Considering that the men’s baseball team lost two of their best players before the regular season even began, going to the playoffs ranked number 13 in the state is not so bad, not so bad at all.Though they lost in the first round of the playoffs, in a three game playoff versus the number four ranked Sierra College two games to one, Head Coach Dino Nomicos said, “It was a good way to end the season.”What needed to happen against a tough and similar Sierra College team did not happen. Both teams had great offenses and so the team who pitched better was going to win said Nomicos.The Trojans lost the first game 8-3, edged out a great win in game number two 7-6 and suffered a disappointing loss in game three, 4-2. A game in which Freshman pitcher Marcus Pointer had a no-hitter going into the sixth inning which, with some ill favored calls and bad luck came to no avail in the end.The hard losses helped the team in some ways according to Nomicos.”[The] freshman finally matured and figured it out,” Nomicos said. “Which can only make them more prepared for next year.”The win was good but the losses were hard, ending their successful season. Nomicos said that he was eager for next season to get the bad taste out of their mouths.Though the Trojans did not advance into the elite eight, as was their goal going into the playoffs; the fact that they made the playoffs and won 28 games this year still leaves the team with a lot to look forward to.The good results look even better considering the fact that their ace pitcher Greg Gonzalez was injured for the entirety of the season. In his absence Coach Nomicos said that pitching was the biggest and best surprise of the year. With players like Marcus Pointer, Matt Maggiolo, and Dan March stepping up big time to fill in for the injured Greg Gonzalez.Matt Maggiolo made sure that everybody noticed; which they did. Maggiolo was awarded 2008 Pitcher of the Year of the Coast Conference for going 6-1 in fifteen games with a 2.42 ERA and 76 strikeouts. Another key player in absence for the season due to injury was infielder Lucas Hagberg. The silver lining is that the key injuries opened up holes for other players to step up and gain valuable experience and skills. Since both Hagberg and Gonzalez are returning again next year to play, the team will be that much stronger when next year rolls around.Other standout names on this year’s team were Team Captain Jimmy Parque who is a first-team All-Conference player and Jeff Ramirez who was awarded the MVP of the Coast Conference.Ramirez was an offensive beast this year for Skyline’s offense, which was its strong suit. He led the Coast Conference in four offensive categories; slugging percentage (.794), runs (53), home runs (13), and hits (67). He also led the Trojans in four more offensive categories; RBI’s (49), batting average (.406), stolen bases (23), and triples (7). The combination this year of an outstanding offense led by Ramirez, and the surprise improvement of the pitching staff led the way in Skyline’s push to the State Playoffs.Though this season is officially over for Skyline, there is always next year and by the looks of it the Trojans are going to have one hell of a year.Nomicos says that some, “Good payback is coming.”The numbers alone for the team look very promising. Of this season’s team, according to Nomicos, seventeen players are returning and ten new quality players are coming in. There will be approximately fifty players trying out for the squad which can means that only the very best will make the squad.In a game with a long season, injuries are bound to happen one way or another. Either to bench warmers, the coaches, and as Skyline well knows, the teams star players. The only medicine for injury relief is to have depth at every position. Luckily for Skyline, by the looks of it for the coming season, depth is not going to be a problem.For a playoff team that’s only goal is to get better and further into the playoffs Skyline is looking in pretty good shape. As Nomicos says, “We are a playoff team, we’ve been three of the last four years, not to make them would be a failure.”Nomicos says that he is proud of his team and of Skyline in general for showing so much support and having great facilities, “Skyline is a good place to be.”