Fehmel’s on fire

Agoura freshman playing magnificent baseball



Bryce Fehmel

Bryce Fehmel

Freshman Bryce Fehmel is a vital cog in the machine that has become Agoura High baseball.

Entering the week, Agoura’s starting third baseman ranked fourth in the Marmonte League with a .385 batting average and was third overall sporting a .484 on-base percentage.

Plus, Fehmel’s been playing some Brooks Robinson-like defense at the hot corner.

Charger head coach Mike Cordero says Fehmel’s success is a byproduct of immense talent, proper dedication and poise under fire rarely seen from such a young ballplayer.

But the skipper added that there’s another reason for Fehmel’s rapid ascent into the thick of the league’s baseball landscape: awesome support from his Charger teammates.

“It’s really cool, you see a lot of the seniors kind of helping Bryce along,” Cordero said.

“That’s one of the reasons Bryce is so successful—because he feels like it’s okay to be a freshman on varsity.”

As if to punctuate the point that he’s an all-around asset to the first-place Chargers, Fehmel launched a crucial three-run homer during a 4-3 victory against Calabasas on April 18.

It was Fehmel’s first roundtripper for AHS, but it certainly won’t be his last.

“It was a laser that was no more than 10 feet off the ground,” Cordero said of the bases-clearing blast.

The following day against St. Bonaventure, with the bases loaded and his team in peril, Fehmel fielded a grounder, quickly stepped on third base and threw to first for a gamealtering double play.

“He made a heads-up double play out there,” Cordero said.

“You worry about freshmen, but you don’t worry about him out there. He’s going to make the right decision. He’s very smart.”

Fehmel sounded matter-of-fact when describing the double play that was anything but routine.

“I saw the high chopper, and I knew the runner wasn’t that fast,” he said. “So I just decided to grab it real quick, touch third and throw to one (first base).”

Fehmel’s older brother, Brody, a senior on the Agoura team, isn’t surprised by his sibling’s early success.

“He’s been tearing it up ever since we played ball together in the backyard,” said Brody Fehmel, a utility player.

“You could just tell a kid like that has talent.”

Cordero said Fehmel has been aided by competing on the same team as his brother.

“It’s a blessing because Brody is kind of helping him through,” Cordero said. “It’s really tough for a freshman on varsity. Brody is a big fan of his brother.”

Bryce Fehmel appreciates the family support.

“He’s helped me through a lot,” Fehmel said of Brody. “He’s made it easier for the transition coming to varsity as a freshman. It’s very fun being able to play with my brother before he goes off to college.”

After Agoura improved to 14-2-1 overall, 8-0 in league, with victories over Calabasas and Roosevelt last weekend, Fehmel’s batting average stood at .385, right behind sophomore Albee Weiss’ team-leading .389.

Mark Seyler, a senior infielder/ pitcher who entered the week hitting at a .358 clip, has known the Fehmel brothers since kindergarten.

Seyler, too, isn’t surprised by how the third baseman has performed.

“He’s a good kid. He definitely deserves it,” Seyler said.

“He works hard, and obviously it’s been showing by how well he’s doing.”

Prior to the season, Cordero had heard good things about Fehmel, but the coach needed to see it for himself.

When the two started working together on the field, Fehmel was receptive to Cordero’s tips and critiques.

“In the fall, I noticed that there were some things that Bryce needed to work on with his hands and his footwork,” Cordero said. “The kid is so coachable, it’s unbelievable.

“You tell him to make an adjustment to his footwork or his glove placement and he does it right then and there. And then, he’s doing it on his own and you don’t have to tell him again.”

Agoura’s ballclub is characterized by unselfishness and positive reinforcement.

Everyone likes each other, Cordero said.

“We have great chemistry, and there’s no envy,” the skipper said. “We all kind of understand that in order for the team to be successful, we have to be the support system for everyone else.”

Before Wednesday’s game against Westlake, Agoura owned a two-game lead over Newbury Park in the Marmonte standings.

Cordero said the Charger seniors are motivated to leave a lasting impression on the program, and Fehmel has benefited from that mindset.

“Our seniors understand that they’re going to lay a really great foundation for a new tradition here, a great legacy,” Cordero said. “They pump Bryce up. Bryce is going to do the same thing when he’s a senior.

“It’s going to be a great cycle.”

NO SURPRISE HERE

Pundits are shaking their heads. The other seven Marmonte teams are in shock.

But the success of Agoura’s baseball team is what players and coaches expected all along.

“Everybody except us was surprised,” Cordero said. “But it’s fine. We embrace that stuff.”

Agoura finished 10-16 overall and 4-10 in league play a season ago.

Today, they’re ranked sixth in the CIF-Southern Section Division 1 coaches’ poll.

“We’re the only ones probably in the Conejo Valley and all of Division 1 that knew we were going to make a change,” Cordero said.

Contributions are coming from all over the diamond.

Entering the week, Weiss, the sophomore catcher/DH, led the team with a .389 batting average and 14 RBI.

Senior center fielder Justin Cana was batting .327 with a team-leading 16 runs scored.

Pitchers Jordan Shulman and Henry Baker were both 4-0 from the bump. Shulman, a senior, carried a 1.55 earned run average. Baker, a junior, had a 2.10 ERA.

Closer Tyler Cohen, a junior, posted four saves, a miniscule 0.58 ERA and logged 18 strikeouts in his first 12 innings on the bump. Sophomore long reliever Andy Sondreaal was 3-1.

So, what changed in a year?

“Last year did not go well and they learned a ton,” said first-year pitching coach Larry Reynolds. “And they made up their minds that that was not going to happen this year. . . .

“They’re putting in the work. They’re learning. They’re listening. They’re very coachable, and, as a consequence, when you prepare properly the rest just kind of happens. You just let them play ball. There’s an accountability that wasn’t there last year.”

Cordero said the players bought into the coaches’ philosophies right from the start.

“It’s a different commitment level,” Cordero said. “Last year you were fighting with guys to take batting practice. This year you’ve got guys asking coaches to stay and throw more BP and hit more ground balls.

“It’s pretty cool when you see guys who are bench guys hitting in the cage just as much, if not more, than the starters because they understand their role.”

Now a pennant is in sight. Agoura doesn’t plan on letting its foot off the gas anytime soon.

“It’s definitely the season we’ve been waiting for,” Brody Fehmel said.

“We had a pretty good freshmen team, and we’ve been waiting for this year. And now that it’s come, we’re all meshing together. Now we don’t expect anything less than to try to beat every team we play.”

Seyler said it all comes back to accountability.

“We all have a certain standard for each other,” Seyler said. “You take no plays off, and you’ve got to make the right play.

“We definitely want to win the Marmonte League, but our goal wasn’t just to win league. It’s also to win CIF.”


Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *