Torrey Pines alum Kevin Vance, in his first season as head coach at San Diego State, offered Aztecs freshman infielder Max Farrell some advice at the start of the season: take it one pitch at a time.
Farrell, a Carlsbad native out of San Marcos High School, earned first-team All-CIF San Diego Section honors as a senior. Vance arrived at San Diego State after an NCAA Men’s College World Series run as an assistant coach at the University of Arizona.
Two North County natives are now figuring out Aztec baseball from the same dugout.
“The biggest adjustment is the pace of play and the level of play,” Farrell told The Coast News. “Physically and mentally, you’re playing four or five times a week. You have to take your health seriously, focus on recovery, and prepare mentally. You don’t have time to soak in a bad performance or live in the success of the last game — you have to focus on each game, each pitch.”
“He’s taken his lumps as a freshman,” Vance added, “but he has a really good approach. Max is the hardest worker on our team. When we’re working with him, it’s a coach’s dream. We have to tell him to go home, stop hitting in the cage. That’s the type of kid he is. From our perspective, that’s exactly what you look for — guys who want to get better every day. And he does, almost to a fault. Sometimes we have to tell him, ‘Hey man, go rest.’”
Adding to the adjustment of Division I baseball, Farrell has moved around the batting order for the 27-18 Aztecs (third in the Mountain West at 10-5) and has also learned a position he had never played before: first base.
Farrell credited his adaptability to San Marcos head coach Jeff Dufek.
“[Dufek] preached working hard and having a blue-collar mentality,” Farrell, who hit .340 with 17 home runs and 74 RBIs in 98 games as a Knight, said. “That’s what sticks with me — every day, no matter the circumstances, just putting your head down and working as hard as you can.”
At SDSU, Farrell, a 6-foot right-handed hitter, enters May hitting .280 with six home runs and 31 RBIs.
“Going one pitch at a time has helped me a lot,” he said. “Not getting too nervous or too emotional about the situation — just focusing on what’s important now and trying to win.”
“He’s got a natural knack for hitting,” Vance said. “He’s on a different level than most freshmen — physically and mentally mature in a lot of ways.”
Farrell has also leaned on SDSU’s upperclassmen as he’s adjusted to the college game, crediting teammates Tyce Peterson, Jabin Trosky and Dawson Santana as mentors during his freshman season.
“We have a great team full of good teammates,” he said. “They help guide me and keep things loose, whether things are going well or not, just keeping me in a good headspace.”
On Farrell’s decision to stay local, Vance said, “The dude loves San Diego.”
“Playing at Tony Gwynn Stadium is everything I’ve been dreaming of,” Farrell added. “At the beginning of the season, coming out to empty stands and practicing, I didn’t know what it would feel like to play in front of a big crowd. So when I came out of the clubhouse and saw everyone here, it was definitely an exciting moment.”
The Aztecs’ regular season runs through May 16, with the Mountain West Championship set for May 21-24.
“I think the team has made a lot of big jumps,” Farrell said. “We’ve continued to get better, and I don’t think we’re playing our best baseball yet. There’s another level for us.”
