Confidence builders
Pitching aces give TOHS baseball team a reason to believe
By Stephen Dorman sdorman@theacorn.com

WENDY PIERRO/Acorn Newspapers DYNAMIC DUO- Thousand Oaks High senior right-handers Chad Smith, left, and Jeff Johnson entered the week with identical 2.13 ERAs. They'd struck out a combined 89 batters in 88 2/3 innings.

Aggressive, experienced and highly competitive by nature, right-handed pitchers Jeff Johnson and Chad Smith are the backbone of the Thousand Oaks High baseball team.

Not only do Johnson and Smith give the Lancers quality innings nearly every time they toe the rubber, but the two collegebound seniors also provide TOHS with an emotional element that can't be measured on the stat sheets, something, perhaps, that's far more vital for any championship-caliber ballclub to possess- extreme confidence.

"A lot of teams don't want to play us right now," said Lancer senior catcher Jett Bandy following Thousand Oaks' 9-3 win over Calabasas last Friday at home, a game in which Johnson earned the win after pitching six innings and allowing two runs.

"We are the hottest team in the Marmonte League, by far, and when we take the field, with either one of those two guys pitching, we know we're going to come out with a victory. Right now, when we take the field, we have a big chest."

Such buoyancy wasn't nearly as present in the Lancer dugout a month ago as TOHS, the reigning Marmonte champion, limped out to a 1-3 league record.

Since losing 2-1 at Calabasas on April 2, however, Thousand Oaks has rebounded in a big way. The Lancers entered Wednesday's contest at Royal with a 169 overall record and an 8-3 mark in Marmonte play. TOHS had won eight of nine games, including seven straight in league.

A major reason for the team's turnaround has been the work of Johnson and Smith from the mound. Entering the week, Thousand Oaks' top two starters had nearly identical numbers, including the same 2.13 ERA.

Johnson, who's held opposing hitters to a .198 batting average, was 5-1 with 46 strikeouts in 46 innings pitched, while Smith was 4-1 with 43 punch-outs in 42 2/3 innings.

Since his team was upended by Calabasas a month ago, Johnson has thrown a complete game shutout against Royal, given up a pair of runs to Westlake's potent offense in yet another victory, and beaten both Moorpark and Calabasas.

Smith, on the other hand, won a blowout at Newbury Park, slammed the door on Agoura without giving up a run and beat firstplace Simi Valley by allowing only one Pioneer base runner to cross the plate.

"Johnson and I definitely have led this team, and we always expect to go late into the ballgame," said Smith, a USC commit who's holding the opposition to a .226 average.

"We compete with each other- he'll give me a hard time about the stats and I'll do the same to him- but we always do so with the team in mind," Smith said.

Armed with a nasty splitfinger fastball and the uncanny ability to get stronger as the game goes on, Johnson isn't much of a rah-rah guy between the lines, or even away from the diamond, for that matter.

When it comes to being a toughas-nails competitor, though, Johnson takes a back seat to no one.

"He doesn't talk much, but he has a ton of desire," Smith, 18, said of Johnson. "You know he wants to win. He doesn't have to be one of those (cheering-type) guys to be a leader, because all the guys on this team already look up to him."

Like Smith, Johnson said the pitchers' relationship is both friendly and extremely spirited, with plenty of trash-talking and jokes to be had on any given day.

"It's always a lot of fun between us," Johnson, 18, said.

When Smith takes the mound, there's an aura of self-belief that follows, Johnson said.

Smith's repertoire includes a slew of quality pitches, most notably a wicked slider that he'll throw in any situation and a changeup that he likes to get lefthanded hitters out on.

Smith "knows he has the stuff to beat people, and then he just goes out there and shows it," said Johnson, a Cal Poly San Luis Obispo commit who leads TOHS with a 1.13 WHIP (walks plus hits per innings pitched).

Added Bandy: "Smith just knows how to pitch. He knows the game and he knows the hitters. He's not afraid to let a guy hit the ball, so he just goes right after people."

While Johnson and Smith may be just about dead-even in terms of pitching prowess, Johnson is more dangerous with the bat in his hands and often serves as the Lancers' designated hitter.

Still, Johnson understands that both players' true calling in college will be throwing the ball, not swinging at it.

"I don't rub it in because I'm not too great of a hitter myself," Johnson said. "I'm a high school hitter. After this, I'm pretty much done."

For the Lancers' young pitchers, such as sophomore Cody Thomson, who's 5-2 on the year with a pair of saves, having the opportunity to study two of the area's best hurlers day in and day out has been a learning experience with tangible benefits.

"They really let their play speak for itself," Thomson said. "It's been kind of an honor to play under them. I hope to take the same role next year, so this has been a great way for me to learn and get better."

With the postseason rapidly approaching, Thousand Oaks is eager to avenge last season's earlier-than-anticipated playoff exit. To do so, Johnson and Smith must maintain their excellence, but they'll also need a little help.

"As long as we keep swinging the bats," Johnson said, "we're going to Dodger Stadium."