The longer he’s been at Solorio, the more comfortable Josiah Saucedo has become.
The junior spent his freshman year at Kennedy, earning baseball all-conference honors, before transferring. Now he’s a two-sport standout in baseball and basketball for the Sun Warriors with a future that looks bright.
Solorio starts just one senior, but held its own at the top level of Public League baseball this spring. The Sun Warriors went 6-8 in the Jackie Robinson South and reached the final 16 of the city playoffs, beating Farragut 5-2 in the first round on May 9 before falling 3-2 to Taft on May 10. They’re 8-15 overall.
Saucedo has been a key cog on the mound and at the plate. The right-hander pitched a five-hitter with five strikeouts against Taft to move to 3-3 with a 4.59 ERA and 39 strikeouts in 39 2/3 innings.
He’s also batting .354 with 17 runs. 13 RBIs and a .939 OPS.
“It’s all about making adjustments,” Saucedo said. “At the start, I was kind of struggling but I just trusted myself (to) make my adjustments and have fun, make sure I do what I do best.”
On the mound, that means attacking hitters with a two-seam fastball, a slurve and a changeup. “I just trust those three pitches,” Saucedo said.
Playing into better weather hasn’t hurt.
“In March when it’s cold, I feel we’re kind of iffy,” Saucedo said. “But once it gets hot, I trust my team. I really do trust the guys behind me.”
The feeling is mutual, according to Solorio coach Scott Whitcomb.
“He’s done really well,” Whitcomb said of Saucedo. “He’s a good two-way guy. Especially lately, he’s done really well on the mound.”
Saucedo’s last start before Taft came against Kenwood in a 4-1 loss that was a 1-1 game into the seventh inning.
“He can compete against anyone,” Whitcomb said.
That’s also true when Saucedo is in the batter’s box.
“And offensively, he’s definitely improved a lot as well,” Whitcomb said. “He’ll play anywhere for us defensively. We’ve had him at third, at short, in the outfield. He can be an emergency catcher — literally do anything. And no questions asked either, so he’s a great kid to coach.
“He’s definitely added some pop this year and he just keeps getting better.”
Whitcomb said Saucedo’s added strength has been crucial.
“That jump from last year to this year has helped a lot and he’ll make another jump next year,” Whitcomb said.