2008 Baseball All-Star Team

Clovis, Clovis West pitchers were head and shoulders above the competition.

Published online on Friday, Jun. 27, 2008

Now that the season is over, marked by individual performances that will be part of the lore of the Clovis and Clovis West baseball programs, all James and Kevin Patrick can do is thank them.

Clovis coach James Patrick and his son, Clovis West coach Kevin Patrick, can now reflect, admire and appreciate David Rohm and J.D. Salles for making their jobs easier this season.

Rohm, as a senior pitcher/catcher for the Cougars, and Salles, as a junior pitcher/shortstop for the Golden Eagles, not only made early statements, they repeated them for three months, cementing roles that were in question in February.

Their dominance became routine. More impressively, The Bee's baseball co-Players of the Year did it in the Tri-River Athletic Conference -- the Central Section's premier league.

Rohm caught on Tuesdays and pitched on Fridays while hitting .422, driving in 35 runs and going 10-2 on the mound with a 2.43 earned-run average. Clovis went 24-8, won the TRAC, placed second in the section's Division I and finished 20th in the state.

"I've had great, great players," says James Patrick, a 508-game winner in 23 years, "but I've never had a guy do all the things David did to help the team win."

Salles hit .420, scored 28 runs and stole 12 bases as a leadoff hitter, and went 13-0 with an 0.80 ERA for a 23-8 team that was ranked 27th in the state.

Only five pitchers in the section's 114-year history have won more games in an unbeaten season, according to section historian Bob Barnett.

"Every time I gave J.D. the ball, he kept shoving it," Kevin Patrick says. "He's probably the most competitive athlete I've ever coached."

Rohm on fire

As a three-year varsity player, Rohm figured to have an impact, but nothing like this. Not after a junior season that saw him pitch one inning and hit .296 with 12 RBIs. He didn't even homer.

This season, playing most of his games in a ballpark that yields few long balls, he not only hit seven home runs, he hit them when they counted -- a three-run blast and grand slam that led to two wins over Clovis West, and a two-homer game against Clovis East. Those victories were key in the unexpected TRAC title run.

And on the mound, he provided a clue for things to come by pitching well against section powers Stockdale and Bullard.

"That's when I found out I had something pitching," Rohm says. "I didn't realize I'd be such a big part of our season, but I'm happy the way things turned out."

All in the family

This honor for Jonathan David Salles comes 23 years after his father, John Salles, was named The Bee's All-Metro Player of the Year following his senior season at McLane.

John says J.D., "was at the game, smelling popcorn at 8 days old," when his father was pitching in the minors.

John also says, watching his son this season, "was almost like looking in the mirror, having the same desire to pound it right through the guy's throat if you have to."

This was evident early for the player who didn't have a starting role to begin the season with the Golden Eagles.

He struck out 22 in 12 innings while being named most valuable player of the Clovis Coca Cola Classic. Then the knockout punch -- two hitless innings of relief in a 4-3 Fresno Easter Classic win over powerhouse Jesuit-Carmichael.

"Then," he says, "I knew I could hang with anybody."