CIF-SS PLAYOFFS
CHAMPIONSHIP
DIVISION 6
Saturday, UC Riverside, 3:30 p.m.
No. 1 Oxford Academy vs. Pasadena Poly
By Miguel A. Melendez, Staff Writer
Jordan Kutzer remembers the spotlight shining bright on him even as a kid.
With all eyes fixed on him and the crowd anticipating possibly a masterful performance, Kutzer put it all on the line.
This was no baseball game, though. There was no ball, glove or cleats.
The crowd watching from a distance was formally dressed – tuxedos and all.
The Pasadena Poly senior was an eighth-grader preparing to play Johann Sebastian Bach’s Rondo a Capriccio, a 12-page piano piece in G major. The only pressure he felt was proving to himself that preparation, thought and poise can overcome sweat and jitters.
“Learning music and having to play in front of people definitely helped me understand that being prepared and composed was relatable to pitching,” Kutzer said, “because you’re out there putting it all on the line, representing all the work that you’ve done.”
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What’s considered music to his ears has considerably changed, Kutzer no longer in search of soothing melodies or chord progressions but rather an umpire’s shout for a recorded strikeout, and the whizzing of a fastball as it sails past a batter and ends with a thud as it settles into a catcher’s glove.
Kutzer will get one last chance at another masterful performance, this time in front of a roaring crowd at UC Riverside on Saturday when he starts on the mound for Pasadena Poly against Oxford Academy of Cypress in the CIF-Southern Section Division 6 championship game.
That he finds himself in this position is a reflection of his strong work ethic. When others spent their summers working plum jobs or basking in the sun at the beach or simply just lounging around, Kutzer spent his summer honing his skills at Quake Baseball Academy. He lived summers at his grandparents’ home in Laguna Beach, where even the most picturesque views in one of the most exclusive towns of Orange County were not enough to divert Kutzer from his path. If a 45-second walk to the beach couldn’t do it, nothing would.
That mindset was in place from the beginning, when he started his summer tradition after his freshman year.
“I don’t really have to remind myself to work,” he said. “One thing you learn quickly is that if you take one day off or a set off and if you just take it easy, someone else is becoming better than you.”
Kutzer soaked in the experience and took advantage of the opportunity to improve, turning baseball into more than just a dream.
The 6-foot-6 right-hander (5-1, 2.46 ERA, 61 strikeouts) started morning workouts at 9 a.m. and oftentimes was there until noon. Kutzer was preparing for a future that demands a rigorous work ethic. Helping him was his father, Pete, who assists with daily pitching drills on a turf mound in Kutzer’s backyard.
There’s no secret to Kutzer’s path of success, which has led him to a baseball scholarship to Stanford. He’s caught the eye of major- league scouts with a fastball that tops out at 91 miles per hour, a performance witnessed throughout the season by scouts from the Tampa Bay Rays, Toronto Blue Jays, Philadelphia Phillies and Boston Red Sox.
Kutzer (.455 batting average, 26 RBIs, five home runs) is missing only one accolade to a decorated career – a CIF title. Neither he nor his teammates were alive the last time Pasadena Poly played for a CIF baseball championship (1992).
Nineteen years later, Kutzer will take the stage with all eyes on him. The feeling surely will be that of readiness to deliver a moving masterpiece.
Maybe even an encore.
miguel.melendez@sgvn.com
