Willson makes necessary adjustments
Camarillo coach sticks with senior pitcher despite a slow start to the season
By Eliav Appelbaum eliav@theacorn.com

WENDY PIERRO/Acorn Newspapers HE DOES IT ALL- In addition to his role as one of Camarillo High's top pitchers, senior Bryan Willson also plays shortstop for the Scorpions. Entering today's Pacific View League showdown at home against Oxnard, Willson was batting a team-best .509.

Bryan Willson has found his groove at the plate and on the mound.

The senior shortstop for the Camarillo High baseball team has bounced back from what he considered an average junior year in which he batted "only" .337.

This season, he's hitting at a .509 clip.

After Willson started 0-3 as a pitcher this season, head coach Richard Jaquez decided to stick with his struggling right-hander. Since then, the senior captain settled down to pick up two victories while leading the squad with 34 strikeouts.

"I was close to moving him out of the rotation," Jaquez said. "I had to think long and hard about it. But since then, it's gotten better."

This season, Willson, 18, is hitting so well he could probably see the fine-red stitching on the baseball as it propels toward his aluminum bat.

The Chico Statebound shortstop paces Camarillo with that stellar .509 batting average, while leading the squad in home runs (five), slugging percentage (.868) and runs scored (28).

Jacob Mahan, who's going to UC Santa Barbara on a scholarship, is the only other Scorpion with a .500 batting average.

Willson's revitalization has been simple.

"He tried to pull everything last year. He tried to hit everything out to the football field," Jaquez said. "This year, he's using all the fields."

After practice, Willson hits in the batting cages again- this time, it's the one in his backyard with his father throwing to him.

The senior played through injuries in 2007. During a routine grounder at third base in the middle of his junior season, Willson heard a pop in his right shoulder on the throw to first base.

"I couldn't throw as hard as I was able to," said Willson, who kept playing through the pain. The sore shoulder didn't affect his hitting, he said.

After pitching only 8 1/3 innings with a 5.88 earned run average last year, the Scorpion has fit in nicely on the hill in '08.

He sports a 2.92 ERA, while allowing only 15 earned runs in 36 innings and eight walks against 171 batters faced. Willson said his curveball and slider are his best pitches.

"He was trying to throw the ball too hard, and that made his pitches rise too high. Guys were crushing him," Jaquez said.

"Now he's staying down in the zone, getting his curve going and hitting his corners. . . . I'm glad I stuck with him, so far. I hope it continues."

If the Scorpions want to remain in striking distance of firstplace Oxnard in the Pacific View League, they'll need Willson, who played third base as a junior and second base as a sophomore, to continue his tear.

Camarillo (13-5 overall, 6-3 PVL) plays host to Oxnard (14-4-1, 8-1) today at 3:15 p.m. The Scorpions lost to the Yellowjackets 12-7 Tuesday.

Willson said Camarillo is in good shape, however, and that the school has a chance to return to the section championship game.

"We're doing pretty good," he said. "We're getting better each game. We want to get back to (the title game). We have just as good a chance as last year."

After the season ends, Willson wants to work on getting bigger and faster before he heads off to Northern California. For now, there's still plenty of baseball remaining in his high school career.