Pitching was supposed to be a strong suit for Corona del Sol's baseball team this season. However, with its No. 1 and No. 2 hurlers shelved by injury before the season started, the Aztecs' staff  was very much unsettled.

Fast forward to midseason. Pitching has remained a strength, much to the relief of coach David Webb, despite knowing that sophomore Garrett Poole and senior Mike Gammon would be unavailable. What Corona has to show for itself as it nears the halfway mark of the power-point game portion of its schedule is a 12-5 record overall and 5-2 in ppg. It's a prettier picture than Webb surmised almost two months ago. Corona has won eight of its last 10 games.

"We were young last year and really felt good about our pitching when the season ended last year," Webb said. "Garrett tore an ACL in the offseason and Mike's had a bad elbow. That left us with our No. 3 and whoever else we found could help us."

No. 3 -- junior lefty Chris Tate -- has evolved into a No. 1. Tate won his fifth consecutive start on Tuesday with six strong innings in a 5-2 victory over Desert Vista. Webb knew Tate could be dependable with solid seasons under his belt at the lower levels. Tate is 5-1 with a 2.39 earned run average. He's latched on heartily to his role as the Aztecs No. 1 after his only poor start his first time out vs. Sandra Day O'Connor.

"The first outing I struggled with the umpire's zone," Tate said. "I thought about it too much and got distracted. I got hit pretty hard. The key is getting ahead and working off-speed for strikes. I'm getting more comfortable as we go."

Next in the mix is sophomore Nathan Birecki. Birecki didn't pitch at all last season; Webb didn't even know he pitched until late last season.

"He's a big kid and usually you ask big kids if they have pitched before," Webb said. "For some reason we didn't. We saw him as a first--base, third-base type. We got to see him pitch in the fall, and he was impressive. You watch him throw and think you saw a slider. You ask him and he says it was a fastball. He throws a crooked fastball."

Birecki has seen action as a starter and reliever, providing flexibility for Webb and the coaching staff.

"I didn't pitch my freshman year because my doctor said I should take a year off because of soreness," Birecki said. "This last summer and fall I started pitching again. They (coaches) have given me a chance to pitch, and it's worked out."

Birecki earned a save Tuesday, and is in line for more work later this week. He sports a 3-0 record with a 2.67 ERA and three saves. His last win was a 7-2 triumph over Horizon.

Also helping Corona on the mound are senior Kyle Jorgensen, known more for his run-producing bat, and another sophomore, Trevor Wood. Jorgensen throws hard, but isn't as durable as the rest of the staff. He's pitched off and on since his sophomore season. He a no-hitter going through four innings last week against Hamilton in the Big  League Dugout  Tournament, but at 104 pitches Webb took him out.  Jorgensen is 2-0 with a 2.00 ERA. He could get a start Thursday when Corona  hosts Pinnacle.

Wood has a 2-0 record with a 2.93 ERA. He figures to get some work later this week after getting a 40-pitch outing with the junior varsity on Tuesday.

"With all the teams out there this year, making the playoffs is going to be a bloodbath," Webb said. "Our other pitchers have done a great job stepping in for the guys we don't have. It's been a surprise. A good surprise."