Serra grad Mitch Nabeta catching on at University of Puget Sound

Nabeta took a more circuitous route through Serra than all those Padres legends. As a junior, he was assigned to the Serra junior-varsity squad. Then last year, before COVID hit, he totaled just three varsity games.

“It was only three games because of COVID,” Nabeta said. “But I felt like I kind of had a shot to be a starter there and earn myself a lot of innings.”

It was going to be tough for Nabeta to find innings as a senior, as one of three catchers in the rotation, including current senior Nico Button, who received regular starting time since his sophomore season in 2019.

The congestion at Serra’s catching position didn’t dampen Nabeta’s college prospects, though, as he landed in the NCAA Division III ranks at University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, Washington for his freshman season this year.

“Great example of a guy who maybe wouldn’t have played as much as he hoped within the competitive environment we have,” Serra manager Chris Houle said via text, “but still a very hard worker and very talented, enough to go on and play in college.”

Nabeta has seized a platoon role at Puget Sound, and enjoyed the best series of his short collegiate career this past weekend. In a four-game sweep of Lewis & Clark College, Nabeta was 5 for 9 with a double and four RBIs. As a part-time player, splitting time with junior Clayton Waltz, Nabeta is nestled in the heart of the Loggers’ batting order, currently hitting .313 (10 for 32).

Not that it was Nabeta’s bat that got him recruited by Puget Sound manager Jeff Halstead.

“He’s an incredible receiver as a catcher, just outstanding hands and glovework,” Halstead said. “That’s kind of what stood out the most when he got here, was just how naturally gifted he was at that. He’s worked hard at his throwing … but from a receiving, blocking standpoint, he’s been a standout.”

When Nabeta arrived for fall ball, though, he started raking. It wasn’t long before Halstead turned to a few of his fellow coaches and made a telling comment.

“’Hey, Mitch is more prepared offensively than we thought he’d be,’” Halstead said.

Now, Nabeta is following in the footsteps of another lineage of Serra catchers, this one at Puget Sound itself. The Loggers were in the market for a new catcher because of the graduation of Ricardo Barraza after the 2020 season, himself a former Padre.

Nabeta, however, has never met Barraza. He didn’t even know he’d played at Puget Sound until he arrived on campus last fall. The closest he has to an acquaintance with Barraza is what he’d heard about the former All-Northwest Conference catcher.

“Just that he was really good, a really solid catcher,” Nabeta said. “He played here for four years. Everybody loved him, I think.”

Nabeta has just about had his fill of other Serra catchers though. It was a tough road for him through the competitive Serra ranks, especially when he was relegated to the JV ranks as a junior.

Houle said it was the best way for Nabeta to get regular reps behind the plate, with two other catchers ahead of him on the depth chart at the varsity level.

“Basically, to give him the opportunity to catch a lot of innings,” Houle said. “We had obviously liked him at that point, and we were in a situation where we had Nico at the same time. … So, we put him on JVs and he did a great job down there.”

When Nabeta received the news of his JV assignment, he spent the remainder of the afternoon steaming, and considered quitting the Serra baseball program altogether. Before the day was done, though, he resolved to make the most of the assignment and prove himself any way he could.

“Just frustrated with the amount of innings I was getting, not getting many innings, not getting on the field much, and being on the JV team as a junior, that was a big hit,” Nabeta said. “But in the end, I think I got a lot of reps on that junior-varsity team.”

That’s when Nabeta began working with a private instructor that changed his life, former big league outfielder Ron Calloway. Over the summer between Nabeta’s junior and senior year, he committed to the showcase circuit, and even spent time with GamePrep Academy in Atherton. All the while, Calloway became more than a baseball coach to Nabeta, but a motivator and mentor as well.

“So, I kind of arrived [at Puget Sound] with that confidence that I could get on the field,” Nabeta said.

Now, the Loggers are making a push for the postseason. It’s going to be an uphill climb with eight games remaining, and Puget Sound currently in seventh place. The top four teams qualify for the Northwest Conference postseason tournament. Buy if the Loggers can stay hot, they finish with series against sixth-place Whitworth and fourth-place Whitman, and can do a lot to help their own cause.

“We needed it,” Nabeta said of the four-game sweep of Lewis & Clark. “It was huge, and it was nice to see the pitching and offense finally come together.”

Nabeta has plenty of years to help put the Loggers on the map though, as he has three more years of eligibility there.

“I like it honestly,” Nabeta said. I’m catching about two games a weekend and I’m loving it here. This is probably the most fun I’ve ever had playing. So, I like it up here.”