Pitching leads Walnut Creek to victory en route to first shutout of season

Redshirt freshman right-hander Jacob Kobrin had the chance to finish the first shutout for Walnut Creek in 2026. The tall-framed righty fooled hitters throughout the ninth with his 92-93 MPH fastball. 

Reading that, it is hard to grasp how relatively new Kobrin is to pitching. Following four other teammates who pitched before him and now two on, Kobrin delivered a dart to home plate, fooling the hitter who swung late for strike three and completing the first shutout of the season. 

The Crawdads (10-4, CCL) swept the week, defeating Philippines Baseball Group 5-0 Sunday night on the backs of dominating pitching, including the first shutout of the season.

"Oh, it feels amazing," Kobrin said. "Happy for our guys; our hitters hit pitchers in the zone, defense was great all day. Just overall very happy with today's performance." 

Sophomore right-handed pitcher Hudson Aber couldn't be stopped on Sunday. The righty started on the bump and had a career day. Aber went four innings, allowing one baserunner on a hit while striking out four. 

"I was putting all four pitches wherever I wanted," Aber said about what made him so successful. "Glad we won. It's good having trust behind you in the field, and then being able to trust your offense is really good, and having guys come up the bed that no matter how I perform, I know that they get my back."

Despite his limited action at UC Santa Barbara last season, the Sunday starter continued to showcase his elite-level stuff and why he's someone the Crawdads wanted heavily at the beginning of the year. 

Aber is not the only great UC Santa Barbara pitching talent to play in a Crawdads uniform. Projected top-pick Jackson Flora suited up for the Red and Black before he played a game for Santa Barbara.

Aber, who gets to play in front of his friends and family, mentioned what's been working for him to start the year.  

Sweeping the week, on Father's Day no less, is a feat within itself. Generating a shutout on top of that continues to add another slice to the pie for Crawdad pitchers. 

Walnut Creek pitchers were due for a shutout. They limited opposing bats to two or fewer runs in five games prior. 

In Sunday's shutout win, limiting traffic on the basepaths was at the forefront yet again. The Crawdads allowed five hits, four walks and one hit by pitch. 

Perhaps one of the most feel-good stories of the day was redshirt freshman right-handed pitcher Sam Johnston, who made his long-awaited return to the diamond. Johnston allowed one hit in an inning of relief. 

Johnston talked about what helped him be successful and how much he enjoyed stepping back onto the mound. 

"It felt great to be on the mound for the 'Dads out here," Johnston said. "First one in a while, so just getting my feet wet. (I) felt really good. I felt comfortable. All my pitches were really working today, I thought. So it's good to get out there and get back in my groove."

The Crawdads close the book on their first shoutout win of 2026. After having multiple in 2025, they will see if they can add another next time out when they face rivals Sonoma at Monte Vista High School on June 24 at 4:00 p.m. PDT.