Orange Coast College baseball honors late coach John Altobelli at season opener

Members of the Orange Coast College baseball team bow their heads as they recognize late longtime coach John Altobelli and his family before Tuesday's season opener against Southwestern College in Costa Mesa. Altobelli, 56, his wife, Keri, 46, and daughter, Alyssa, 14, died in Sunday’s helicopter crash in Calabasas.

By Matt SzaboStaff Writer

Jan. 28, 2020 10:16 PM PT

A banner hung above the entrance to Wendell Pickens Field on Tuesday afternoon.

“The House That Alto Built,” it read.

That house almost was home to a magical comeback that “Alto” sure would have enjoyed.

After honoring late longtime coach John Altobelli just two days after he was killed in a helicopter crash, the Orange Coast College baseball team ended an emotional day with a season-opening comeback that ran out of daylight.

Chula Vista Southwestern was ahead of Orange Coast 7-6 in the top of the ninth inning when the game was suspended due to darkness. Southwestern had runners on second and third with no outs.

The game will be completed Feb. 18 before the teams play their scheduled game at Southwestern, OCC sports information director Tony Altobelli said.

Tony Altobelli, Orange Coast College's sports information director, speaks during a tribute for his brother, John Altobelli, before Tuesday's game against Southwestern. Behind, from left, acting head coach Nate Johnson with his wife, Jonai, and athletic director Jason Kehler.

Tony is usually more behind the scenes for the Pirates, but he was involved in the day’s festivities. He lost his brother, John, 56, sister-in-law, Keri, 46, and niece, Alyssa, 14, on Sunday. They were among the nine passengers killed in Sunday morning’s helicopter crash in Calabasas, which also claimed the lives of Lakers superstar Kobe Bryant, 41, and his daughter, Gianna, 13.

After a postgame meeting, the Pirates lined up to hug John Altobelli’s remaining children, J.J. and Lexi, down the right-field line.

Tony Altobelli, Orange Coast athletic director Jason Kehler and associate head coach Nate Johnson, who is now in charge, addressed the standing room only crowd of an estimated 2,000 people before the game. Many wore orange or white T-shirts that had John Altobelli’s No. 14 and the words “Forever a Pirate.”

“I was telling my team that today is Alto’s favorite day, opening day,” Johnson said, starting to tear up. “He loved opening day. On opening day, he was always here super early, but today I beat him to the field. It’s going to be the only time that I ever do.”

A man hangs a baseball jersey of late longtime Orange Coast College baseball coach John Altobelli before Tuesday's game against Southwestern College. Altobelli his wife, Keri, and daughter, Alyssa, were among the nine people who died in a helicopter crash on Sunday in Calabasas.

Altobelli, who was set to begin his 28th year coaching the Pirates, won his fourth state championship with the team last spring. He was definitely at the season opener in spirit. A sign with the same words, “Forever a Pirate,” hung on the fence in left field, and No. 14 also stayed in the “at bat” spot on the scoreboard all game long.

Kehler shared how Altobelli, who went 705-478-4 with the Pirates, had addressed the El Camino baseball team, which had lost teammate Sladen Mohl last season. He shared what it was like losing Jourdan Watanabe, a catcher at Orange Coast who died in 2009.

“There are a lot of 14s around here today,” Kehler said. “Every time you see the No. 14, you think about John Altobelli and you remember the man that he was.”

Now Altobelli’s No. 14 is next to Watanabe’s No. 22 on the fence near the left-field foul pole at OCC.

Tony Altobelli, Orange Coast College's sports information director, right, and acting head coach Nate Johnson, left, share a hug during a tribute for John Altobelli before Tuesday's game against Southwestern.

The Pirates fell behind Southwestern 7-1 in the fifth inning before starting to rally. They scored four runs in the bottom of the inning, with the big hit being a two-out, two-run single by freshman catcher Oscar Favela.

Sophomore third baseman Ryan O’Halloran, who went three for five, scored in the bottom of the seventh to bring the Pirates within 7-6.

Freshman right-handed pitchers Jackson Ouelette and Kelly Austin, who are Fountain Valley and Newport Harbor high school products respectively, combined for 2 1/3 scoreless innings in relief into the ninth inning for Orange Coast.

Orange Coast College sophomore Justin Brodt sprints to third base for a triple in the third inning against Southwestern on Tuesday.

Sophomore first baseman Justin Brodt, a Huntington Beach High alumnus, had a triple and scored the Pirates’ first run in the third inning. He was brought home on a sacrifice fly by Ocean View product Jordan Ku.

After the game, Johnson said he was disappointed the game wasn’t completed, but said he was proud of his team’s effort.

“We’re going to be able to win on a walk-off [on Feb. 18] and then hopefully beat them again,” he said. “It was a good day. We were trying too hard for ‘Alto’ early on. I mean, that was pretty uncharacteristic baseball for us ... but right before we scored those four runs, I just said, ‘Let’s calm down, play the baseball we know we can play and know that ‘Alto’ knows you’re trying.’ We were able to come back and we at least made it close.

“Honestly, any result would have been a win. Just showing up today was a win.”