'The sky's the limit for him': Redwood's Erik Rico fires no-hitter against Porterville
Under head baseball coach Dan Hydash, Redwood High School has produced solid pitchers who excelled for the Rangers before moving on to play at the next level.
That list includes players like Rickie Garcia (Fresno Pacific), Josue Mendivil (Fresno Pacific), Sam Bower (St. Mary's), Cameron Gallardo (St. Mary's), and most recently Joey Volchko (Stanford) and Reece Bueno (Cal Poly).
Now, it's Erik Rico's turn.
Rico, a junior, fired a no-hitter to lead the Rangers to an 8-0 win over Porterville on March 20 at Visalia Rawhide's Valley Strong Ballpark. Rico tossed eight strikeouts in a complete game.
Rico joins an exclusive list of recent Rangers to throw a no-no, joining Volchko, who registered a no-hitter last season in a 12-0 win over Oakmont at the Fresno Easter Classic. Volchko is now a contributing pitcher at Stanford as a true freshman.
The right-handed Rico has been a starting pitcher since his sophomore season.
"It starts with his work ethic," Hydash said. "He's one of the hardest workers out here. Every day, he shows up and gets ready to go after it and he's a competitor. Really as a coach, if you got guys that want to come out and they want to compete, those are the type of players that you want to have on your team. He's definitely one of those guys.
"He's a pretty special player. The sky's the limit for him, really. I think he's just tapping into his potential and he's got room to grow. I think he's going to be really, really good once he gets to where he ends up."
'Putting in the work'
Rico's success this spring resulted from the hard work he invested in the offseason.
That meant dedicating countless hours in the gym and honing his craft on the mound.
"I think just putting in the work in the offseason, it helped," Rico said. "Getting a lot of work on control, mainly control with my fastball, I say. Just attacking, going out there and throwing that first-pitch strike."
An increase in confidence drove that mentality.
More: 2024 West Yosemite League baseball preview: Team breakdowns, 35 players to watch
Today, Rico is the team's ace. He also started a few games at quarterback on the football team in the fall, playing in eight games, throwing for 301 yards and a touchdown.
In 27 innings, Rico has hurled 40 strikeouts and allowed just four earned runs while sporting a 1.04 earn run average.
Rico has been dominant in EYL play. Through two league starts, he has tossed 17 strikeouts in 14 straight no-hit innings. He turned in a no-decision in the Rangers' 2-0 road victory over El Diamante in 10 innings on March 13.
"That really says a lot," Hydash said. "He's really pounding the strike zone and he's being competitive in the strike zone. Obviously, he's got good stuff and he knows how to pitch."
What did Rico do in the offseason to prepare for his junior year?
"A lot of running, lifting, throwing probably five to six times a week," Rico said. "Every day, just working on control. Working on mechanics. Stuff like that."
All those little things have added up to his success.
"It's exciting," Rico said. "I mean, obviously, like I've worked since the first day after the end of football. You start to think about baseball, 'What can I do to help this team this year? To start winning?' From November to now, I've been working endlessly, throwing strikes. When you see it transfer into games, it gives you that sense of that you're doing the right thing and you're putting in the right work."
'He's taken the team on his back'
Playing quarterback has helped Rico on the baseball field, especially transitioning from the gridiron's most popular position to starting pitcher.
"It's definitely, like, calmed me down," Rico said. "Being in the bowl, for me at least, it's five times more nerve-wracking than being on the mound, especially at quarterback, having to make decisions on the team. It's definitely calmed me down and made it easier for me on the mound."
Hydash has seen Rico's maturity level elevate from last spring.
"Football and baseball are two different sports but I thought that was really good for him," Hydash said. "He learned that poise, that leadership. You know, as a quarterback, you're the guy. All that pressure's on you. If you don't perform, your team's not going to score points or move the ball. I think he's kind of taken that into here and he's taken the team on his back when he's pitching with that mentality, 'Hey, I'm going to get outs for you guys. Just give me a couple of runs and we're going to be OK.' He's taken that on his shoulders and put it on himself. That's been a huge area of growth, just taking on and inviting that pressure to be that leader for us."
As one of the team's veterans, Rico has led by example, staying even-keeled when the pressure's on.
How does he stay composed?
"Sometimes, you're going to fail," Rico said. "Sometimes, you're going to have success. Success and failure are going to happen but I go batter by batter, pitch by pitch. Every pitch is a new pitch."
Rico was in cruise control during his no-no. He induced 21 outs on just 76 pitches, averaging 10.8 pitches per inning."It was exciting," Rico said. "Especially at Rawhide. Growing up, going down Giddings, going to Rawhide games, being on the mound, it's kind of a whole different experience. It was fun. Cruising through the game, that was kind of how I feel once I get going in the third, fourth or fifth innings, throwing strikes. I try to keep the same mentality. You just have to throw strikes. Every batter is just kind of a guy in there. You have to do what you have to do."
Pitching and defense have been the strength for Redwood this season.
The Rangers have allowed only two runs in four EYL games, and have given up 24 total runs through 12 contests to start 2024.
That style of play has allowed Rico to shine on the bump.
Rico noted two specific plays aided his no-hitter — a running scoop up and throw to first base by shortstop Isaac Esquivel in the first inning and a bare-handed grab and toss to first by second baseman Wyatt McElree for the game's final out in the seventh.
"A lot of big plays contributed to that no-hitter," Rico said.
More: 2024 East Yosemite League baseball preview: Team capsules, 38 impact players to know
Tulare County Cream of the Crop Power Rankings
Here is one view of the top five baseball/softball teams in Tulare County (records are as of March 25):
Baseball
1. Redwood (9-3): The Rangers enter this week on a five-game winning streak and are off to a 4-0 start in East Yosemite League competition.
2. Tulare Western (5-7): The Mustangs have won three straight. Senior Blake Crawford is the team's top hitter with a .333 batting average. He has clubbed two home runs.
3. El Diamante (6-7): The Miners have won back-to-back games and are led by junior pitcher Colin Horton (24 strikeouts).
4. Mission Oak (5-6): Junior pitcher Gage Hastin leads the team with 19 strikeouts and a 1.75 ERA.
5. Central Valley Christian (9-4): Teague Brandenburg leads the squad with 19 hits and is batting .413 with nine RBIs, four doubles and 10 runs.
Softball
1. Tulare Union (7-3-1): Senior pitcher Mason Hatton has fired 89 strikeouts in 53 innings.
2. El Diamante (9-2): In stats reported to MaxPreps.com, sophomore Alexis Ruvalcaba leads the Central Section in batting average at .739.
3. Redwood (6-4-2): The Rangers are on a six-game winning streak. Shelby Somavia, a senior, has already hit four home runs.
4. Mission Oak (11-5): Rebekah Beasley and Braelyn Serpa are both hitting above. 500. Both have already surpassed 20 hits on the season.
5. Tulare Western (9-5): The Mustangs have won five of their past six games. Addison Lee, a senior, leads the team with 22 hits and is batting .468.
This article originally appeared on Visalia Times-Delta: 'The sky's the limit for him': Redwood's Erik Rico fires no-hitter
