Capahas pull an ace with Chavez

Former Central pitcher moves to front of pitching staff.

By Marty Mishow ~ Southeast Missourian

On a pitching staff that has been the strength of the Craftsman Union Capahas baseball team this season, Jason Chavez has emerged as the ace.

Although the easy-going Chavez doesn't anoint himself to that position, Capahas manager Jess Bolen will do it for him.

"Jason is really throwing well and he knows how to pitch. Every time he walks out there, the other team struggles to score a run," Bolen said. "Right now, I think Jason is our ace."

Chavez, a 6-foot-5, 190-pound right-hander, is in his second season with the Capahas. After going 6-3 with a 2.21 earned-run average in a rookie campaign last year, he has been dominant this season.

Entering three straight days of home doubleheaders beginning tonight with Saline County, Ill., Chavez is 4-0 with one save, three complete games and a 0.50 ERA. In 28 innings, he has allowed just 15 hits while striking out 32 and walking nine.

"I think I'm throwing pretty well, and things change so much when you have a team behind you," Chavez said. "I've never played on a team with this kind of defense. It really makes a difference."

Chavez, a 2001 Central High School graduate, played the past two years at Mineral Area College and was drafted in the 43rd round by the Giants following his freshman season. He was not drafted this year, partly because scouts knew his intention was to continue on with school.

"I think I could have pitched better at Mineral Area, but I did what I could and I credit my coach, Mark Hutchins," Chavez said. "He helped me a lot, and I got to pitch a lot. It's hard to go into Division I as a freshman and play a lot, so the experience really helped me."

Chavez also credits Bolen for much of his development on the mound in addition to helping him land a Division I scholarship.

Bolen recently set up a tryout for Chavez with Southern Illinois coach Dan Callahan at Capaha Field, which led to the SIU coach offering Chavez a scholarship. He signed Thursday with the Salukis.

"Jess is laid back, but at the same time it's strictly baseball, no messing around," Chavez said. "He's helped me so much. I owe a lot to him."

Chavez moved to Cape Girardeau from South Dakota after his father, Mike, was hired as Southeast Missouri State University's football offensive line coach in 2000. Chavez played just one season of baseball for Central's Tigers, then starred for Cape Girardeau's Ford & Sons American Legion program.

While Mike Chavez, a former college football player, is big and burly, Jason is lean and lanky, which he said led him to drop football in his sophomore year of high school to concentrate on baseball.

Asked if his father was angry that he gave up a sport in which the head of the family makes a living, a laughing Chavez said, "He wasn't mad. I think he was actually glad I chose baseball. It's always been my favorite sport, and I guess I just wasn't built for football."

The Chavez family -- which includes his parents, a younger sister and a younger brother -- are fixtures at Capaha Field when Chavez pitches.

"Their moral support means a lot to me," Chavez said. "My mom and dad love coming to watch and going to SIU, which is only 45 minutes away, they can keep coming to watch me play. They've helped get me this far."

Chavez not only heads up a stout pitching staff that has helped the Capahas get off to a blazing 17-1 start, he has also been partly responsible helping make the Capahas stronger in other areas.

Second baseman Lance Seasor from Morehead (Ky.) State, who has been among the squad's top players in his first season with the team, is living with the Chavez family while he plays for the Capahas.

"Lance is a really nice guy, and it's good to have a quality second baseman who's strong defensively and has a good bat," Chavez said. "We nag at each other like brothers, but it's a good deal. I had never met him before he came to play here. I guess it's kind of like a blind date."

mmishow@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 132