Odd Couple Makes Pitch for Extending Tradition

Josh Deneau is so mellow he’d sleep through an earthquake. Ryan Gunches is so hyper he’d liven up a seminary.

Together, they have given El Camino Real High a good chance to win its fifth City Section baseball championship this decade.

Deneau and Gunches are total opposites. Deneau is a right-handed strikeout pitcher who never gets nervous. Gunches is a left-handed control pitcher who never stops talking or worrying.

This season began with first-year Coach Bob Ganssle trying to figure out which of nine pitchers would become his best. Nothing is more important to winning a City title.

Each time the Conquistadores have triumphed in the City final at Dodger Stadium, they discovered two pitchers--a power pitcher and a control pitcher--to lead the way.

In 1993, it was Randy Wolf and Kevin Szymanski. In 1994, Wolf and Tony Kyber teamed up. In 1997, Shaun Fishman and John Koegel came through. Last season, it was Kurt Birkins and Gunches.

A March 18 game against Cleveland was a defining moment in El Camino Real’s season.

El Camino Real was ahead, 11-10, with the bases loaded and none out in the bottom of the seventh inning. Deneau, a junior varsity pitcher last season, was on the mound in near darkness trying to protect the lead. There had been 26 walks and four hit batters.

There was enormous pressure on Deneau. Instead of panicking, he struck out three consecutive batters to end the game.

“He decided to chuck it down the middle of the dish,” Ganssle said. “It was a very good demonstration of toughness.”

Said Deneau: “I kind of liked it. I used to be a closer when I was younger.”

Deneau, a 5-foot-11 junior, pitches similar to Birkins in that his ball moves with good velocity, but he sometimes encounters control problems. He’s 3-0 with a 2.58 earned-run average and has 23 strikeouts and 18 walks in 19 innings.

“He’s nerves of steel,” catcher Mike Leduc said. “It could be the championship game, 3-and-0 count, bases loaded, none out, he’d just throw. I’ve known him forever. I caught him my freshman year on [the junior varsity team]. We’d have the most intense games against Kennedy and Chatsworth, and nothing would faze him.”

Deneau inflicted the only defeat on Chatsworth’s junior varsity last season. He didn’t play on the varsity because of El Camino Real’s pitching depth. But he didn’t mind.

“I think it was good for me,” he said. “I needed the conditioning and to work on my mechanics, and just to grow up.”

Last week, Deneau struck out 10 in six innings against San Fernando. He is different from the other El Camino Real pitchers because of his strikeout ability and composure. Those same qualities enabled Birkins to defeat Chatsworth in a 10-inning City final last season at Dodger Stadium.

Gunches is the Conquistadores’ most consistent pitcher. He lost 20 pounds last summer after working with a private trainer, and he added velocity to his fastball. He’s 6 feet 1, a fit 185 pounds, smart as any coach and constantly underrated.

A year ago, Gunches intimidated no one. Players were eager to step in the batter’s box and take a swing at his 80-mph fastball. But they discovered he was more difficult to hit than expected. Nothing has changed.

“For me, it’s never been about how hard you throw,” he said. “It’s hit your spots. Pitching is all mental. Last year, I sat back and loved the fact, ‘Oh, you can’t succeed, you can’t do this, you can’t do that.’

“I looked up to guys like [Chatsworth’s Mike] Kunes, who threw strikes and was someone I could relate to. I know I can rear back, throw strikes, get outs and win ballgames.”

Gunches is 3-0 with a 1.66 ERA in 12 2/3 innings.

He’s contributing as a designated hitter with a .591 batting average.

“People don’t give him enough credit,” Leduc said. “He’s in great shape. People always say, ‘How does Ryan not get hit?’ But nobody touches him. I have all the confidence in the world in the guy.”

Shortstop Conor Jackson knows how to bring out Gunches’ competitiveness.

“Every inning, I go out there and Conor tells me, ‘You’re going to get rocked,’ I love it,” Gunches said. “It’s so motivational.”

El Camino Real is off to an 11-1 start and could be developing a quality No. 3 pitcher, Adam Sperling.

But Deneau and Gunches, Mr. Mellow and Mr. Excitable, are following in the tradition of Wolf, Fishman and Birkins in guiding the Conquistadores toward Dodger Stadium.

Eric Sondheimer’s local column appears Wednesday and Sunday. He can be reached at (818) 772-3422.

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Championship Arms

El Camino Real’s has won four City Section titles this decade because of dynamic pitching combinations. Here’s a look at the numbers.

1998

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Pitcher IP H SO BB W-L ERA Kurt Birkins 81 1/3 63 92 55 11-2 2.93 Ryan Gunches 29 30 15 15 3-2 2.90 1997 Shaun Fishman 72 1/3 73 81 16 8-5 2.71 John Koegel 42 51 28 12 6-2 3.67 1994 Randy Wolf 112 70 147 42 12-3 1.19 Tony Kyber 65 1/3 83 32 21 8-2 3.32 1993 Randy Wolf 79 1/3 37 118 39 11-1 1.05 Kevin Szymanski 77 2/3 58 45 23 10-1 1.26

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