Big Game Hunter

Stephen Nogosek and the Woodcreek baseball team hope patience and consistency can lead to a second straight title.

  By JIM McCUE | Senior Contributor

  Good things come to those who wait. 

  Stephen Nogosek and the Woodcreek Timberwolves are hopeful that saying rings true when the high school baseball season concludes in early June.

  “With patience comes great success,” Nogosek said when asked about his two favorite sports, baseball and hunting. “One day, you go out and can’t do anything wrong, but the next day you might do next to nothing.”

  Whether it is waiting out hitters and getting a key hit after failing on the baseball diamond or finally bagging an elusive duck with a perfect call and shot, Nogosek has learned that patience is paramount to winning.

  Nogosek’s patience is being tested as he waits through a recovery from bicep and shoulder tendinitis in his throwing arm that sidelined him after recording just one out in an April 16 loss to Roseville. He and his Woodcreek teammates may have to wait until the postseason starts May 13 for him to be back on the bump for any extended period of time. But the 2012 Sac Joaquin Section Division II champions are hopeful that their persistence pays off.

  Last year, Woodcreek lost pitcher Tyler Milani for the playoffs, but Nogosek dominated the postseason en route to the Div. II title. Milani has stepped up in Nogosek’s absence this season, creating promise out of the despair of the Nogosek injury.

  “Tyler could be the ace on most staffs in the area,” Woodcreek coach Eric Valencia said. “If I have both of those guys healthy for the playoffs, I definitely like my chances against any team out there. We could do some real damage if given the opportunity.”

  For now, Valencia and the Timberwolves will continue to battle in the deep Sierra Foothill League hoping to grab the highest seed they can after being promoted to the Div. I playoff field for 2013. The competition will be stronger, but the challenge is welcomed by a Woodcreek squad confident in its abilities.

  “Moving up to Division I puts some fun into it,” Nogosek said. “Last year, it was hard to win D-2, so we know this year will be even harder. But, if we just play our game and don’t try to do too much, we believe that we can win.”

  Nogosek was huge in the Timberwolves’ 2012 playoff run, posting a 3-0 record with one save in four appearances that included three complete games and just one earned run in 21.1 innings pitched. When it mattered most, Nogosek was at his best, which he credits to the competitiveness he has in his genes. His grandmother, Marie, was a tough matriarch that taught the family that everything you get has to be earned. She passed away in 2003.

  “She is my biggest inspiration,” Stephen said of his father’s mother, whose name he writes in the dirt on the back of the mound every time he takes the ball. “She was intense at my tee-ball games and was a tough grandma. She didn’t let you get away with anything, and made sure that we learned from all of our successes and failures.”

  While Nogosek has had far fewer failures than successes in the last two seasons at Woodcreek, he learned about persevering through challenges as a young athlete and hunter. From his first tee-ball game at age five and his first hunting expedition with father Troy at age six, Nogosek gained an appreciation for the positive outcomes of a big hit on the field or hauling in a limit in the duck blind.

  It wasn’t until later in his baseball career that Nogosek became a pitcher, but the head-to-head confrontation was an instant draw for his competitive spirit.

  “I don’t remember exactly how old I was, but I was just randomly asked to pitch,” he said. “When I got up there and had that ‘me vs. the other guy’ feeling, I just fell in love with it.”

  “I’ve always liked the battle where I want to go out there and beat you,” he said of pitching’s appeal. “If you beat me once, I am going to tip my cap to you, but I am coming right back after you to get you the next time.”

  The last time Woodcreek faced SFL rival Rocklin before the three-game series concluding May 4, which is likely determine the league champion, was a semifinal series that the Timberwolves won 2-1 after dropping the first game 9-0. The Thunder will be gunning for revenge and a higher playoff seed, but Valencia and Nogosek may have bigger concerns than the SFL title that eluded them in 2012.

  “Winning league is a nice short-term goal and it is our first goal at the start of the season, but we’re looking to go deep in the playoffs,” Valencia said. “I think that we have the potential to have another special team.”

  With or without Nogosek in the lineup or in a starting role, Valencia, who is in his second season at the helm, sees the leadership of Nogosek and other seniors as key to giving the Timberwolves the best chance to repeat their playoff success with a new mix of players.

  “The seniors understand that I want them to know and learn the game, but I want them to take the leadership role,” Valencia said. “I let them make certain calls on their own and they are taking ownership of this team.”

  As intense a competitor as Nogosek is, his leadership is vocal without being overbearing. His laid-back attitude and fun nature work well in practice and in the dugout because everyone understands that Nogosek is all business when he steps inside the lines and expects the rest of the team to be just as focused when the game is on the line.

  Valencia admits to having to tell Nogosek to stop talking at times, but the coach understands that the same motor that keeps his mouth in constant motion is what powers the right-hand flame thrower on the mound. Milani, who has played with Nogosek since age 10, knows that his good friend can get a team to follow him into battle and to new heights even if most of them would not necessarily follow him to his favorite hobbies outside of baseball.

  “He’s definitely got his country boy side,” Milani said “but he knows what it takes to win and how to get guys out.”

  As the regular season winds down, Nogosek will have the opportunity to get guys out on the mound, but it may be in a limited role that leads to the familiar site of the team’s ace getting the start in the do-or-die playoffs. Valencia is hopeful that Nogosek can take on the closer role in the final two weeks before seeing if he is ready to reclaim the No. 1 spot in the rotation for the postseason.

  “If we have Nogo and Milani healthy for the playoffs, I definitely like our chances,” Valencia said. “If we take care of business, I like our chances. We have a team that can cause damage in the playoffs.”

  Woodcreek has its sights set on a league title and another section playoff crown come June. 

  For now, Nogosek and the Timberwolves will just have to wait. And maybe good things will come.