They took different paths to reach the same destination.
Justin Friend made it professional baseball first and took the more conventional road: two years of JUCO ball, and one at an NCAA Division-I school.
Longtime buddy and former teammate Ryan Fleckenstein made sure Friend was one of the first to know once he did.
They were one of the most formidable pitching tandems around in their final year at East Union High, as Fleckenstein and Friend led the Lancers to the 2004 Sac-Joaquin Section postseason runner-up finish. They extended the on-field partnership a year at Chabot Junior College in Hayward before going their separate ways.
Friend was selected in the 13th round of the amateur baseball draft by the Oakland Athletics after his junior season at Oklahoma State in 2007.
Fleckenstein wasn’t drafted last month following his senior year at the University of Oregon.
But an out-of-the-blue phone call led to a free-agent rookie contract with the Tampa Bay Rays. He first notified his mom, Christine. The next person he thought of was Friend.
“He and I worked out together every chance we got after high school,” Fleckenstein said by phone Thursday. “We touched bases and he gave me the whole spiel. He told me what was going to happen, what to expect, what type of players I’ll be playing with. He said to have fun, and that’s basically what I’ve been doing.”
Fleckenstein plays for the Rays’ Gulf Coast League rookie-ball team, but his stint there may not last long. With the exception of major-league veteran Brian Shouse, who is on a rehab assignment, the 24-year-old Fleckenstein is the oldest member of the team.
The 5-foot-11, 200-pound left-handed pitcher has appeared in four contests since reporting with the organization on June 19. He has three saves, seven strikeouts, three hits and two walks in five innings of work.
Fleckenstein is a little on the old side for minor league rookie ball, but he doesn’t think that’s a bad thing. He took a two-year hiatus from baseball after his freshman year at Chabot for a mission, and was used sparingly in his final season with Oregon.
There is little wear-and-tear on his arm, and he feels as physically and mentally sharp as ever.
“They didn’t seem to be concerned with (age),” Fleckenstein. “Someone high up in the organization visited me (Wednesday night), and he said a bunch of people are talking about me moving up (likely to the Rays’ Single-A Short Season affiliate).
“I have a lot of eyes on me right now. I think because of my recent success and my age, I may be able to go up the ladder a little quicker.”
The first challenge was getting to the first rung of that ladder.
At Chabot he continued to excel, finishing 7-1 with seven saves and a 2.62 ERA while earning Freshman All-America honors. Then he left to go on his two-year mission. He returned in the summer of 2007 and in ‘08 rejoined Chabot.
“I was back home for a week before working out with the team,” Fleckenstein said. “It was a lot more than I anticipated as far as getting back into pitching shape, but when I got back on the mound doing my thing again in an intrasquad game, and I know it’s cliché, it was like riding a bike for me.
“I just locked in as if I never left. But physically there was some work to be done.”
Fleckenstein made the all-Northern California team and was named the Coast South Pitcher of the Year with a 7-2 record and 3.64 ERA.
Despite the break from baseball, things were going according to plan.
The program was reinstated in 2008, and head coach George Horton went to work. The Ducks’ first recruiting class in 27 years was ranked in the top 10 by Baseball America (No. 10) and Collegiate Baseball (No. 2).
Fleckenstein was a part of it.
The 2009 season was expected to be rough and it was. The team went 14-42 with just four wins in 27 Pac-10 contests. Fleckenstein made the most appearances (28) of any Oregon pitcher, compiling a 5.40 ERA with 15 strikeouts in 21 2/3 innings.
The Ducks didn’t have to wait long for a big turnaround. This past spring season, they went 40-24 (13-14 Pac-10) and qualified for the postseason for the first time since 1964.
Oregon finished 2-2 as the No. 3 seed in the NCAA Norwich Regional and ended the year ranked 25th in the country by Baseball America.
“I was part of the worst season and the best season in Oregon baseball history,” Fleckenstein said.
He just wasn’t as involved as much as he wanted to be his senior year.
Fleckenstein made just eight appearances (5 2/3 innings, 4.76 ERA, two strikeouts) while the pitching staff became one of the nation’s best. Oregon’s team ERA was the third best in the nation.
“There just weren’t a whole lot of innings to go around,” Fleckenstein said. “My senior year, I virtually did not throw at all. And school-wise I was struggling because they have a quarter system, which works a lot faster.
“It was the hardest time for me, personally. I felt like I was being pushed up against a brick wall and going nowhere. It was very frustrating for me, but the success I’m having now is because of the hard work and trials I went through.
“It was a blessing for me.”
Three out of the four Oregon players drafted were selected on Day 2 (June 8), and all were pitchers: Justin LaTempa by the Angels in the 12th round, Drew Gagnier by the Tigers in the 17th and Zach Thornton by the A’s in the 23rd.
“I didn’t think my chances (of getting drafted) were very realistic,” Fleckenstein said. “I knew I had to look at different options to keep playing, but I didn’t think the draft would work out for me very well.”
Plan B was vaguely mapped out. Get a part-time job, try out to play for an independent baseball league and if that doesn’t work out, who knows?
After the season was over, he was told by his coaches in Oregon to go back home to the Weston Ranch community in Stockton to visit with friends and family and sit tight.
Fleckenstein figured his coaches had something in the works but wasn’t holding his breath.
So he did as advised, went home and hung out with friends one night. The next morning, at around 9 on June 18, he got a call and groggily answered.
The number was not familiar. Neither was the voice. Something about baseball and the Rays.
“I was in a daze,” Fleckenstein said.
He was asked if an injury was the reason for his unproductive senior season at Oregon.
“He then said, ‘If you sign, you will get paid to play for the Gulf Coast League Rays. How does that sound?’” Fleckenstein said. “I told him it sounded like a dream come true.”
He rushed out of his old room at his family’s house and told his mother his stay will be cut short, then gave Friend a buzz. Shortly thereafter, the Rays scout called back to make it official.
And just like that he had a one-way ticket out of town and headed to Fort Meyers, Fla. the next day.
“The rest of that Friday was a whirlwind,” Fleckenstein said. “All my stuff was still up in Oregon. I drove home to stay for two weeks and brought a couple (polo shirts) with me. I was lucky to have my glove and spikes with me.
“I’ve basically been living out of a suitcase since.”
While not known as a baseball powerhouse, East Union has had some terrific ball players come and go.
Fleckenstein is the fifth Lancer to play professionally since 2004. Brothers Jack (Seattle Mariners) and Spencer Arroyo (Philadelphia Phillies) were drafted in 2004 and 08, respectively.
Friend got his shot in 2007, and 2006 graduate Ryan Fisher, after three years at UC Irvine, was selected in the 15th round by the Florida Marlins in last month’s draft.
“Fish,” “Fleck” and Friend worked out together last offseason and they often reminisced about the good old days. Fleckenstein can now say he’s a part of the club.
“I was just thinking about that the other day,” Fleckenstein said. “I feel proud and blessed to be a part of that. There are so many people who come out of high schools in Southern California that have, like, 40 graduates playing in the big leagues right now.
“I think it’s a great success for Manteca as a whole. I just feel proud to represent the area.”
