Something was off during Venture Academy’s baseball game against McClatchy on March 12.
The Mustangs were trailing by a couple of runs, and the voice they would typically hear coming out of the dugout from assistant coach Jason Monte had gone silent.
“I remember looking over and he was sitting on the bench,” said Joe Piombo, Venture Academy baseball head coach, “and that’s not him. He’s always up on the top rail and the first one to criticize somebody in a good way. He’s just in the game, you know, but he just didn’t look right.”
What started as back pain for Monte during that Friday’s 9-0 loss progressively worsened, sending him to the hospital five days later.
There, he was diagnosed with stage two colon cancer putting him and the team he loves through an adverse-filled 2023-24 baseball season.
‘Bigger than baseball’
It was a tough pill to swallow.
“I ended up staying at the hospital for five long days and I had three surgeries so they removed the mass and cleaned it out,” Monte said. “I’m in the process of doing chemo and all that but the boys kept playing.”
By the time of Monte’s diagnosis, the Mustangs were struggling to win games, opening up the season with a 2-7 record. Mental mistakes began piling up and the light at the end of the tunnel didn’t seem anywhere near.
Monte was away from the team for some games, adding to its loaded plate.
“It was off without him,” said Xavier Brown, Venture Academy senior infielder. “We missed him, you know, what he says to us — all the motivational stuff. But he also would bring candy sometimes, the Sour Patch Kids Watermelon kind.”
Once Monte found out senior Alexander Wolf-Gallegos' favorite chip was Cool Ranch Doritos he’d buy him a big bag before any game he pitched.
Going without the small but meaningful gestures impacted Venture Academy.
After losing its final non-league game to Weston Ranch on March 22, Piombo and his team had a long conversation about finding a team identity amid the tough times.
“It definitely affected all of us, it kind of gave us something that was, you know, bigger than baseball,” Wolf-Gallegos said. “At that point, we were in the middle of our slump, we got to a point where we were doubting everything that we did. But coach kind of gave us a mindset that we have to cherish every moment that we have out here.”
Don’t call it a comeback
Monte live-streamed every game he missed on Game Changer desperately waiting to get back to Billy Herbert Field. Players and coaches checked in with him regularly and kept him tethered to the team.
“It goes a long way and for them to do it, you know, they don’t have to,” Monte said. “So I feel like I’m touching them and teaching them in the right way not just with baseball. It goes deep and it has helped me keep going watching them grow.”
The Mustangs kicked off Central California Athletic Alliance play at home on March 26, marking the perfect time for Monte to make his return to the dugout. They hosted Elliot Christian and Molly whopped the Eagles for a 25-0 victory.
The victory was the warm reunion Monte was hoping for — he even framed the game ball.
This win was just the beginning of a historic CCAA season for Venture Academy, a season no one could’ve predicted.
They went on the sweep Elliot Christian in its first league two-game series. The Mustangs then won their next five league games working their way up to first place in the league with just one team in their way for the championship.
Millennium.
“We knew we really needed to lock in,” Brown said. “This is the game we love, this is something we want to do. So we’ve just been trying to come out here and give our 100%, just have fun and not take it for granted because it doesn’t last forever.”
Peaking at the right times
With a 6-0 CCAA record heading into the two-game series vs. Millennium, the Mustangs were playing some of its best baseball. Monte was back in the dugout, the team was locked in and there wasn’t much the Falcons could do to stop them.
Venture Academy took game one 17-3, with Wolf-Gallegos, Brown, and senior Joel Gapusan leading the charge. Wolf-Gallegos and Brown had the hot bats combining for 10 RBIs, seven runs and six hits. Gapusan got the job done on the mound only allowing three hits and picking up eight Ks.
The Mustangs took the final game of the series 8-2 securing their third CCAA Championship in school history and notching Piombo’s 100th win as head coach at Venture Academy.
“It’s really a dream come true,” Piombo said wiping the tears from his eyes. “One hundred wins is great but it took a lot more than just me. I have the easiest job I put them in place, I turn a lineup in and we try to be the best baseball team we possibly could be.
"The kids, parents, coaches, and community are just a huge support system to make this possible.”
Monte’s ongoing battle with cancer and everything else life threw at Venture Academy baseball it constantly showed up.
“They get knocked down and they stand up again and they keep standing up,” Piombo said. “I think that’s why I get so emotional because it’s so easy for kids these days to just cash it in and say, ‘You know what, this is too hard for me. I don't want to do it anymore.’ So, to see them still eager to practice during the tough times makes it all worthwhile.”
Piombo, Monte, and the rest of the Mustangs baseball team will look to finish out the regular season ‘absolutely dialed’ in as they prepare for a Sac-Joaquin Section playoff appearance in May.
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