Mother’s death fuels PaddleHeads ace pitcher

Instead of baseball, he was faced with the worst moment of his young life.

“I left to go see my mom in the hospital and she passed,” the Missoula PaddleHeads ace pitcher said of 53-year-old Kathleen Villa. “It can be taxing for sure. I’m not going to sit here and say it’s easy.

“But right now I know this is what my mom would want me to be doing, playing baseball, and so I’m trying to make this season for her.”

Villa, whose three-year record as a starter in the Pioneer League is off-the-charts good at 24-3, has the words “On my Momma” embroidered on his glove. It’s a family inside joke and a tribute to his mother, who for over a year endured serious suffering from heart problems, diabetes and other health complications.

“I feel she is still watching the games,” he confided. “She was hospitalized for over a year and she made sure she watched every game.

“Every time I feel like I miss her, I just look at the center field camera and I give her a little wave. I pretend she’s watching the stream.”

The argument can be made Villa is the most effective starter to ever compete in the independent version of the Pioneer League.

He went 7-1 for a Grand Junction Rockies team that won the league title in 2022, then 13-1 for the PaddleHeads last season in earning PBL Pitcher of the Year honors. The 6-foot right-hander was the first in the league to win the pitching triple crown since Ricardo Rodriguez in 2000, boasting a 2.82 ERA and 129 strikeouts in a league-leading 108 2/3 innings.

Villa is 4-1 this season and has been especially good lately. He was PBL Pitcher of the Week for July 1-8, then on Tuesday he became the first Paddleheads starter to make it past the eighth inning, holding the Glacier Range Riders scoreless with nine strikeouts before being relieved in the ninth in a game Missoula won, 6-0.  

“He’s faced his share of adversity personally and come through it like a professional,” Missoula manager Michael Schlact said. “He’s been handling things off the field and working to regain his form on it. All the while he’s been the best teammate. That’s a testament to his character.”

Villa’s whole life has been a testament to his character. He was born in Arizona but moved to Mexico as a child when his father, a professional mechanic, was deported. He picked up baseball while in Mexico at age 4 and moved up the ranks the hard way.

Villa wasn’t an overnight success when he landed at Adams State in Colorado four years ago, nor did he take the Pioneer League by storm in 2022 when he started out as a reliever for Grand Junction (now known as the Jackalopes). He proved himself to be one of the best hurlers on the Grand Junction team as the 2022 season wore on, and was actually slated to pitch against the PaddleHeads in Missoula in Game 3 of the PBL championship series.

He never got the chance because the Rockies clinched in two games. Winning a ring felt good, but it didn’t make Villa content enough to stay in Colorado.

“There was some stuff behind closed doors moving along and a couple of the Grand Junction pitchers got together and we thought about coming to Missoula,” he said. “A lot of our guys decided to not take the chance. But my perspective is if I’m trying to play at the next level, I should be able to land a spot on the best (franchise) in the Pioneer League.

“Missoula is looked at as the best — best media team, best on-field entertainment, best clubhouse, best front office. Missoula is just that standard the Pioneer League tries to match. Happily, it paid off for me.”

Not only has Villa been the best starter on the PaddleHeads the past two seasons, he has had a positive impact on the entire pitching staff.

“The thing I’ve noticed that has rubbed off the most is his competitiveness on the field, the way he works the pitch clock, the way he messes with hitters’ timing,” Schlact said. “He’s teaching guys constantly how to use the clock to their advantage, how to hold the delivery, hold runners. He’s a pitching coach when he’s not here at the college he went to (Adams State).”

Like his teammates, Villa’s ultimate baseball dream is to be picked up by a MLB team. He’s a proven winner with a bulldog mentality and whether it happens or not, Villa is going to fully enjoy the ride in Missoula.

“I’ve looked at my stats this year compared to what I did last year and I’ve set this high standard for myself,” he said. “I kind of fell in this little loophole of I wasn’t performing to my best capability (with a 4.80 ERA).

“But taking some self-reflection, I understand that if I want to keep putting us in a spot to win, I have to not worry about my stats. I can live in the zone because I know we have the offense behind us.”

The 26-year-old Villa is capable of throwing four pitches for a strike in any count. He can reach up to 94 mph with his fastball and his changeup is especially good, according to Schlact.

Still, winning is what matters most to Villa. He is on a mission in his final PBL season.

“It’s really important to win a championship,” he said. “The skill set we have on this team is ungodly. There’s been games we’ve lost where I don’t believe we were beaten. We gave it a way.

“Having a 41-11 record is insane to think. This is a game of failure and right now the PaddleHeads aren’t seeing much of that. It’s real personal for me to make sure we win the whole thing. We are doing everything we can to bring a ring back to Missoula.”

By the same token, Alfredo — whose brother Eric serves as a clubhouse helper for the PaddleHeads and pitches for Adams State — works hard to keep America’s pastime in perspective.

“We’re playing a game that we have all played since we were 6 years old, so I know there’s a couple people that get lost in the pressure of wanting to win,” he said. “This is a job now for us. It can be hard to keep the fun in the game.

“Just trying to keep everybody loose, making jokes here and there, is something I’ll do. But there’s a time and place for that.”   

On Friday, the league leader in home runs gave the PaddleHeads the lift they needed on a night when they struggled to create separation with the Glacier Range Riders.

The teams were tied at 6-6 after nine innings, paving the way for the game to be decided via the league’s unique home-run derby knockout format at Ogren-Allegiance Park. Chad Castillo failed to hit one over the fence for the Range Riders in knockout round 1, and Adam Fogel capitalized for the PaddleHeads, hitting the first pitch he saw well over the left field wall to end the contest.

The win was Missoula’s first by knockout this season. Zootown’s pro baseball team improved its league-best record to 41-11 and stretched its win streak to six games.

Fogel, who has a league-high 25 home runs, finished with a game-high three hits and a team-high three RBIs. Luis Navarro added a pair of singles for the hosts.

Georgia native Kenny Jinks made his pro debut as Missoula’s starting pitcher. He struck out the side in the first inning but gave up two runs in the second. The PaddleHeads bounced back and took a 6-2 lead into the eighth thanks to a two-RBI single and one-RBI double by Fogel.

Glacier answered with a run in the eighth and three in the ninth on a Christian Kirtley three-run blast. The sent the game into a knockout round.