Third Thobe Thrives in Family Business : Baseball: Rancho Santiago pitcher doing well after moving to the mound recently.

Anyone who knows the Thobe family of Huntington Beach won’t be surprised to know that Steve, the third son, is an avid surfer and is doing well as a pitcher at Rancho Santiago College.

Thobe, pitching in short relief, is 1-2 with 10 saves and an earned-run average of 1.67 in 21 appearances. His performance is a prime reason the Dons have reached the State tournament, starting today at Sacramento City College. Rancho Santiago (38-9) takes on Laney (37-10) of Oakland at 11 a.m.

Given his success, it would seem he is just following in the footsteps of his brothers from the beach to the baseball field.

Tom Thobe (pronounced TOBY) was a standout at Golden West in 1988 and is in the Braves’ minor league system.

J.J. Thobe came back from arm surgery and had two standout seasons at Rancho Santiago. He signed with Cleveland and is in the Indians’ minor league system.

Unlike his brothers, Steve didn’t grow up pitching. With two already in the family, somebody had to catch, and that task fell to Steve.

He caught in youth leagues and remained there for two seasons of varsity baseball at Edison High School.

“I was happy to be behind the plate,” Thobe said. “It’s the most exciting position on the field.”

He came to Rancho Santiago in fall, 1990, with the intention of remaining a catcher. But in a practice game just before Christmas he suffered a separated shoulder as a result of being hit by a runner on a play at the plate. He sat out the 1991 season because of the injury.

Rancho Santiago Coach Don Sneddon decided to take advantage of Thobe’s height (6 feet 6) and moved him to first base last season. He also did time at designated hitter and finished with a .344 batting average, five home runs and 33 RBIs.

This season he was expected to have the same responsibilities and he knew it wasn’t going to satisfy him.

So Thobe went to Sneddon and asked for a chance to pitch. He worked out in practice and the coaching staff was impressed.

“I would love to say that we saw this potential in him all along,” Sneddon said. “But he’s the one who approached us. He has the ability to throw strikes in pressure situations that it takes other pitcher years to develop.”

Thobe, who is nicknamed the “Tobeinator,” needs one save to equal the Rancho Santiago single-season record of 11 set by J.J. in 1991.

He is also doing well as the designated hitter. He is batting .343 with 11 doubles, four home runs and has driven in 33 runs.

Thobe signed a letter of intent to play next season at Sacramento State, but hopes to be taken in the professional draft June 3-6.

Either way, he would like to continue pitching.

“I even like to be a starter,” he said. “I have so much more to learn about how to pitch and setting up hitters. Right now, I’m just a thrower.”

Tournament notes

Rancho Santiago has won four consecutive Orange Empire Conference titles and five of the last six, but this is the Dons’ first appearance in the State tournament since 1988. Rancho Santiago lost twice on the final day to Sacramento that year at UC Irvine. College of the Canyons had beaten Rancho Santiago twice on the final day in 1986 at Blair Field in Long Beach to win it all . . . Ryan Filbeck (7-1, 3.46 earned run average) is expected to start today and Brandon Hoalton (11-0, 2.75 ERA) will start the second game. Jason Dietrich (5-1, 2.64 ERA), the third starter, is still bothered by a blister on his finger. Dietrich leads the team in strikeouts with 94. Kent Dowding is 5-1 but hasn’t pitched in the postseason.

Matt Kastelic, the lead-off hitter, is batting .462 in the playoffs and .433 overall. The Dons are hitting .330 as a team. Derek Brown, a sophomore third-baseman, leads in doubles (16), home runs (six) and runs batted in (48). Darren Troilo has 42 RBIs and Ryan Andersen had 11 doubles and 36 RBIs.