Modesto’s Beyer has formidable 1-2 punch in Walls, Large

There comes a time in a season when a high school baseball coach looks into a player’s eyes and says, “It’s up to you, kid.”

Beyer High School coach Dom Duran did essentially that Tuesday when he handed the ball to Chase Fetzer with the season on the line.

The junior right-hander responded with five masterful innings, allowing just one hit and one unearned run as the Patriots eliminated Bear Creek 7-3.

The team faces another win-or-pack-your-bags matchup on Thursday against St. Mary’s, the seven-time reigning Sac-Joaquin Section Division I South champion, at Pacific’s Klein Family Field in Stockton.

Who knows what heart-to-heart conversations Duran plans before the 7 p.m. first pitch. But he could start with the heart of his batting order.

No. 3 hitter Jordan Walls and cleanup man Jack Large are hitting .493 and .447, respectively. Walls leads the team with 25 RBIs, and Large has driven in 24.

“We’ve grown up playing together for years,” said Walls, who plays right field, while Large plays either first base, outfield or designated hitter. “I’ve always hit third and him fourth, or vice versa.”

Together, Walls and Large may be the most fearsome duo in the southern half of the section.

“Having them is a luxury I don’t know that I’ll ever have again,” said Duran, who has guided the Patriots to postseason appearances in each of his first four seasons. “They’re as good a 1-2 punch as there is out there.”

But it’s not just Walls and Large.

No. 2 hitter Trevor Ravelli is hitting .425 with 19 RBIs, and Ryan Frakes, hitting fifth, has posted a .359 batting average and 23 RBIs.

None of them are singles hitters, either.

Walls has 11 extra-base hits,including two home runs, while Ravelli and Large have 14 and 13 doubles, respectively.

In other words, runners are in scoring position the minute they get on base.

Matt Williams, the No. 6 hitter, is hitting .322, while Fetzer, who bats seventh, is a .397 hitter.

As a team, the Patriots are hitting .356, better than any of the five remaining teams in the North and South tournament fields and more than 20 points higher than Elk Grove, the defending section champion that has won a record eight D-I titles.

But it’s Walls and Large who set the tone.

“That’s a tough choice for coaches: Pitch to Jordan or Jack,” Duran said. “I wouldn’t want to be in their shoes.”

This story was originally published May 25, 2016 at 1:46 PM with the headline "Modesto’s Beyer has formidable 1-2 punch in Walls, Large."