Top Speed Baseball looks to continue its winning tradition with current signings for the summer of 2015. Top Speed had another great season in 2014, with a final record of 46-10 and was regular season Champs but lost in the Championship of the playoffs for the second year in a row. This year Top Speed stays in the Golden State League for its 2nd year to battle for yet another chance at a title.
Top Speed also had 5 of its senior players last summer sign professional baseball contracts after the Top Speed season ended and all of them will be playing pro baseball this summer.
It’s because of the success of the Top Speed program why 14 out of state players that want to call California home for the summer. Top Speed will have players from the following states, Ohio (4), Georgia (2), Alabama (2), Connecticut, Utah, Massachusetts, New Mexico, Hawaii and Michigan.
I had a chance to sit down with Coach Switala and ask a few questions about the upcoming summer.
Coach Switala why so much recruiting outside of California? “I really enjoy brining out of state players in and giving them the experience of our ball club and also showing them what a great place the Bay Area is to live. I also really like to see how well the out of state players and California players gel together and become one during the season.”
Coach, Top Speed has led the nation in Home Runs the past two years and also many other offensive categories, what type of team do you see Top Speed being for the summer of 2015? It will be the same team we have had since we started 7 years ago. We will be very offensive and aggressive at the plate and hit the long ball often. Looking at our lineup for 2015, anyone from 1-9 will be a threat to hit the ball out of the ballpark. It should be a very dangerous line up for any league or non league team to face.
What type of pitching staff do you think you have for the incoming summer? I really went a different route this year, instead of getting that 95 MPH arm that really needs a lot of work finding the plate, I went with a lot of pitchers that are mid to upper 80’s that really pound the zone and don’t walk batters and have a plus off speed that they can throw at anytime. Don’t get me wrong we will have several arms that touch low 90’s, but it wont be as many as we have had in the past.
Coach, what returning pitchers do you think will make the biggest impact this summer for you? I would have to say, Closer Logan Truex (Campbellsville). Truex will close the door again for us this summer as he set the Top Speed record with 10 saves last summer. He had an arm issue with about 3 weeks to go last year and if that didn’t happen he would have had probably about 15. He is another LHP that will run it up to 91 MPH. He is a senior and my focus on him like it is with all the seniors is to get him a pro contract when summer is over. Last year we had 4 senior pitchers offered pro deals and without a doubt I will have Truex one for 2016 as well.
Coach, what two top returning hitters do you think will make the biggest impact in the line up for you? That’s a really easy question as they are both my captains as well for this summer. 1B Steven Knudson (University of Montevallo) and OF Matt Haskins (University of Montevallo). Knudson led the league last year with 15 Home Runs and set our team record last year by breaking Tyler Mautners (Now with Minnesota Twins) record of 13 Homeruns in the 2013 season. This will be Knudson’s fourth year with Top Speed and the kid just has raw power and very quick hands to the ball, he will be another Speedo getting paid to play once college is over. Haskins is my other senior leader this year that played every day for me last summer and is another player that I will be getting signed for 2016. He has gap-to-gap power with the best of them and will also hit the long ball out as well. He has a pro arm from the outfield and is “dirt bag” on the field, which I love. He plays hard all the time and comes off the field dirty, which is fun to see.
Coach, final question, what are the top non-league teams you are playing this summer and what team are you most looking forward to playing. We have several really good trips once again where we will playing in front of a fan base from anywhere between 600-3000 fans a game. Best non-league teams we are playing would be, Palm Spring Power, Medford Rogues, Klamath Falls Gems, Marysville Gold Sox and Humboldt B52’s. The team I’m most looking forward to playing again is the Palm Spring Power. We went to their place last year and swept them in the series, which is very rare to do at their place as each year they have 40 wins like we do. I see them being the best in the South and us best of the North and I think our guys will be pumped once again for that series as I know they will be as well.
Top Speed opens up June 3rd against the Fairfield Indians at 7PM on the road at Allen Witt Park.
