Bob Moffitt

Jun 13, 2024 | mariposagazette.com | Bob Moffitt

Both teams stood at attention prior to the final game of the year for the Yosemite High School Badgers.‘Get out of there, Coach. We don’t want to be in the ugly picture.”That was Yosemite High School Varsity Coach James Gillaspy talking to an assistant coach May 16 after the final pitch of a playoff loss to Firebaugh. The “ugly picture” is the one taken at the end of every year of every team that just saw its season end. In this case, as parents lined up the players for a team picture, the ugly...

May 30, 2024 | mariposagazette.com | Bob Moffitt

Members of the YHS Badgers baseball team are shown following the first playoff victory in five years.It’s been a long time since James Gillaspy was in the playoffs as the Yosemite High School baseball coach. “It was my first year, 2019,” Gillaspy said. He was intent on rebuilding a program that had gone 40-59 in the five previous seasons. But, the Covid-19 pandemic wrecked most of 2020. When students did return to school, he was left scrambling to put enough players on the field, much less worry...

May 2, 2024 | mariposagazette.com | Bob Moffitt

After a scorching February and March, April has been unkind to the Yosemite Badgers varsity baseball team. The Badgers were outscored 17-1 during two games against Liberty. The 8-0 shutout at Liberty was the fourth loss in five games for Yosemite, who started the season 11-0. That followed a 7-5 loss to Sierra. The last win for the Badgers came April 16 on the road at Sierra. Jonah Smock, Cody Rich and Preson Radliff went a combined 7-13 with six runs and six runs-batted-in during a 9-8 wi...

Mar 28, 2024 | mariposagazette.com | Bob Moffitt

Yosemite High School baseball coach James Gillaspy recently received a surprise when his team took the time to sing their mentor “Happy Birthday.” Submitted photoAs the saying goes, you can’t win ‘em all. But for nine glorious games to start this season, the Yosemite High School Badgers varsity baseball team made that saying untrue. With a 15-2 drubbing of Woodlake on March 26, Yosemite won its ninth consecutive game and the Caruthers tournament. The Badgers led off the game with the f...

Mar 14, 2024 | mariposagazette.com | Bob Moffitt

Yosemite High School Varsity Baseball Coach James Gillaspy was relieved Saturday—but far from thrilled—after his team had held off two determined opponents in the same day and despite the fact that the Badgers had moved on to the championship game of the Caruthers Blue Raider tournament. “We cannot continue to get off to slow starts,” Gillaspy told his players after the final out of the second game.