HAWAIIAN PUNCHOUT

[Scott]

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HAWAIIAN PUNCHOUT
Hartnell pitcher has been a pleasant surprise
By KEN OTTMAR
Herald Staff Writer
Alittle more than a month from now, Marc Nobriga will once again have a tough decision to make regarding his baseball future.

The Hartnell pitcher, who was drafted by the Texas Rangers in the 2005 draft, must weigh the option of going pro or forgoing immediate financial gain for a scholarship at Cal Poly-San Luis Obisbo.

Nobriga is no stranger to tough decisions.

Two years ago, Nobriga was just another high school standout athlete who didn't stand out enough.

As a senior at St. Louis High in Honolulu, Hawaii, the right-handed pitcher had attracted some attention from the University of Hawaii. But walking on the team for a chance at maybe earning a partial scholarship just wasn't appealing enough.

"They said they might pay for my books," says Nobriga. "It really wasn't a very good offer. I just made the decision that I had to get my name out in some other fashion."

The problem was figuring out where that would be. While Hawaii has a junior college system, the athletics is not even close to what it is on the mainland.

So, instead of staying in his home state, Nobriga followed his high school catcher and good buddy Jowen Thornton to California to play junior college baseball.

That the two were part of a group of eight Hawaiian players to land in Salinas that year still mystifies Dan Teresa, who has been the baseball coach at Hartnell since 1991.

"We knew (Thornton) was a good catcher," says Teresa. "We weren't so sure about Marc. It was a pleasant surprise, to say the least."

That may be as understated as it gets.

Nobriga had an immediate impact as a freshman in 2005. Pitching his way to an 11-3 record, Nobriga finished with an ERA of 1.47, allowing just 21 earned runs in 20 games.

With a fastball that reached 90 mph, Nobriga struck out 148 batters in 128 innings, ranking second in the state in total strikeouts.

Nobriga's performance that season earned him junior college All-American honors. Even so, being chosen by the Rangers in the 47th round (1,411th overall) was a surprise to almost everybody except Teresa.

"Marc's one of those rare athletes that, as the situation gets tough, he gets even tougher," said Teresa. "He bears down when he has to and his competitiveness is quite fierce."

For his part, Nobriga says he wasn't all that surprised when his name was called in the draft.

"That's because they contacted me the week before," explained Nobriga, who was back home in Honolulu at the time of the draft. "The Rangers had a scout out watching me in the playoffs against (Sacramento) City. So I kind of knew that it might happen."

The game Nobriga was referring to was a 3-1 Hartnell victory in which he pitched a complete game, allowing that single run with 10 strikeouts.

The offer the Rangers made is called a "draft and follow." Simply put, the Rangers retained the rights to Nobriga for a full year, allowing him to return to Hartnell and pitch this past season.

Prior to the 2006 draft (which is June 6-7), the Rangers must either offer him a minor league contract or throw his name back into the draft.

Nobriga has the right to refuse any offer and -- even if he is redrafted by another team -- can still opt to play at Cal Poly.

"What is really attractive about Cal Poly is the pitching coach," said Nobriga, who indicated he is leaning toward taking the scholarship. "I have a lot to improve upon with my mechanics and velocity. That might be the best way to go."

Part of why he is considering Cal Poly may be directly related to the type of season he had this year. While Teresa says that Nobriga was even better than a year ago, the stats don't quite bear it out.

Nobriga went just 5-5 and his ERA was up nearly a run (still very good at about 2.50). He had fewer strikeouts, but he still fanned 112.

"It was a tough-luck kind of year for Marc," said Teresa. "We really didn't give him much run support. Two or three of his losses were like 2-1 ballgames."

In addition, Nobriga played in the field on his off-days, something he hadn't done since his sophomore year in high school. The end result, say both Nobriga and Teresa, was that his pitching suffered some.

"My arm was a bit more tired," said Nobriga. "I played through it but it was a tough season."

Nobriga was his old self Thursday in a 10-1 win over rival Monterey Peninsula College. Pitching a complete game, Nobriga scattered seven hits with 10 strikeouts. The lone run he allowed came in the ninth inning. Nobriga also had three hits.

It was a fitting finish to his junior college career, and though he has a difficult decision still to make, Nobriga says the hardest part is behind him.

"Everybody keeps asking me what I'll do and how can I handle the pressure," says Nobriga. "But really the toughest decision I ever had to make was coming to Hartnell. That worked out pretty good. Whatever I decide to do will as well."


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Contact Ken Ottmar at kottmar@montereyherald.com or 646-4457.