By Luke Laurita
Staff Writer
Men’s baseball hosted its last series of the year against Sonoma State during senior weekend.
The team looked to pull out some wins against the fourth place team in the North Division.
Senior team members were Adrian Guzman, Shawn Sweeney, Nick Morelli, Miguel Castaneda, Parker Hokuf, John Soteropulos, Ethan Etchebarren and Joe Bresson.
Each of these seniors became assets to the team over their course of being a Toro.
Guzman has played four years for Cal State Dominguez Hills, improving each year. Since Guzman’s sophomore year he has started every game at shortstop. In the 2016 season Guzman held a nearly perfect fielding percentage of .967.
Sweeney began his first season in 2016 behind the dish finishing with a .361 batting average on the year. Sweeney has been a clutch hitter for the Toros this season posting 12 RBI’s in just 11 at bats.
Morelli, outfielder for the Toro’s, also began his career in the 2016 season. Morelli has used his speed as an advantage these past two years, stealing a total of 17 bases. Morelli is also one of the top hitters for the Toros with a .329 batting average for the year.
Castaneda, the team’s third baseman and designated hitter, 2016 2nd-team all CCAA, is finished the year strong with an average just over .300 with 26 RBI’s 13 doubles and two homeruns.
Hokuf, one of the teams most consistent players, found his home at first base in 2016. In his first year Hokuf finished with a .321 batting average. This year Hokuf has 40 hits, five doubles, three homeruns and an amazing .997 fielding percentage.
The team’s second baseman, Soteropulos, began his first year for the Toros this 2017 season. He made his name known in the conference, hitting nine homeruns, eight doubles and starting almost every game this season.
Etchebarren concluded his final season with the Toros after two years of solid pitching. Etchebarren finishes with an ERA of four for the year as a relief pitcher and posting almost two strikeouts for each walk.
The team’s starter, Bresson, pitched his last game on May 6. Bresson received All-CCAA honorable mention for the 2016 season. He threw two complete games in each season with the Toro’s totaling four and is finishing with a career ERA at 3.5.
Coaches honored the eight Toros on May 7 for senior day.
