happen.”
