By Aram Tolegian
It’s rare when a high school baseball team has one legitimate ace.
Sierra Vista has three!
And the Dons are hoping to parlay the arms of seniors Adrian Cardenas, Ricardo Reyes, and sophomore Mario Huizar into a CIF championship next month.
“I’ve never had three this way,” veteran Sierra Vista baseball coach Brett Stevens said. “We’ve always been known as having one solid pitcher. I’ve had some pitchers who have had great years, but this year I have three kids who are throwing really well. I’ve never had that.”
Stevens has built Sierra Vista into one of the area’s most consistent winners over his 28 years at the helm. The Dons have won 13 league championships under Stevens, including seven of the last eight and four consecutive Montview League titles.

But the CIF playoffs have been a different story. The Dons have typically had one pitcher Stevens could trot out for the first of two playoff games in a given week. But when the second game of the week came around, that’s when things got dicey.
Because of a lack of quality depth on the mound, the furthest Sierra Vista has been under Stevens is the quarterfinals. That looks likely to change this season, though. Sierra Vista is 18-1 and ranked fifth in the CIF-Southern Section Division 5.
The numbers are just staggering. Sierra Vista has allowed just 28 runs all season. Both Reyes and Huizar sport ERAs under 1.00. And Cardenas, who Stevens considers his No. 1, has an ERA of 1.50. The three have combined for 129 strikeouts in 121 innings.
“Our team ERA is 0.88,” Stevens said. “I’ve never had anything like that. This has been kinda crazy. We have three guys who can beat you. This team also has a knack for winning close games. We’ve won 18 in a row and some of them have been bizarre wins.”
Just like their similar numbers, Stevens said his trio also have something else in common in that they all throw three different pitches and throw strikes while they’re doing it. Cardenas, the hardest thrower, will get the ball first in the playoffs. He’s got 60 strikeouts compared to just three walks.
Reyes will likely be the closer with Huizar the second starter. Stevens won’t be patient, though, with other good arms waiting to go. If any of his guys get in trouble, he won’t hesitate to go with one of the other two. There is no doubt this is a program that’s looking to make it happen this season.
“Anytime you’ve been on this kind of roll, there’s big expectations,” Stevens said. “But with baseball being such a crazy sport and we’ve been, I don’t want to say lucky, but we’ve been getting the big hits at the right time. And those games can turn.
“I’ve got a group of kids who just have the knack for playing fast and it’s really served us well.”