wildstangs
05-04-2003, 11:54 AM
By RON HOWELL
The Reporter Sports Editor
Mychal and Kendal Carrillo have been involved in sports for as long as they can remember. But because of their age difference -- Mychal, 18, is three years older than Kendal -- the two brothers had never known what it was like to play on the same team.
But their dream of playing together was finally realized this year when Kendal became a starting member of Sweetwa-ter's varsity baseball team.
And having two Carrillos has proven to be a nightmare for most opponents as the pair have helped the Mustangs win 20 of 29 games, along with their first district championship in nine years.
It's also been an added luxury for their head coach, Connie Cochran, who entered the 2003 season with high expectations anyway since Sweetwater was returning most of its top players from the 2002 squad that advanced to the area playoffs.
The vast majority of high school freshmen play on the JV squad. But Cochran had a hunch that Kendal might be able to make the big jump.
"I thought he might have the physical tools," Cochran admit-ted. "What I was concerned about was the mental maturity he would have at the varsity level. And I was pleasantly surprised to see that his mental toughness was pretty good."
To say that Kendal made a quick impact would probably be an understatement. This year, he has been every bit as valuable as Mychal, a senior and perennial all-district performer who is in the twilight of one of the great athletic careers at Sweetwater High School.
The Carrillo brothers have both been terrific offensively. Mychal, who stands 5-foot-8 and is the Mustangs' leadoff hitter and starting center fielder, ranks first or second on the team in nearly every major hitting category.
The most eye-catching stats are his .516 average, 43 runs scored and seven home runs, which shares the lead with Bubba Moncada. He has also been near-flawless on defense although he had rarely played the outfield prior to this season.
Kendal, who is about four inches taller than Mychal, was used as a designated hitter for most of the year but has recently begun starting at shortstop. He is batting .384 for the season with three homers and 23 RBI. Kendal was actually a better hitter in district play, with a .448 average and almost half (10) of his RBIs coming over that 10-game span.
But his biggest contribution has been as a very reliable No. 2 pitcher who has posted some amazing stats for a freshman.
Carrillo (5-2) shares the team lead in victories with No. 1 star-ter Reid Bishop. But he is the outright leader in both ERA (1.54) and strikeouts, with 52 in 50 innings, and also has four complete games and a shutout.
He has also gotten much more comfortable at shortstop, with only two of his five errors coming after he made his debut at the position on April 4.
As you might expect, Kendal and Mychal admit they are very competitive with each other, although perhaps not quite as much as in their younger days.
"It's a non-stop deal," Mychal said. "We were always taught to be competitive, to always go out and play as hard as you can."
Still, he likes having someone around who he can easily give advice to.
"As a freshman, you're a little shell-shocked at this level," Mychal said. "I've been in situations that are similar to what he's been in, although I wasn't on the varsity as a freshman.
"I'm not surprised (by Ken-dal's success). I knew what he could do. I've been real pleased to see he's come in and hasn't missed a beat."
Kendal also enjoys having his brother on the same team. "It was one of my main goals. I al-ways wanted to play with my brother," he said. "I was pretty surprised to get the chance to do it because of the talent this year's team has.
The Reporter Sports Editor
Mychal and Kendal Carrillo have been involved in sports for as long as they can remember. But because of their age difference -- Mychal, 18, is three years older than Kendal -- the two brothers had never known what it was like to play on the same team.
But their dream of playing together was finally realized this year when Kendal became a starting member of Sweetwa-ter's varsity baseball team.
And having two Carrillos has proven to be a nightmare for most opponents as the pair have helped the Mustangs win 20 of 29 games, along with their first district championship in nine years.
It's also been an added luxury for their head coach, Connie Cochran, who entered the 2003 season with high expectations anyway since Sweetwater was returning most of its top players from the 2002 squad that advanced to the area playoffs.
The vast majority of high school freshmen play on the JV squad. But Cochran had a hunch that Kendal might be able to make the big jump.
"I thought he might have the physical tools," Cochran admit-ted. "What I was concerned about was the mental maturity he would have at the varsity level. And I was pleasantly surprised to see that his mental toughness was pretty good."
To say that Kendal made a quick impact would probably be an understatement. This year, he has been every bit as valuable as Mychal, a senior and perennial all-district performer who is in the twilight of one of the great athletic careers at Sweetwater High School.
The Carrillo brothers have both been terrific offensively. Mychal, who stands 5-foot-8 and is the Mustangs' leadoff hitter and starting center fielder, ranks first or second on the team in nearly every major hitting category.
The most eye-catching stats are his .516 average, 43 runs scored and seven home runs, which shares the lead with Bubba Moncada. He has also been near-flawless on defense although he had rarely played the outfield prior to this season.
Kendal, who is about four inches taller than Mychal, was used as a designated hitter for most of the year but has recently begun starting at shortstop. He is batting .384 for the season with three homers and 23 RBI. Kendal was actually a better hitter in district play, with a .448 average and almost half (10) of his RBIs coming over that 10-game span.
But his biggest contribution has been as a very reliable No. 2 pitcher who has posted some amazing stats for a freshman.
Carrillo (5-2) shares the team lead in victories with No. 1 star-ter Reid Bishop. But he is the outright leader in both ERA (1.54) and strikeouts, with 52 in 50 innings, and also has four complete games and a shutout.
He has also gotten much more comfortable at shortstop, with only two of his five errors coming after he made his debut at the position on April 4.
As you might expect, Kendal and Mychal admit they are very competitive with each other, although perhaps not quite as much as in their younger days.
"It's a non-stop deal," Mychal said. "We were always taught to be competitive, to always go out and play as hard as you can."
Still, he likes having someone around who he can easily give advice to.
"As a freshman, you're a little shell-shocked at this level," Mychal said. "I've been in situations that are similar to what he's been in, although I wasn't on the varsity as a freshman.
"I'm not surprised (by Ken-dal's success). I knew what he could do. I've been real pleased to see he's come in and hasn't missed a beat."
Kendal also enjoys having his brother on the same team. "It was one of my main goals. I al-ways wanted to play with my brother," he said. "I was pretty surprised to get the chance to do it because of the talent this year's team has.