Fresno State Athletics
Beating The Odds
3/17/2000 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
At Pittsburg High School in the Bay Area, Tafoya was an outstanding two-sport athlete. As the team's quarterback, he tossed a school-record five touchdown passes in one game and was an All-Bay Valley Athletic Conference selection two times. As an outfielder, first baseman and pitcher, Tafoya was a dominating presence on the baseball field as well. In his senior season, he hit .360, clubbed seven home runs, drove in 38 runs and had a 5-1 record with 54 strikeouts on the mound. He once hit three home runs in a game, a school record.
The multi-talented Tafoya did not go unnoticed by other major programs. He also was recruited by Cal-Berkeley but ultimately decided Fresno State was the best fit for him.
"I felt strongly about the coaches and the other players," Tafoya said. "The great community support and the atmosphere was something I wanted to be a part of."
Early in his career, Tafoya earned quality playing time. As a freshman, he started in 20 of the 38 games he played in, hitting .264 with four doubles and four home runs. In his sophomore year, the 6-foot-5 southpaw broke out. During the final month of the season, Tafoya crushed 11 homers and finished the season with a .289 batting average, a sophomore-record 16 home runs and 47 RBIs. He hit two home runs in a game on two occasions and drove in a career-high five runs two times.
The future was bright for Tafoya, who played for the Hyannis Mets of the prestigious Cape Cod League during summer 1998. During his stint with the summer club, Tafoya began to feel numbness in his right shoulder. It was determined a tumor was pinching a nerve, causing the numbness. He then was diagnosed with Hodgkin's Disease, a chronic disease of unknown cause characterized by progressive enlargement of the lymph nodes.
The news was a complete shock to Tafoya and his supporters. Not only was this a blow to his baseball career but to his personal health as well.
"I wasn't worrying about baseball," Tafoya said. "I was just concerned with getting through the whole situation."
Tafoya was unable to attend school in fall 1998 due to bi-monthly visits to the University of California at San Francisco Medical Center for three-hour chemotherapy treatments. Four months later, the disease was in complete remission, allowing Tafoya to make a remarkable comeback. Lou Pavlovich Jr., the editor of Collegiate Baseball Magazine, named Tafoya to his All-Pavlovich team as "one of the great inspirational stories in college baseball."
"It was a big barrier," Tafoya said. "It was the largest obstacle I've ever had to overcome. I feel like I've been through a lot more than most guys my age and now I believe I can battle through anything."
Unfortunately, Tafoya suffered another setback when he pulled his hamstring 14 games into the 1999 season causing him to take a medical redshirt. However, Tafoya is back on the field this year and digging into the batter's box ready to return to his sophomore season form.
"I've been ready for a while now," Tafoya said. "The toughest part is to come back and play at full speed."
Tafoya is playing primarily in the designated hitter spot. Some players handle the position perfectly fine, while others are more effective when they are playing both offense and defense. Fresno State head coach Bob Bennett has even thought about getting Tafoya on the mound to get him back in the swing of things.
"He's got a good arm and gets a good jump on the ball," Bennett said. "He just isn't quite there yet. Essentially, he's trying to regroup and continue to work hard until he can get back to that form."
Tafoya continues to work hard. He can be seen hustling around the bases after every hit. In 13 games this season, he has three doubles, one round tripper and seven RBIs. Even though he is not yet in the rhythm he had two seasons ago, Tafoya remains firm in achieving his goals.
"I still want to hit greater than .300 and hit 20 home runs," Tafoya said. "Those goals are definitely reachable for me because I'm capable of a lot. Right now my main concern is to get back out on the field. When I'm out on the field, I believe I'm a better player."
There is no doubt Tafoya is an impact player. Bennett knows it, the Bulldogs know it and the rest of the WAC is very aware as well. He was named to the preseason All-WAC team by Baseball America in its college baseball preview issue.
"He's a competitor," Bennett said. "Sim?n has tenacity. He's already proven that and will never have to prove it again. His determination will be what gets him over the top. It will be a big victory when he gets to that point."
-- by Curtis Webb, Fresno State Media Relations
