He started as a Little Leaguer, and played baseball throughout high school and then community college.
But now, after tireless years of work and commitment, Ojai Valley School alum Derek Mendoza has hit the big time.
The left-handed pitcher has signed to play this year for Doane University, a private college in Crete, Nebraska. The small NAIA school has been a perennial powerhouse in the Great Plains Athletic Conference, winning its third conference title in a row last season.
For Mendoza, who for the past two years has been pitching for Oxnard College, the move up to university level baseball is the culmination of a lifetime of dreams and ambitions, even if he achieved his goal in a way he never expected.
“I did expect myself to be playing in college,” Mendoza said. “Did I expect to be playing college baseball in Nebraska, at a school that I hadn’t heard of until five months before attending? Absolutely not.”
Mendoza was born and raised in Ojai, and was introduced to the game at a young age through Little League ball. He continued his athletic journey through high school, where he discovered a new world of competitive baseball.
It was at the Upper Campus when Mendoza said he knew he wanted to take baseball to the next level. He attributes his success to his former coaches, such as Ryan Pearman and current OVS math teacher Doug Colborn. Mendoza said those mentors taught him how to push himself, both on and off the field.
At OVS, Mendoza would go on to win Omega League MVP, and First-team and Second-team All-League honors.
Colborn, who no longer coaches the OVS team but is still one of its primary supporters, said he saw tremendous growth and change in Mendoza throughout high school because of all the hard work he put in.
“He was baby-faced, very timid, and lacking self confidence,” Colborn recalled of Mendoza’s first year at OVS. “Three years later he became an integral part of a very successful team.”
After graduating high school, Mendoza went to Oxnard College, where he continued improving his game. As a Condor, he appeared in 13 games, starting six and posting two wins and one save. He averaged 3.5 strikeouts per game, and ended two years of conference play with an excellent 2.45 Earned Run Average.
Those statistics caught the eye of the pitching coach at Doane University, who contacted Mendoza in March about the possibility of playing in Nebraska. After some talk between coach and player, Mendoza decided to tour the school and eventually ended up signing a letter of intent to play this year.
Doane’s season starts in February, and Mendoza is excited about the journey ahead.
Off the field, he says you can find him in the weight room building strength or practicing aspects of his game. On the field, you can find him putting in practice, practice, and more practice as he aims to make the most out of his university opportunity.
“You can’t play forever and one day my journey will end,” he said. “I just hope that’s not soon.”