Aguayo Sees Possibilities

There comes a moment in athletic competition when a person is able to turn anxiety into confidence and uncertainty into resoluteness.

What triggers the transformation can be as simple as an expression of trust from a mentor or performing well in a pressure-filled situation.

For Anaheim Servite shortstop Ryan Aguayo, everything began to fall into place after his selection last summer to the USA Baseball national youth team.

Any doubts of his abilities disappeared, replaced by a feeling that he belonged.

“It was, ‘I can do this,’ ” he said. “I had confidence in myself to go up there and face anybody.”

It has carried over to his high school season, where Aguayo, a junior, is a year older, an inch taller, 15 pounds heavier and on his way to becoming a top college prospect.

“Physically, he’s stronger, but he has gone to the next level mentally,” Coach Todd Cook said. “Last year, he was working on fitting in. This year, he’s leading. His arm strength has improved

At 5 feet 10 and 165 pounds, Aguayo still looks up to taller and more physically imposing shortstops. But he has learned he can be just as effective, if not more so, utilizing his skills.

“I’m small for a shortstop and seeing all those bigger guys is kind of intimidating, but it pushes me to get bigger and stronger,” he said. “I don’t know why it took me until last year to realize my confidence was a little low.”

Playing for the national youth team, Aguayo batted .345. He started eight games, with the team losing to Cuba in the tournament final in Mexico.

“It was one of the greatest experiences I’ve been involved in,” he said. “It was amazing, a once-in-a-lifetime thing. The group of guys you’re with was awesome. You’re surrounded by good ballplayers from around the country and get to compete against the best. Putting on that uniform representing your country was awesome.”

Aguayo is the baseball equivalent of a gym rat. He lives in Pico Rivera, a 30-minute drive to Servite, but his parents don’t need to worry if he’s ever late coming home.

It means he has probably stayed after practice to hit more balls in the batting cage.

“They know I’m not going to be anywhere else,” he said.

On a recent Friday night, that’s what he was doing.

“He’s one of those kids who lives in the batting cage, wants extra ground balls and stays after practice,” Cook said.

Aguayo’s improving skills have attracted interest from Arizona, Cal State Fullerton and UCLA, among others.

Everyone is watching to see how good he can become.

Lifting weights for months has given him added strength. And a second year of varsity competition has made him feel relaxed.

A summer of facing the best and succeeding taught him that he’s capable of doing whatever he wants.

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Chatsworth sophomore shortstop Mike Moustakas is elevating himself into elite college recruit status. He began this week batting .562 (27 for 48) with six home runs and 24 runs batted in.

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Granada Hills is on the verge of becoming the first City Section school to put in artificial turf for its football stadium. Final approval is expected next month, with work completed by the fall. Because Granada Hills is a charter school, it can take out a loan to pay for the turf and an all-weather track.

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For all the negative stories about major leaguers, here’s a positive note: Phil Nevin of the San Diego Padres hasn’t forgotten where he learned to play the game. Nevin, a graduate of Placentia El Dorado, sponsored last week’s National Classic tournament, which was run by his alma mater. He has also donated $50,000 for a new scoreboard, coming after a $60,000 donation for the team clubhouse.

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Eric Sondheimer can be reached at [email protected].