In safe hands: Catcher Urrutia calls his own game for Gregori baseball

In more than two decades as a baseball coach, Jim Davis has trusted just two catchers with calling their game, and the first spent five years in the Cincinnati Reds’ farm system.

“Jake Long,” Davis said, his voice building with excitement at the thought of his former backstop at Johansen. “That’s the last kid I let call a game. When you do it right, it’s a hugely tedious kind of thing.”

So the second is learning. After two years under Davis’ wings, catcher Andrew Urrutia is in full control of the Gregori pitching staff – and the team’s fate this spring.

The Jaguars remain in the hunt mathematically for a third consecutive Modesto Metro Conference championship. Gregori (15-6, 9-3 MMC) trails 2015 co-champion Beyer (14-3, 11-1) by two games in the standings and begins a pivotal three-game series with third-place Enochs (13-10, 10-5) on Monday.

Gregori has won 11 consecutive games – a streak that has spanned a calendar month.

“We’re playing our best baseball of the season,” Davis said. “We know what is in front of us, and we realize if we don’t keep playing our best baseball, we won’t beat Enochs. They’ve proven to be a formidable opponent. If we don’t play our brand of baseball, we’ll get our hats handed to us.”

That brand of baseball begins with a backstop who Davis says is part of a “dying breed.” Few high school catchers are trusted with calling games. In fact, Davis, a former pitcher at Modesto Junior College, Nevada and Stanislaus State, can’t recall a time during his playing career when his batterymate called his game.

“The catcher would look into the dugout for the pitch sequence,” Davis said. “He’d put a finger down, and I did what I was told.”

For Urrutia, that responsibility was earned over time. The third-year varsity catcher wasn’t trusted with calling his game until last summer. Urrutia had to prove to Davis he was capable of handling the Jaguars’ young, retooled staff and heady enough to set up batters.

“It’s just experience,” said Urrutia, hitting .373 with two home runs and 15 RBIs. His triple during Friday’s 12-1 victory over Johansen was one of three straight by juniors, the others by Tyler Vandemark and Matt Dallas. “It’s years of coach calling my games and studying batters. After a while, it became second nature for me.

“I pick coach Davis’ brain all the time. ‘What do we do in this situation?’ and stuff like that. There’s a lot going on behind the scenes. Playing at the varsity level the last couple of years, you get a feel for the good hitters and what kids like to do.”

That information is contained in charts and graphs that would make A’s general manager Billy Beane blush. Davis said his staff have compiled hot and cold zones for many of the top hitters in the MMC, some dating to their time at the lower levels.

When Urrutia squats, relaying the pitch and location with a flash of his fingers, he does so armed with that mountain of knowledge.

He isn’t calling a game on feel alone. He’s making factual decisions … without much help from the coaching staff at the time.

“Graphs, pitch counts, hot zones and cold zones, charting our kids and opposing teams – we do everything we can to give us an edge,” Davis said. “We want to feel like we’re as prepared as we can be.”

Urrutia has been like a sponge, soaking up the information at every opportunity. He’s a regular in Davis’ classroom during breaks in his schedule.

“He’s very cerebral when it comes to baseball,” Davis said. “He still makes mistakes, but for the most part, that’s happening few and far between. He’s such a quick learner and never makes the same mistake twice.”

That’s been vital in the development of a young staff. The Jaguars lost three stalwarts to graduation last spring: Starters Jeff Gray (75 strikeouts, 1.24 ERA) and Anthony Dugo (five complete games) won a combined 16 games, while reliever Justin Cox saved two games.

Davis has filled that void with four new arms. Junior A.J. MacCaughtry is a team-best 5-0 in seven appearances with a 1.32 ERA. Sophomore Brandon Pasion and Dallas have won four games apiece with sub-2.00 ERAs. Junior Wade Brenneke has made a team-high eight appearances with two saves. He has yet to surrender an earned run in 17 innings.

On Friday, Dallas went the distance in a run-ruled victory over Johansen.

The right-hander credits the staff’s success to Urrutia, who begins shaping a scouting report for each pitcher days in advance of their next start. Urrutia will adjust those plans in-game, calling pitches based on the hitters’ tendencies, situation and scenario and the pitcher’s stuff.

“When you’re in the game, you have a little more feel for it, as opposed to sitting on the sidelines,” Dallas said. “When you see batters for a second and third time, you know their tendencies. Just as a player, it’s easier.”

“Easier” is a relative term. While it may appear like a natural rhythm and chemistry, the bond between pitcher and catcher and catcher and coach has been building for quite some time.

“It was a growing process. I knew the guys, but I had never played with them,” Urrutia said. “We played 20 to 25 games (last) summer and that helped a lot, but baseball is only part of it.

“We hang out all the time outside of school. We always talk situations; we put ourselves in the game and figure out what pitches we’ll throw.”

This story was originally published April 24, 2016 at 10:24 AM with the headline "In safe hands: Catcher Urrutia calls his own game for Gregori baseball."