High School Web Chatter

El Camino Coach Now Pitching for Greece in World Cup

At the Basebhall World Cup competition in Panama last week, El Camino pitching coach Thedor Bourdaniotis pitched against the USA in a 3-0 loss. You can bet he'll have the interest of his pitching corps when he returns from international competition.

Thanks to Rio Americano head coach James Wheeler for the tip. Wheeler played for Sacramento State before turning to coaching the high school ranks. He is the older brother of Tim Wheeler, who played for Double-A Tulsa (Colorado Rockies) last year and is currently performing in the Arizona Fall League.

Both Wheeler brothers prepped at El Camino.

Rowdy Tellez Picked to Perform in Power Showcase

by editor, Rick Cabral 10/05/11

Sacramento will be represented in the Sixth Annual Power Showcase International High School Home Run Derby to be held at Chase Field in December with the addition of Elk Grove High junior Ryan "Rowdy" Tellez.

Tellez, who impressed scouts this summer at the Area Code Games in Long Beach, is believed to be the first player from Sacramento invited to the prestigious long-ball competition.

According to the sponsor's news release the Power Showcase provides "a platform for the top high school power hitting prospects to demonstrate their baseball skills in a Major League Stadium. Tellez will compete with the most prolific Power Hitting prospects in the world."

In last year's competition a Florida high schooler hit the longest one--508 feet--in the five-year history of the event.

This past summer, at the Northern California Area Code Games tryout at Banner Island Ballpark, Tellez hit one ball over the Back Porch area in right center field estimated by this reporter to have traveled 420-feet on the fly.

Click on the link to see more information on the Power Showcase event.

Logan James Commits to Stanford

by editor, Rick Cabral 09/23/11

The old adage "Good things to come to those that wait" may apply to Jesuit's Logan James.

In the high school playoffs this past spring, James had just completed a masterful performance by shutting down a stubborn Oak Ridge club. After the game, he told this reporter that he had received a handful of Division I offers, but was undecided on which to school attend. James indicated he was holding out hope of receiving an offer from a Pac-12 school.

He got his wish.

The senior left-hander has verbally committed to play baseball for Stanford in the 2013 season.

Stanford Associate Head Coach Dean Stotz confirmed that James, who is a fine position player for the Marauders, will serve on The Farm as a pitcher.

When the 2011 season began, Jesuit head coach Joe Potulny had to hold James out of the rotation due to an elbow injury sustained during winter workouts. By playoff time, the 6'0" portsider was in fine form, compiling a 4-0 record with a 2.69 ERA and 50 strikeouts and 21 walks in almost 29 innings pitched.

In the playoffs, James won two games, including a six-inning shutout against Oak Ridge. His first loss came against St. Mary's in the Sac-Joaquin Section championships at Sacramento City College. James felt tightness in his back that day and exited earlier than hoped.

Over the summer, James pitched in the North-South All-Star game and represented the Sacramento area in the Area Codes games in Long Beach.

In addition to James coming back for the 2012 season, Potulny has another front-line starter in Nick Viola, and second baseman Louis Mejia, All-Universe shortstop Zach Green, and catcher Jordan Hamlin. The Marauders will be stocked.

UPdates

Nick Madrigal (left) and Dom Nunez (right) join with Coach Jeff Carlson in celebrating their gold medal victories last week as the USA won international baseball tournaments in the 14U and 16U divisions.

This was the first time in Sacramento baseball history that two players from the same high school competed in international competition in the same season.

Madrigal, a freshman, was the first to medal last Tuesday as the 14U team defeated Venezuela 12-2 in the 2011 COPABE Pan Am 14U Championships gold medal game in Venezuela. Madrigal hit a three-run homer in the game and batted .385 with one double, two home runs and eight RBI for the tournament. As the leadoff hitter he also swiped eight bases and was never caught stealing.

Despite the international competition the diminutive shortstop never felt intimidated. Madrigal, however, admitted the pitching was tough. "There were lots of big guys out there who threw real hard and had good offspeed stuff."

By contrast Nunez, a junior, had a tougher tournament personally, batting .200 and making five errors at shortstop in the first two games. In game one, Australia as a team made seven errors in the 21-11 win for the Americans. As Dom tells it, the tournament officials barely got the field ready in time. They laid the grass down two days before the first game and the dirt was dumped the day prior. "It was like playing on sand," Nunez noted. After the first two games, the rains hardened the infield and the usually reliable infielder didn't make another error.

Although Nunez has played in some pressure moments with the Herd, none were bigger than in the game against Japan when he batted in the bottom of the ninth inning with two runners on and the game tied
6-6. With a chance to win the game, he struck out, sending the contest into extra innings.

"I should have been more disciplined. The adrenaline got to me. But it was a good experience; I'd never trade it for anything," Nunez says with the same enthusiasm he displays on the field.

Japan went on to win the game in the 10th inning, the first loss by a USA 16U team after 45 consecutive victories. By nature of their overall record, the USA advanced to the championship game where it shutout Cuba 9-0 to claim the gold medal for the sixth straight year.

Another memory Dom will always carry with him: host Mexico cheered him the loudest among all USA players, recognizing the Nunez surname is of Mexican descent.

The addition of Madrigal and Nunez to the USA brings the number of players from Elk Grove High to six who have competed on USA teams, more than any other school in the Sacramento area. And all were mentored by Herd head coach, Jeff Carlson.

Following is a chart showing the Elk Grove players who have played in USA international compeetition:

To read about the other players who represented the USA College, 18U, 16U and 14U teams over the past three decades, go here.

by Editor, Rick Cabral

08/28/11

USA 16U Defeats Cuba 9-0 -- Wins Gold

The USA 16U team won the gold medal game against Cuba 9-0 this evening, claiming another crown in this international competition. Dom Nunez (Elk Grove High) went 1 for 3 with an RBI. He played all eight games for the USA at shortstop, batting .200 for the tournament.

Nunez joins Elk Grove teammate Nick Madrigal, who also tasted the sweet nectar as his 14U USA team won gold last week in Venezuela.

For more information, please visit the USA Baseball web site.

The Sweet Sixteen squad has now won six championships in a row, including last year's team which featured Jesuit High senior, Zach Green.

For a look at all the players from the Sacramento area who have represented their country in international competition, please visit this page.

08/27/11 The USA 16U team defeated Venezuela yesterday in extra innings, 18-17. If the squad defeats Japan this evening it will advance Sunday to the Gold Medal game at the IBAF World 'AA'/16U Youth Championships in Aguascalientes, Mexico.

Elk Grove's Dom Nunez, the team's shortstop, has gone on a cold streak, with his average slumping to .222. However, he continues to get on base (.423 average) and score runs for the home country.

The powerful USA team has scored 101 runs to its opponents 42 while winning five of its six games in abbreviated contests. On Thursday, the 16U squad defeated Netherlands 13-4 in 5 innings. Yesterday's one-run victory was the team's first close game in international competition as well as its first extra-inning affair.

08/23/11 16U Goes Undefeated in Pool Play.

Defeats Mexico and Brazil in two days

The USA 16U team yesterday defeated Brazil 16-1 in an abbreviated game, going 4-0 in pool play. They enter the second round of the international tournament.

Local boy Dom Nunez (Elk Grove High) is handling the shortstop duties, while getting on base for the big bats. Nunez is hitting .333 with one double, one triple and five RBI.

Jeff Carlson and the Elk Grove clan are hoping Nunez and teammates can bring home the gold, just like Thundering Herd freshman, Nick Madrigal, who led the 14U to a gold medal earlier this week.

Exciting times for local baseball.

by Editor, Rick Cabral

08/21/11 14U Team Wins Gold

The USA 14U team defeated Venezuela 12-2 in the 2011 COPABE Pan Am 14U Championships gold medal game in Venezuela.

Nick Madrigal (Elk Grove High) hit a three-run homer in the second inning when the USA took the lead 5-0. He went 1 for 3 on the day. The USA had beaten the host team 8-6 earlier in the tournament.

For the tournament, Madrigal, an incoming freshman, who has yet to step into a high school classroom due to the international tournament, batted .385 with one double, two home runs and eight RBI. Not bad for a leadoff hitter who lead the team with eight steals (a perfect 8 for 8). The young shortstop's only blemish: he made two errors in the eight games.

This marked the fourth gold medal game won by the USA 14U since 2007 when it sent its first team to the international tournament.

To read about past participants who represented the USA from the greater Sacramento area, go here.

==

The 16U team defeated Chinese Taipei 19-6 today in pool play at the IBAF World 'AA'/16U Youth Championships in Lagos de Moreno, Mexico. Game details were unavailable at the time we posted the story.

The team plays Mexico tomorrow and Brazil on Tuesday.

Late Saturday Update:

SAN FELIPE, VENEZUELA -- The 14U National Team won its semi-final match against Panama, 9-4, to advance to the 2011 COPABE Pan Am 14U Championships gold medal game which will be held Sunday at 1:30 pm ET at Yaracuy Stadium, in San Felipe, Venezuela

8/20/11

The 14U team is riding a six-game winning streak and plays today in the Semi-Final game against Panama, which they beat in the first game of the COPABE Pan Am 'A'/14U Championships, 12-7. If USA prevails, it will play in the championship game tomorrow (Sunday).

Home-grown product Nick Madrigal of Elk Grove High is having a terrific tournament. The leadoff hitter has eight hits in 19 at bats, including one double, one home run and leads the team in stolen bases with a perfect 8 for 8. This squad is stealing the pants off the other fellas and setting team records in the process.

Since our last report, the 14U team has defeated host Venezuela 8-6, Argentina 16-0, the Dominican Republic 15-0 and Brazil 13-3.

-------

The 16U National Team began pool play in the IBAF World 'AA'/16U Youth Championships on Friday by defeating Australia , 21-11 (8 inn.). Dom Nunez, Elk Grove's do-everything junior, went 1 for 4 with a sacrifice bunt.

8/17/11

In the first two games of international competition, Nick Madrigal, starting shortstop on the USA 14U team, has gone 3 for 7 with four RBI and three stolen bases, as the US has defeated Panama and Mexico.

Madrigal, an incoming freshman at Elk Grove, has yet to step into a classroom and will miss the first week due to his commitment to the USA team (Think the teachers will accept a note from the parents?).

More Elk Grove News...Ryan "Rowdy" Tellez Commits to USC

by Editor, Rick Cabral 08/16/11

Ryan Tellez, the Elk Grove Thundering Herd's latest All-World slugger, has verbally committed to the University of Southern California, BaseballSacramento has learned.

"USC has always been my favorite school. UCLA was a close second." He cited the school's educational reputation along with the history and tradition of the baseball program as reasons for verbally committing to the Trojans. "I think by the time I get there (fall 2013), we'll get that program turned around, and make a national championship run."

Last time the Trojans made the Regionals was in 2005, and the College World Series not since 2001. USC last won a CWS title in 1998.

The slugger is up on his USC trivia, knowing the school has won 12 national championships, the most by any college. Plus, he threw out the names of such famous alums as Barry Zito, Tom Seaver, Gabe Alvarez and Geoff Jenkins, (Cordova High/USC) who phoned Tellez to congratulate him on his choice. Ryan said he remembers Jenkins from his MLB days with the Brewers and the Phillies.

"The campus was beautiful," he said of the University of Southern California facilities. "The field was awesome. It's a park that favors lefties. I loved it." The academic counselors he met stressed the importance of capitalizing on the assistance available to students, and said they would chart a successful academic path for the high school junior.

Tellez visited the USC campus two days after performing in the week-long Area Codes Games in Long Beach. He called the national showcase "a learning experience" after going 2 for 9 with four RBI. He was one of five players from the Sacramento area who was selected to the Northern California squad, sponsored by the Oakland A's (for more on the Area Codes Games read the reports below).

In his sophomore season, Tellez tallied the most RBI (50) in the Sac-Joaquin section and tied for the section lead in home runs at nine with teammate, J.D. Davis, who is now attending Cal State Fullerton. Tellez also led the Herd in batting average (.505).For his productive 2011 season, Cal-Hi Sports/ESPN selected Tellez its State Sophomore of the Year.

His Elk Grove teammate, fellow junior Dom Nunez, has verbally commited to play for cross-town rival, UCLA. Nunez is currently playing for the USA 16U team. They begin tournament play against Australia Friday, August 19 at the IBAF World 'AA'/16U Youth Championships in Mexico.

Elk Grove's Bursting Buttons: Nunez Tabbed to USA 16U
by Editor Rick Cabral 08/13/11

Dom Nunez, the energetic sparkplug of the Elk Grove Thundering Herd, has been selected to play for the USA 16U team, it was announced yesterday.

Nunez, a junior, was one of seven California players selected to play on the 20-member USA team. The club will travel to Lagos de Moreno, Mexico to compete in the 2011 IBAF World AA/16U Youth Championships, August 19-28.

The 16U team will train and compete in two exhibition games from August 14-16, before it leaves for Mexico on August 18. It will play its first game the following day against Australia at 5 p.m. PDT. Pool play will run from August 19-23.

Nunez is the second player from Elk Grove High this summer to get the exciting red-white-and-blue news. Incoming freshman Nick Madrigal learned last week that he had been named to the 14U team (see below). Madrigal, a shortstop, and Nunez a utility infielder, played together on the Elk Grove High summer team.

"It's a big honor for both of them, to travel and represent your country in international competition," said Jeff Carlson, the Elk Grove High head coach. "A great honor for our program and for those two players. They're obviously talented, but they bring a lot more to the game than just their talent. Their hustle, enthusiasm and love of the game, that's the kind of players they (USA baseball administrators) look for when they select those USA teams. I'm very excited for (Dom and Nick)."

Since Carlson took over the Thundering Herd program 13 years ago, six of his players have made one of the four USA amateur teams. Mike Tonis (1998), a catcher, was the first Elk Grove player to represent the USA when he made the 1999 USA Collegiate team out of Cal Berkeley. He was followed by: Dwight Childs, catcher, 2005 16U team (silver); Justin Charles, infielder, 2007 16U (gold); Jake Rodriguez, infielder, 2007 16U (gold), and now Nunez and Madrigal.

Carlson wouldn't ascribe those players' success to his program. "I wouldn't say it's the program. Obviously, that (selection to the USA amateur team) is an individual-type tryout. So when you go there you have to show the qualities they're looking for."

In 2011, Nunez had more plate appearances than any of the Herd's hitters, batting .449 with 13 doubles, four triples, three home runs and 25 runs batted in. He consistently set the table for Elk Grove's two sluggers, J.D. Davis (CSU Fullerton) and fellow junior Ryan "Rowdy" Tellez, who led the section in RBI (50).

Nunez was a 2^nd Team selection to BaseballSacramento's All-Capitol Team. Cal-Hi Sports picked him to its All-State Underclassmen 2^nd Team.

Tellez also made the Herd proud this summer by representing Northern California at the recent Area Codes Games in Long Beach.

by Editor Rick Cabral 08/10/11

Elk Grove High's shortstop Nick Madrigal has made the 18-member USA 14U team. The incoming freshman is the latest player from the Sacramento area to make one of the three elite USA baseball teams.

In his first game, Madrigal went 3 for 5 with a double and three RBI leading the USA 14U team to a 14-3 win against the 15U Canes, a team from Charlotte, N.C. He also stoles two bases in the exhibition contest, which was the first of two tuneups before the USA departs for San Felipe, Venezuela, where it will play in international competition at the COPABE Pan Am 'A'/14U Championships.

Vying to make this year's USA 16U team is Madgrigal's Thundering Herd teammate, Dom Nunez. Nunez is battling for a spot on the elite squad in a series of intra-squad games this week at the USA National Training Complex in Cary, North Carolina. The 5'9", 165 pound infielder is hitting only .200 after three games, but is tied for the RBI lead with three for a .500 slugging average.

Nunez made the Bee's All-Metro squad in 2011, and made the All-Capitol Second Team sponsored by BaseballSacramento.com.

Zach Green of Jesuit was the latest from the Capital City to represent this country in amateur competition, playing on the USA 16U Championship team last summer.

Green is one of 15 players from the greater Sacramento area who have represented the USA over the past three decades in international amateur competition. To read a bio of each player, go here.

Green and McLoughlin Shine at Monday's Area Code Games
Oakland Athletics vs. New York Yankees

by Harold Abend / Special to ESPN RISE 08/08/11

The Oakland Athletics came out smoking, scoring two runs in the first inning and four in the second, and then let the pitching do the rest, in a 6-1 victory in the Day 4 nightcap.

Athletics' shortstop Zach Green (2012) from Jesuit (Carmichael, Calif.) had the first inning’s big hit, a double that drove in the only two runs the boys representing Northern California would need.

The second inning saw both Braden Bishop (2012) of St. Francis (Mountain View, Calif.) and Cal-committed Max Dutto (2012) from San Ramon Valley (Danville, Calif.) stroke RBI singles.

Bishop, a Washington commit and also highly-regarded as a football safety and wide receiver, was 1-for-1 and scored twice after reaching on an error and scoring on Green’s double in the first and coming home in the second on an error.

Four Athletics pitchers combined for a nifty three-hitter. Sutter McLoughlin, a 2012 who is also a top-notch water polo player at Rio Americano (Sacramento, Calif.), went the first two innings. The 6-foot-5, 215-pounder gave up one hit and struck out one. Cal Becker (2012) of Redwood (Larkspur, Calif.) went the next two innings and walked one, but he didn’t allow a hit and struck out one batter. Deer Valley (Antioch, Calif.) ace Ricky Delgado (2012) went one inning and gave up the lone run, however it came by way of an error. Gabriel Cramer, an incoming senior at Santa Rosa (Santa Rosa, Calif.) finished the last two innings and gave up one hit while fanning three, including the final two batters of the game.

The lone Yankee run scored on an error.

Despite the lopsided loss, Yankees' pitcher Quinn Carpenter was named the New Balance Dustin Pedroia “Muddy Chicken” Award winner. The 6-foot-5, 195-pound incoming senior from Goshen (Goshen, N.Y.) came on in the second inning in a tough situation and threw 3.1 innings of one-hit ball with three strikeouts.

With the win, the A’s record in Area Code went to 2-1 while the Yankees dropped to 0-3.

Athletics' Area Code Game, Featuring NorCal Players, on ESPN 3 Tuesday

by Editor Rick Cabral, 08/07/11

On Tuesday, August 9 all four 2011 Area Code Baseball games will be broadcast live on ESPN3.com.

The Oakland A's entry, featuring five players from the greater Sacramento area, will play in the second game, which is slated to begin at 11:30 a.m. at Blair Field in Long Beach.

For the complete schedule go here.

At Area Codes, Tellez Impresses in Batting Practice

Baseball America filed this report on the team, also highlighting the play of Ryan Tellez.

by Editor Rick Cabral, 07/13/11

Three pitchers and two position players from the greater Sacramento area have been selected to participate in the 2011 Area Codes Games, the prestigious week-long showcase for the nation's elite baseball prospects. The players include: pitchers Ben Eckles, Davis High; Logan James, Jesuit; Sutter McLoughlin, Rio Americano; Ryan "Rowdy" Tellez, Elk Grove High, Zach Green, shortstop, Jesuit.

Green is a returning player from the 2010 NorCal Area Codes team. Tellez was the sole junior among the 30 players selected to the A's squad.

More than 100 high school players from Northern California—including 21 from the greater Sacramento area—performed at the NorCal Area Code Games Tryouts held at Stockton's Banner Island Ballpark.

The Oakland A's served as the host team for the event, which was held at the home ball park of the Stockton Ports, a Single-A affiliate of the A's. In year's past, the Milwaukee Brewers selected the NorCal team.

Similar showcases have been or will be held in other parts of the country. There are eight teams representing each region of the USA: A's (Nor Cal), Brewers (Soutern California); Kansas City Royals (Northwest); Cincinnati Reds (Southwest & Hawaii); Texas Rangers (Texas and Louisiana); New York Yankees (Northeast); Washington Nationals (Southeast); and Chicago White Sox (Central Midwest).

These teams are comprised of 200 of the most talented prep players in the nation. Each team will play four games in the Area Codes competition, which is scheduled from August 5-10 at Blair Field in Long Beach, Calif.

Tellez "Surprised" to Make NorCal Area Codes Team Elk Grove's man-child Ryan "Rowdy" Tellez admits he was surprised to make the Area Codes squad. He was the only incoming junior selected to the squad, yet offered "I didn’t think I was going to have a chance." His chances improved mightily when the A's scouts witnessed his incredible power, as the 6'4" first baseman blasted one ball over the cantina in right center field known as the "Back Porch." This reporter, who was sitting in the cantina area, estimated the ball traveled 420 feet on the fly (in case you may be wondering, the cantina was "closed"). To open his hitting round Tellez had pulled three grounders, and he felt A's scout Jermaine Clark was pitching too quickly. Rowdy reminded himself to stay back and let the ball get deep and was actually trying to go the opposite direction when he connected on the blast to right centerfield. "That's what the college and pro scouts are looking for me to do—put something out of the park. I think that's why I made the team, because I showed that kind of power." Almost more impressive that day was his last play during infield practice, when he backhanded a grounder in front of the bag, and flipped the ball off-balance with a perfect submarine throw to third base. Tellez said Elk Grove Coach Jeff Carlson has made him practice that play before every game. "I've played a total of 60 games at Elk Grove), so I've done it 60 times." It showed. Speaking of the Elk Grove program, Rowdy admits he feels lucky to have played with All-Metro MVPs Jake Rodriguez (2010) and J.D. Davis (2011). "I've looked up to those guys, Jake and J.D. I want to play and be like them. They've always been like idols to me." Tellez admits that good pitching like at the Area Codes games has helped improve his batting stroke while playing for Elk Grove's summer team. "Right now, I'm in a hot streak and hitting the ball well. Everything coming in looks like a cantaloupe or a watermelon, depending on where it is in the zone. I feel like everything is flowing good right now. The hard work is paying off. " Without much goading, Tellez volunteered that next year will be the Herd's time to reclaim the Section Division I Championship. Elk Grove hasn't won it since 2007. Under Carlson the Herd claimed four D-1 titles in the decade 2001-2010. "This is the year (2012) that we'll do it," Tellez says. "We have a good enough team. We have the pitching. We'll win the championship," he confidently predicted. Elk Grove's big man just invited his team to climb aboard his broad shoulders and continue the school tradition. by Editor, Rick Cabral 07/14/11

Cal-Hi Sports Selects J.D. Davis First Team All-State
Picks 14 Other Sacramento-Area Players to its Teams

by Editor Rick Cabral, 07/09/11

Cal-Hi Sports today announced its all-state baseball teams, and J.D. Davis (Elk Grove) made All-California First Team as a multi-purpose player. He was the only senior from the Sacramento area selected to the prestigious squad. Last year, Davis was picked as Cal-Hi Sports' State Junior of the Year. In 2010, he also made All-California First Team in the Underclassmen division as a multi-purpose player.

Picked to the 2011 All-California Second Team were Chris Porter (Nevada Union), catcher, and Nick Blaser (Roseville), infielder. Austin Diemer (Rocklin) and Tyler Evanoff (Ponderosa) made the 2nd Team as outfielders.

Selected to the All-California Third Team were Max Cordy and Nick Mar, (both from McClatchy) as multi-purpose players, while Chris Muse-Fisher (Oak Ridge) made 3rd Team as a pitcher.

In the Small School division, Brady Dragmire (Bradshaw Christian) made All-California as a multi-purpose player, and Junior Casas (Valley Christian) made the squad as an infielder.

Making the All-California Underclassmen First Team were: Ben Eckels (Davis/junior), pitcher; Zach Green (Jesuit/junior), infielder; and Ryan Tellez (Elk Grove/sophomore), infielder. Last month, "Rowdy" Tellez was selected the State Sophomore of the Year by Cal-Hi Sports, making this an Elk Grove tradition. Both Davis (2010), and former Herd teammate Jake Rodriguez (2009) won the Junior POY.

Don Nunez (Elk Grove/sophomore) made the Underclassmen Second Team as an infielder, while Dalton Blaser (Roseville/junior) was selected to the 2nd Team as a multi-purpose player.

All of the players above were selected last month by BaseballSacramento.com to the All-Capitol Teams.

Here's the background summary "About the Area Code Games Event" from the ESPN web site:

Eckels Shines at Area Codes Showcase
Tellez Hits One Over the Back Porch

by Editor Rick Cabral, 07/07/11; (Updated 07/10/11)

More than 100 high school players from all over Northern California—including 21 from the greater Sacramento area—performed in the NorCal Area Code Games Tryouts held yesterday at Stockton's Banner Island Ballpark.

The Oakland A's served as the host team for the event, which was held at the home ball park of the Stockton Ports, a Single-A affiliate of the A's.

Similar showcases have been or will be held in other parts of the country. The final selections from these tryouts will culminate with an East-West contest featuring the 50 most talented prep players from August 5-10 at Blair Field in Long Beach, Calif.

The format for the Area Code Games has been the same for decades.

In the morning, players run a 60-yard dash in pairs.

Next comes defensive drills.

A group of outfielders are sent out to right field. When its his turn, the player lines up behind two cones placed about 275 feet from home plate and catches five balls. The first two throws are directed at third base, while the final three shoot home. Dalton Blaser of Roseville and Jared James of McClatchy both looked strong in his round.

Middle infielders are positioned at short stop, and field and throw five balls to first base. Grounders are hit directly at them, to their right forcing a backhand catch, as well as up the middle, showing the player's range and arm strength.

First basemen field grounders and make their throws to third base. Ryan Tellez of Elk Grove backhanded his final grounder in front of the bag, and while falling away flipped the ball like a submariner on a line to third; an impressive, athletic move for the 6'4" 215 pound incoming junior.

In an evaluation of "pop time," catchers are timed on catching and delivering a throw to second base.

Players rotate as a new group takes their position on the field.

Then comes batting practice. Players are given 10 swings with a wooden bat.

Blaser parked one off the center field wall, a 390' blast. Even more impressive was Tellez' round.

His first three swings resulted in daisy cutters. But on his fourth swing, he elevated the ball deep over the Back Porch, a cool entertainment area on a berm in the right field area that includes a patio bar with wooden recliner chairs. Seated in the shade, his ball looked like a satellite as it carried completely over the "back porch" for a 420' blast. He skied another homer over the center field wall for a very impressive round.

Finally, after all 107 players got their swings, they were divided into four teams and played 18 innings of baseball.

This gave the pitchers a chance to shine. And as it happens at most all-star games, pitching dominates.

No one had a better outing than Ben Eckles of Davis, who topped 93 on the radar gun while striking out all three men in his one inning of work.

Logan James of Jesuit also looked impressive, shutting down the offense after giving up a fence rattling double to his first batter.

Zach Green of Jesuit couldn't attend the workout because he is playing on a travel team in the East Cobb WWBA 18U tournament in Marietta, Ga.. Green, who represented NorCal in the 2010 Games, may receive a return trip to the Area Codes next month in Long Beach.

More than 2,000 elite high school players participated in the Area Code Games last summer. ESPN Rise has published articles on Things To Do and Not To Do if a player is picked for an Area Code Games Tryout.

AUSTIN DIEMER CONSIDERING OPTIONS

by Editor Rick Cabral, 06/24/11

Austin Diemer has options.

To start the summer, the speedy center fielder for Coach Roc Murray's Rocklin Thunder the past three years had a scholarship offer from Cal State Fullerton. Then the Cleveland Indians selected Diemer in the 26^th Round of the MLB First-Year Player Draft.

In his senior season, Diemer batted .415 with five doubles, six triples and 26 stolen bases. He was selected to the All-Capitol 2^nd Team by BaseballSacramento.com.

Things became complicated for Diemer and other Titan recruits last week, when Fullerton State head coach Dave Serrano announced he was taking the head job at University of Tennessee. A head vacancy this late in the season could have a negative impact on most programs ability to hold their commited recruits. Fullerton State is a perennial national baseball power and may weather the storm better than most schools.

The young man showed his true colors when asked for his reaction to the news of Serrano's decision. "It was a really sad day for me, as I really loved Coach Serrano. But I'm really excited and happy for him and his familyto be going on out to Tennessee. And I wish the best to all the coaches (on Serrano's staff)."

Regardless, Diemer is still committed to the Titans program, if he doesn't turn pro. "I believe that whoever comes in and takes the job will do amazing," he said in his usual ebullient style. According to Randy Youngman of OCRegister.com, the Titans are considering several top candidates to replace Serrano, including: UCLA assistant Rick Vanderhook, Loyola Marymount's Jason Gill, Cal State Bakersfield's Bill Kernen, Fresno State's Mike Batesole and Arizona's Andy Lopez. All but Lopez have Fullerton ties. We hear that the school plans to makes its selection by this weekend.

Meantime, Diemer is waiting to see what the Indians offer in terms of bonus money, which may determine his future in baseball. "I'm really grateful and happy to be drafted by Cleveland. Don Lyle is a Hall of fame scout. He was just over the other day, talking about things. I'm really blessed and excited to have the opportunity."

"If the Indian opportunity (bonus offer) is right, I'm not going to close any doors," Diemer says."I'm just going to see how the summer goes."

Cleveland's West Coast Scouting Supervisor Paul Cogan noted that the professional game is changing, reverting more to athletes who can exhibit a variety of baseball skills, including speed and defense. For those reasons the Indians are high on Diemer.

"Austin fits that profile. He is a plus, plus runner (6.4/6.5 in 60 yard dash), has a solid average major league arm. His instincts in the outfield are fair. But he can outrun mistakes while he's young until the skills are sharpened," Cogan says of the scouting profile on Diemer.

"He isn't a natural hitter, but he's disciplined hitter with bat speed. I think the power is going to come. He's gonna be an Eric Byrnes-type player (drafted by the Oakland A's 8th Round, 1998). More of a '70s throw-back kind of player, which the game is going back to. (Austin's) on the cutting edge of players like that."

Cogan confirmed the Indians will play Diemer in centerfield. "A real centerfielder is such a commodity. Well-above average speed in the outfield is very rare."

Regarding Diemer's personal makeup, Cogan gushed "From being a leader all the way down to 'marry your daughter.' Every superlative you can use, that's Austin." He credits the Diemer family with being a big reason why the Indians were confident in drafting the Rocklin High star."They're such a breath of fresh air. When you get one like this, like Sabathia's family (CC Sabathia was drafted by the Indians in the 1st Round, 1998 and signed by Cogan), it's refreshing. They (Diemer's) just flat get it. And most people don't," Cogan said.

The Indians' scouting supervisor realizes the club's in a tough tussle with Fullerton State for Diemer's services. But he hopes the youth gets all that is coming to him. "I would tell an elite student, unless you get a sizable signing bonus, I wouldn't want you going out there with regret. I would want that player to get a substantial signing bonus. (Austin) has options; he has leverage and should use it."

This summer, Diemer is playing on Ryan Royster's ProPlayer Collegiate squad, which competes against teams throughout Northern California and Nevada. "This gives me an opportunity to play around here, workout and still get ABs (at-bats) and innings."

J.D. Davis of Elk Grove High is in a similar situation. He also has a ride to Fullerton State and was drafted in the fifth round of the MLB Draft by the Tampa Bay Rays. This summer Davis is a ProPlayer teammate with Diemer, and might possibly wear a Titan uniform next year as well.

When we spoke to Austin, he was watching the College World Series on television. Asked if he imagines himself playing for Fullerton State in the CWS, he admits he can't help but think of it. "Makes me excited to get down there. They have a great group of guys (at Fullerton). Next year could be our time. It makes me want to do the hard work to make that happen."

Austin Diemer has options and he's enjoying life.

(Note: On Friday, June 24 Cal State Fullerton announced the hiring of Vanderhook as their new head coach.)

STARS SHINE IN OPTIMIST OPTIMIST GAMES

South Wins Large School Contest 13-9 in Hit Parade

by Editor, Rick Cabral 06/12/11

In the Large School game, Nick Blaser of Roseville showed he came to play out of the gate.

The South's leadoff hitter singled to start the contest. With two outs, he tried to score from second on Andrew Wilson's (Granite Bay) single, but a fine relay from right fielder Austin Ales (Oak Ridge) to catcher Jordan Johnson (Franklin) nabbed him at the plate.

We don't know how often Johnson caught for Franklin High during the season, but he demonstrated he has the quickness and cannon arm to play the position, despite his lanky build behind the plate.

In the eighth, Johnson entered the game to pitch, and electrified the crowd, hitting 93 on the radar gun under "the darks," to borrow a bad joke from Bob Hope. Unfortunately, the lights at American River do a fair-to-poor job of illuminating the entire field, and Johnson's blazing fastballs proved the lighting inadequate for an evening contest. Poor lighting also affected play on several occasions during the D-1 playoffs. A contingent from the D-2 champion Roseville team commented on the superiority of the lights at Sacramento City College (which hosted the D-2 playoffs) compared to those at ARC.

Johnson began the eighth by walking the first batter and poor defense on a double-play ball let him down, beginning a Merry-Go-Round of hitters. Blaser singled in a run on a lazy fly to center that probably should have been caught, but apparently was not picked up in the night sky by the outfielder. Dustin Vaught (Bella Vista) doubled in a run, and both runners eventually scored on two wild pitches by Johnson. A hit batter followed by a single by Nate Esposito (Granite Bay) moved the North out front to a 9-6 lead.

This brought in J.D. Davis (Elk Grove) in relief of Johnson, who managed only one out. Davis, who topped out in the low nineties during the season, seemed less dominant than Johnson on the hill, but he retired the next two hitters, including a strike out of Shane Rae (Casa Roble).

In the bottom of the eighth, the South struck back off new pitcher Tyler Olson (Yuba City). Ales singled, starting a hit parade that included singles by Cole Hansen (Oak Ridge), Hunter Gallant (Ponderosa) and Brendan Farney (Vacaville), who brought in two runs with his safety. Davis, who generated four hits, including a double in the fourth inning, singled, as well as Lucas David (Cordova). Ales also singled on his second trip in the inning. In all, the South bunched seven hits to score seven runs and jump out to a 13-9 lead.

In the top of the ninth, Davis returned to the hill and looked masterful as he struck out the first two hitters. That set up a classic dual with Nick Blaser, who had not been retired all evening. Davis and Blaser know each other well, having played on youth ball travel clubs.

Davis quickly went ahead 0-2 on a beautiful 12-6 curve. He debated what to throw next, and figured he had to challenge his old friend. He got too much of the plate with a fastball and Blaser hit a ringing single. Davis got the next batter to end the contest, a nine-inning affair which lasted three-plus hours.

Most Valuable Players of the game went to Ales for the South, who pitched a scoreless seventh inning and went 4x4 with two doubles and two RBI, and Blaser for the North, who went 5x5, with two doubles and two RBI. Davis easily could have been the South's MVP, going 4x5 with a double and an RBI, but most impressively for the way he shut down the North's offense in 1 2/3 innings of work, which earned him the win.

Other hitters of note included: Granite Bay's Wilson 3x3, 2 RBI and Esposito 2x5 for the North. For the South, Gallant went 2x2 with two RBI, C.J. Jacobe (Vacaville) who stung the ball all night went 2x5, Tyler Evanoff (Ponderosa) collected a double and showed off his speed on the basepaths, and Farney collected two RBI.

After the game, Davis admitted that when he came into the game he was "a little cold, since I took an inning off." He laughed at the confrontation with Blaser in the ninth inning. "Me and Nicky grew up together. He's such a smart player. With two strikes, I tried to sneak in a fastball but he has such quick hands; he stayed back and just hit it the other way. He beat me on that one," said the Elk Grove senior, who is considering his options: a scholarship to Cal State Fullerton or a pro contract with the Tampa Bay Rays, which drafted him in the fifth round of this week's Major League First-Year Player Draft.

Blaser also thought the ninth-inning matchup was a classic, but approached it for all the bragging rights. "That was the best feeling in the world," he said. "I knew he (Davis) was going to come after me. I didn't want to have any trash talking. It feels good," he said with a big smile.

==

Small School Game: South 9, North 3

In the afternoon game featuring the "Small Schools," McClatchy's Nick Mar claimed the MVP honors for the winning South team, collecting a triple and two singles for 2 RBI. Logan Day (San Juan) was MVP for the North.

Brady Dragmire (Bradshaw Christian) was touched for two runs on the hill, but made up for it at the plate, driving in three runs with a triple and a double. Like Davis, Dragmire has options: a ride to Nevada or a pro deal with the Toronto Blue Jays, which drafted him in the 17^th Round.

McClatchy's Max Cordy, who is committed to UC Davis, also had a pair of safeties for the South, including a triple.

Congrats to the Evening Optimist Club of Sacramento, which staged another successful High School All-Star event.

DeMello Enjoying Life in Roseville
by Cabral 06/11/11

Roseville Head Coach Hank DeMello is still beaming after his Tigers took the Sac-Joaquin Section Division II crown from Rocklin last month. Said DeMello via email: "This is awesome. It brought Roseville back to that small town feeling. Everyone in the grocery store, the drive through, the youth games all congratulating all the boys and coaches."

Two of his players--Nick and Dalton Blaser--made the first ever All-Capitol Team selected by BaseballSacramento.com. Read the player's bios and learn who made our 2nd and 3rd Teams.

Raymond Hernandez Drafted by D-Backs

by Cabral 06/10/11

The Arizona Diamondbacks selected right-handed pitcher Raymond Hernandez (Elk Grove) in the 48th round. The Cal State Fullerton player is the brother of current D-backs reliever David Hernandez. who also played for the Herd. Here's the link: http://arizonasports.com/?nid=42&sid=1422795

J.D. Goes Yard

by Editor, Rick Cabral 05/31/11

Elk Grove High's legendary player J.D. Davis is living the dream.

Today, the all-everything senior infielder/pitcher will work out for the San Francisco Giants at AT&T Park, every NorCal prep player's fantasy.

And on Sunday, one day before the Major League Baseball amateur draft, Davis will work out in Los Angeles at Dodgers Stadium.

This, according to proud papa, Greg Davis, who is usually seen smiling at the Elk Grove games.

Although Dad doesn't speculate, we figure the 6'2" slugger should launch at least a couple of batting practice balls in the seats at both ballparks.

It will be interesting to see how high Davis goes in the draft. Scouts are mixed on whether he should be taken as a pitcher (5-2 with a 1.68 ERA and 57 Ks) or a slugger ( .506 avg., 13 doubles, 1 triple 8 HR, 43 RBI for a .965 slugging average).

One thing's certain: it will take an awfully high draft pick to pull J.D. away from his boyhood dream of playing for Fullerton State.

Green Likes Jesuit's Chances Against St. Mary's in D-1 Section Title

by Editor, Rick Cabral 05/29/11

Jesuit shortstop Zach Green launched a home run over the left field wall in the Sac-Joaquin Section D-1 North Championship game. The blast off of Austin Ales, his seventh of the year, should give Joe Potulny's crew an additional shot of confidence as the Marauders enter the Section title match against St. Mary's of Stockton next weekend at Sacramento City College.

In the fifth inning, with Jesuit leading 2-1, Green got the bat-head out front of a slow change up and drove it over the left field wall. "It felt good," he said. "I haven't been swinging good, but I finally squared one up," he said after the 5-1 victory over Delta River rival Oak Ridge.

The 6'2", 205-pound junior said he likes his team's chances against St. Mary's, last year's D-1 Section champion over Elk Grove."Last time we played it went (extra) innings; it was a great game. It's going to be fun. We all feel confident." St. Mary's prevailed 7-3 in the 11-inning affair exactly two months ago on March 28.

"Our coach's have prepared us so well. No matter the weather, the (opposing) team, it's all part of winning a section title," Green said. "Our coaches have prepared us real well for this.

"If we don't end up with a sectional title the season doesn't end up quite what we want it to be. We've been working hard since January. All of the hard work is paying off. It feels good."

D-1 North Championship Played in Football Weather

by Editor, Rick Cabral 05/29/11

Yesterday evening's D-1 contest at American River College between Jesuit and Oak Ridge was played under a steady, light rain. Tournament Director Hal Steinbeck was more nervous than a mother feline guarding a new litter of cats.

The rain began just as Nick Viola took the mound for Jesuit in the first inning. Long-time observers of this tournament said it was a first to have rain in the championship game at ARC.

Around the second inning, after Jesuit shortstop Zach Green threw out a Trojans' runner for the third out, Steinbeck asked Green for an honest evaluation of the field conditions. Green, who has probably never been asked that question on a baseball field in his lifetime, thought for a momenet then provided a gamer's response "It's alright. Not bad."

Then he proceeded to stomp his cleats on the dugout concrete, lossening several clomps of mud in the process. Both teams made use of wood sticks and other devices to free the mud from their cleats.

Green would later make an error on a potential double-play ball, a play he would normally make easily, and teammate Cameron Iwasa also misplayed a soft grounder to third base. In all, the Marauders and Trojans combined for five errors, but played well despite the conditions.

In the sixth inning, the rain finally let up. Confident "we'll get this one in," Steinbeck displayed the biggest smile seen on the ball field that evening.

Capping the post-game championship plaque presentation, Steinbeck stood in sunlight in front of home plate, as skies had cleared overhead.

Nick Blaser Ready to Lead Roseville to D-2 Championship

by Editor, Rick Cabral 05/27/11

Roseville's Nick Blaser is toughin' it out, gamin' it up, and playin' the biggest game of his high school career with a slight right hip flexor injury sustained against Rosemont in the first round of the playoffs. He aggravated the injury in the first of two games against Woodcreek.

In the 2^nd Woodcreek game, when he lined a double to the left center field wall, he gimped around first and made it to second. And he eventually scored (on younger brother Dalton's smash to right field). Back in the dugout, teammates teased him for not legging out a triple. Blaser fired back, he would have had a three-bagger if the hip wasn't bothering him.

He's been icing the injury, and with the additional days off, the leg feels much better, he said. He'll ready and rarin' to go Monday evening in the Sac-Joaquin Division II Section Championship game against Rocklin (set for 6 p.m.).

How big is this upcoming game against their league rival (which they beat two out of three during the Sierra Foothill League season)? "It's huge for our team and for our community," Nick said. "We've known and played against most of those guys (Rocklin) since middle school."

Nick Blaser patterns his game after local area product, Dustin Pedroia (Woodland, 2001). No surprise there. As a 5'9" shortstop, Nick is quick around the bag, makes all the plays, and shows his intensity on the field. In describing Pedroia, the Roseville senior says he admires the Red Sox star for "…his feistiness; the way he plays the game: 'balls-to-the-wall', 110-percent, leave it all on the field and do what you have to do (to win)."

Like Pedroia, Nick Blaser has played all four years on the varsity. Due to last season's leg injury (not the same one as 2011) he was limited to only 11 at bats and didn't get the exposure and offers afforded the top juniors in the area. In the 2011 regular season, he hit .406, with nine doubles, two triples, seven home runs and 33 RBI, for a slugging average of .760: outstanding power numbers for a middle-infield player. Plus, he graduated with a 3.35 grade point average. Still, the four-year colleges passed on him.

So, next year Nick will play for Sacramento City College. "I'm going to go there and earn my way."

Nick and Dalton have followed in their father's diamond footsteps.

Mark Blaser played baseball for La Sierra High and later Butte College, where he was drafted in 1981 by the New York Yankees as a catcher. In six minor league seasons the elder Blaser hit .270, rising as high as Double-A. He's hoping one--or both--of his boys makes it to the major leagues.

Meantime, the family's hoping for a D-2 Section title, the first one for Roseville High in 26 years.

And maybe a decade from now, high school players will be talking about modeling their play after Nick Blaser, just as he did Pedroia.

Jesuit Coach Hopes Marauders Heed the Mantra: "Finish"

by Editor Rick Cabral, 05/26/11

Jesuit head coach Joe Potulny has wisdom and experience, and he hopes he's applied both virtues well in preparing ihs players for Friday's Sac-Joaquin Section 1 North Championship match.

Last year, Jesuit arrived iin the championship game in the very same way by advancing through the winner's bracket. When they played Elk Grove in the first contest, Jesuit's star man-child pitcher Dan Child gave up a couple of bombs to Elk Grove junior J.D. Davis, who also had a superb game on the mound, and Elk Grove defeated Jesuit 4-1, then trounced the Marauders in an 11-0 beatdown to secure the title for the Thundering Herd.

Potulny was shocked at the way his team played in the second game. And he struggled all summer to figure out what he could have done or said to his team after the first game loss to avoid the embarassing, and atypical performance, by one of the area's best programs.

"I think our mental makeup going in (the Elk Grove series), we were not waltzing in, 'Let's just show up; we just won three.' We were in a good place. But where I missed it...we were on our heels in the second game." Potulny realized that his young team, despite the rigors of a 30+game season, didn't have the mental toughness to close the deal

So, in the fall the Jesuit coach adopted a new mantra for his team: "Finish." And he began instilling it in his players--many of whom returned to the 2011 club--don't make the mistake we made last year: you have to finish.

"We need to be mentally tougher. In most spots we're a year older. Physically, we may not get to where we got last year," Potulny says. "But 'approach-wise' we should be better. We should be able to grind the whole way and if...(he doesn't say "lose two in a row again"), it'll be a physical thing where somebody pitched better, somebody hit our pitching, we made an error at the wrong time. But not 'we just didn't perform.'"

And now they stand in position to test Potulny's wisdom, experience and mantra, when they play the winner of the Pleasant Grove-Oak Ridge game on Friday.

He's hoping they heard him well. And "finish."

Jesuit's James Fielding Offers When Not on Mound

by Editor Rick Cabral, 05/25/11

In last night's post-game interview with winning pitcher Logan James, the junior left-hander said he has received several college scholarship offers, and anticipates that number will go up. After last night's 10-strikeout, 3-hitter over six shutout innings, we'd say that's an understatement.

By Any Other Name...

Commentary by Editor Rick Cabral, 05/23/11

In looking through the rosters of the eight teams in the D-2 bracket, we know that one of the most popular names for boys in the early '90s was "Austin." At the start of the tournament, we had seven Austins in all, and with the four teams remaining still there are six!

Rocklin leads the way with three on its team: senior Austin Diemer, junior Austin Spainhour, and sophomore Austin Dick. Woodcreek also has two in junior Austin Hagarty and sophomore Austin Blatnick.

Del Campo features senior Austin Evanski, Roseville has sophomore Austin Ash, and Bella Vista had Austin Hennen, also a sophomore.

The other night, we had pitcher Austin Evanski on the mound for Del Campo matched against Rocklin pitcher, Austin Dick. I'm sure we had an Austin pitcher-hitter matchup, but my scorecard is befuddled at this point.

What accounts for the plethora of Austins to emerge from the early Clinton-era, we haven't a clue. Perhaps there was a mass migration from the capital city of Texas, but as we know, the trend has been in the opposite direction.

Not to be outdone, are some of the other "interesting" first names we've seen (and we say that with all due respect and kindness).

We had a pair of Dustin's (Mulhern for Rosemont) and Vaught (Bella Vista). Hunter Carolan played on the same McClatchy team as Gianni Westlake. That was a fine combination, especially in tandem with Jake Luigi and Max Cordy (two strong monosyllabic first names).

In addition there was Dylan Malone and Parish Chavez (Rosemont), Kramer Sutey of Woodcreek, Tanner McVey and Hayden Hall of Rocklin and perhaps my favorite of all: Brennik Eltagonde-Gonzalez of Roseville. He goes down as Brennik E-G in my scorebook.

And don't be surprised if Roc Murray adopts the appellation "Fighting Irish." For anyone with a Pat O'Keefe and O'Shea Bennett on the bench should be rarin' to get after it.

God Bless America.

There's One You Don't See...Any Day

By Editor Rick Cabral, 05/21/11

Too bad Rosemont's Paul Martinez' slap-happy bunch was eliminated last night. They play a fun brand of "small ball." We can't recall seeing that many bunts in a game since the day's of Whitey Herzog's Cardinals.

And that Rosemont group also has some fine acting skills, too. In the first inning, we witnessed a play that all of us in the press box had never seen before.

In the bottom of the first inning, Rosemont walked the first Roseville batter, Beau Smith. With hot hitting Nick Blaser at the plate, Smith took off for second. Rosemont's catcher Parish Chavez immediately threw down to third base, and proceeded to retreat to the backstop as if to retrieve a passed ball.

Smith, who came running into second base standing up, must have heard the Rosemont infielders exhorting the catcher to locate the ball at the base of the wall, because when he rounded second, and saw the catcher's back to the infield, he headed for third. Where Andre Contreras was waiting for him with the ball.

Realizing the duplicity of the situation, Smith retreated, but Contreras threw to the second baseman Michael Beccera, who fired to shortstop Anthony Enriquez, who tagged out the bewildered Smith.

As Smith was running back to the dugout, the press corp attempted to recreate the events (that's 2-5-4-6 for those scoring at home) and everyone agreed (including field hands from Sac City's baseball team) we had never heard of the play let alone seen it in person.

Leave it to coach Guy Anderson to solve the mystery. "Oh, sure, University of Miami made that play popular back in the day," Anderson laughed when told about the play later in the game. That's why he's the dean of high school coaches.

Roseville, of course, had the last laugh, staging a six-run sixth inning comeback that moved them into the next round against Woodcreek.

Martinez and his young thespians had the curtain come down loudly on their act in the 8-6 loss. We can't wait to see what they cook up next year. They play an exciting brand of ball.

Dragmire Throws Gem in D-6 Elimination Game

Brady Dragmire proved he's one of the area's top pitchers by firing a one-hit shutout in Bradshaw Christian's 6-0 elimination game win against Le Grand. Dragmire fanned 10, walked one and hit six batters in the contest. The senior, who also excels at football and basketball, drove in a run with a double.

Thunder Baseball Founded on a Roc

By Editor Rick Cabral, 05/20/11

Rocklin's baseball coach Roc Murray will enjoy his day off from playoff action today by watching his youngest child graduate from Chico State University. His father Bud Murray and two uncles came up from Southern California to watch the festivities and also to catch the Thunder's first playoff game that resulted in a 7-3 victory over a tough Bella Vista squad yesterday.

Murray, who has led the Rocklin team since 1994, is on a hot streak, winning three out of the last four Sac-Joaquin Section Division II championships. Based on last night's showing, they could well win their fifth when it's all over.

Murray and his family hail from Southern California and in his formative years he played and coached against some of the nation's top talent.

In high school, Roc played for his father Bud who coached the Santa Cerritos High team. Roc speaks glowingly and with great respect for his dad, who is a well recognized figure in the SoCal baseball community.

From high school, Murray played under now legendary coach Mike Gillespie, who was just getting started at College of the Canyons. Gillespie went on to guide USC to a national championship in 1998, and now coaches UC Irvine, always a contender in the Big West. From there Roc played at Long Beach State.

A few years back, Murray visited USC to watch up-close how Gillespie ran the Trojans' program. Listening to his former coach, Murray had a revelation: many of his coaching techniques and lessons had been internalized so that he'd almost forgotten their origins.

"The things (Coach Gillespie) was saying, I kept thinking, 'Oh my gosh, that's where I got that.' I hadn't made the connection previously, I just thought it was the way I thought things should be done. And then I realized how much I had gotten from him. And of course how much I had gotten from my dad as well," he adds.

Murray still knows the Southern California high school baseball scene and marvels at the talent level and competitiveness. He takes his Rocklin team annually during Easter Break down to San Diego for the Lion's Tournament, pitting them against top caliber teams to prepare his players for a tough playoff schedule in late May.

From that perspective, his comments about his colleagues in the Sacramento area glow even more brightly.

"I really feel the coaches in this area work harder than anyone I've been around in the state. The way they go about their business to coach the game, I know it's made me better."

CAPITAL VALLEY CONFERENCE ENDS IN THREE-WAY TIE

Casa Roble Claims Tie-Breaker with 4 Wins against Co-Champs

by Cabral, 05/12/11

It comes down to this…

The Capital Valley Conference season ended yesterday in a three-way tie as a result of Bella Vista's loss to Del Campo, while Casa Roble won its final game against Christian Brothers. Each team finished 9-6 in conference.

At stake are the 1-3 seedings in the Division II playoffs.

Casa Roble wins the tie-breaker as a result of a 4-2 record in head-to-head competition with the other two teams. Del Campo's 3-3 mark earned a second-place finish.

Bella Vista, which owned first place in the CVC for much of the season and finished with the best overall record (19-8) ends up the #3 seed, and must play an in-bracket game at home against Sacramento High on Monday. The winner of that game gains entry into the eight-team Division II playoffs, and earns the right to play Rocklin, the Sierra Foothill League's top seed.

Bella Vista could have wrapped up the conference with one win this week. But Del Campo won its final four games, defeating the Broncos Monday 4-1 and again yesterday, 3-2, to create the three-way tie.

Casa Roble (16-10) should be extremely grateful for the number-one seed, as Bella Vista won two of three against the Rams throughout the season. The Rams open the playoffs against the #3 SFL seed, Woodcreek.

Del Campo (15-12), the #2 CVC seed, will play McClatchy, the Metro League's #1 seed.

For a look at the upcoming divisional playoff brackets, go to our Tournaments page.

EVANOFF'S HITTING STREAK STOPPED AT 25

By McDermott, 05/10/11

Ponderosa High School's Tyler Evanoff had his 25-game hitting streak snapped in a 6-2 Delta River League loss to Jesuit High on Monday. Evanoff went 0-for-3 with a strikeout. He is now hitting .488 for the season. The Bruins collected only one hit against the DRL No. 1 seed.

NO-HITTER BY MUSE-FISHER AGAINST PLEASANT GROVE

By McDermott, 05/10/11

Oak Ridge High lefthander Chris Muse-Fisher pitched a 3-0 no-hitter against Pleasant Grove, striking out seven, walking three and hitting one batter as the Trojans clinched the No. 2 seed from the DRL.

LACKY AWARD WINNERS INCLUDE THREE FROM THE DIAMOND

By McDermott, 05/08/11

The Sac-Joaquin Section recently presented scholarships to the 49 winners of the Dale Lacky/CSEA Scholarships for outstanding athletic performance, community service and academic success during their four years of high school.

Among the winners were three Sacramento-area baseball players.

Logan Day of San Juan High School received a $1,000 scholarship and Nick Mar of McClachy High School and Drew Wixon of Oakmont High School each received a $600 scholarship.

The 49 winners were recognized at the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Breakfast Awards Ceremony which took place on April 12, 2011 at Hutchins Street Square in Lodi.

The award, honoring former SJS and State CIF President, A. Dale Lacky, recognizes the top male and female student-athletes within the section.

All schools were allowed to play one extra volleyball game and an extra boys and girls basketball game with 50 percent of the gate going directly to the foundation for the scholarships. More than $24,000 was generated through the foundation games. The balance of the money, which totaled $34,400, came from the California School Employees Association.

Day, the Spartans' team captain and all-league selection the past two years, is hitting .449 and has a 2-5 pitching record and 2.29 ERA this season. He volunteers his time to the Angel Tree Project, Twin Lakes Food Bank, the St. John's Shelter for Women and Children and is a server for his church's homeless outreach. He's the editor of the school yearbook, the president of the school Christian Club and a leader of the rally spirit club. Day has a 4.14 GPA, which ranks him No. 3 in his class. He'll attend the University of Puget Sound in the fall where he'll major in English with the hopes of becoming a teacher, journalist or lawyer.

Mar has been one of the key players for the Metro League championship team., hitting .423 and contributing a 2-0 pitching record. A four-year player, he has been named all-league the past two years. He was an UnderArmor Preseason baseball All-American this year. He volunteers for several organizations, including the Sacramento Food Bank, Sacramento Asian Sports Foundation, South Sacramento Vikings, Elks Lodge and Land Park Pacific Little League. He's also worked on school canned food and coat drives and is a member of student government. Mar has a 4.22 GPA. He's undecided on his college, but does plan on majoring in business administration with a future goal of sports management or administration.

Wixon is the Vikings' team captain. He has volunteered at Bikefest 2007, in feeding the homeless at a local shelter and helped package food that was sent to Africa for famine relief. He's won an American Legion award and the Gold Plus Academic Merit Award. He will attend Covenant College in Georgia where he'll continue his baseball career and major in engineering.

The SJS oversees high school athletics for 193 schools and 225,000 students. Its geographic boundaries stretch from Merced in the south, Grass Valley in the north, Napa to the west and the Nevada state line to the east.

The SJS is the second largest of California's 10 sections.

EVANOFF ON HITTING TEAR

By Mark McDermott 05/04/11

Ponderosa High School outfielder Tyler Evanoff is having a huge year.

On Tuesday, he extended his hitting streak to 24 games, going 2-for-4 with a home run and three runs batted in for the Bruins in an 8-3 Delta River League baseball victory over visiting Folsom on Tuesday.

Evanoff, a senior, has hit in all 23 games this season and also has scored a run in all 23 games for the Bruins. He leads the Sacramento area in hits (38), is second in triples (5), sixth in hitting (.506) and third in runs scored (32). He has 13 multi-hit games and four three-hit games.

Of the 23 games he's played in this season, 14 have come against ranked teams. Ponderosa travels to Folsom on Friday and finishes the season next week with a home-and-away series with Jesuit.

Evanoff, who was named the Offensive Player of the Tournament at the Rawlings NorCal World Series in Stockton back in November, last went hitless on May 5, 2010 against Vista del Lago. He played sparingly that junior season, batting .205 in 39 at-bats.

According to the CalHiSports.com record book, the longest hitting streak in California history belongs to shortstop Joe Spiers. He hit in 46 consecutive games from 2002 to 2004.

During that time period, Spiers played for Temecula Valley High, Arrowhead Christian Academy in Redlands and Canyon Springs High in Moreno Valley. He played collegiately at the University of Hawaii in 2005-06 and San Diego State in 2007 before signing with the Atlanta Braves in the summer of 2007.

Of the 10 players listed in the state record book who have hit in 28 games or more, none are from the Sacramento area.

The Sac-Joaquin Section record of 39 games was set in 20045-05 by Jared Jefferies of Buhach Colony in Atwater. Chris Santopadre of Vacaville High hit in 30 games in 1995.

So, where does Tyler Evanoff stand in Sacramento-area history?

According to Mark Tennis of CalHiSports.com there is no known documentation for a Sacramento-area hitting streak record.

EDITOR"S NOTE: If anyone has documentation on this topic, we encourage readers to forward the information to RAC (at) BaseballSacramento.com.

LOGOTETA HONORED AS TOP TEN SCHOLAR FOR EGUSD

By McDermott, 05/03/11

Cosumnes Oaks High School pitcher/third baseman Chris Logoteta was honored at the Top Ten Scholar Reception at Sheldon High on Monday night.

The award recognizes the top 10 grade-point averages for seniors from the nine high schools in the Elk Grove Unified School District. In addition to Cosumnes Oaks, the schools include Elk Grove, Sheldon, Pleasant Grove, Monterey Trail, Laguna Creek, Franklin, Bradshaw Christian and Valley.

Logoteta, who also played football, has an academic schedule loaded with Advanced Placement and Honors classes. He carries a 4.4 GPA and will attend the University of the Pacific this fall and enroll in the college's pre-Pharmacy program.

"Logateta is our go to guy on the baseball team," said Cosumnes Oaks athletic director Matt Winn. "He has a humorous personality and likes to make people giggle. He doesn't take himself too seriously and is well grounded."

GLENN AND DAVIS LEAD AREA HITTERS

By Cabral, 04/28/11

J.D. Davis of Elk Grove and Tyler Glenn of Galt are leading the Sacramento area in slugging and hitting, respectively.

Glenn, a senior catcher on the Warriors, has compiled a .525 average with 31 hits in 98 at bats, including nine doubles, six triples and one home run in 21 games.

Davis, a senior infielder/pitcher for the Thundering Herd, is right behind Glenn in hitting with a .524 average, including 10 doubles, one triple and eight home runs in 20 games. He is leading the area in slugging with a 1.095 average. Combined with a .612 on base percentage, Davis' OPS (on base percentage plus slugging) is a whopping 1.707 (updated 4/27/11).

Davis is followed by Zach Green of Jesuit with a .845 slugging average on five doubles and six home runs for the Marauders (as of 4/21/11).

Davis, Green and Dustin Jenkins of Rio Linda lead the area in home runs with six.

--

In pitching, Davis High leads the way in ERA with junior Ben Eckles and senior Alex Miramontes. In 39 innings pitched, Eckels has posted a 0.59 ERA with a 5-2 record for the Blue Devils, while Miramontes has an ERA of 0.65 in 32 innings.

Sophomore Ben Ritchey of Capital Christian has the most wins (7-2 record) with a 1.95 ERA, 58 strikeouts in 43 innings pitched for the Cougars. Senior pitcher Dylan Malone of Rosemont leads the area in winning percentage, 6-1, .857 percentage. He is followed by McClatchy senior Dennis Fennessey, 5-1, .833 percentage.

Blake Harrison, Galt's senior pitcher, leads the area in strikeouts with 71 in 48 innings pitched, followed by senior Jordan Johnson of Franklin with 62 Ks in 42 innings pitched.

WINTER'S RANDOLPH STILL THAT GOOD

Commentary by Cabral, 04/27/11

You may have read recently that another north state high school phenom was challenging the state record for most consecutive no-hit games. Bryce Perry, a senior at Maxwell High in Colusa County, had matched the state record with his fourth consecutive no-hitter set by Byron Randolph of Winters High in 1963, and tied last year by John Kukuruda of East Nicolaus High.

Just like Kukuruda last year, Perry gave up a hit in the fifth game, losing the bid to claim a new state record. What went largely unnoticed the past two years is the fact that Randolph still holds the state record for most consecutive no-hit innings with 34. This was confirmed by Cal-Hi Editor Mark Tennis today.

As part of his biography Randolph submitted to the 2011 La Salle Club Baseball Hall of Fame is the unconfirmed stat of having pitched 15 career no hitters in high school. Perhaps Winters Athletic Director Tom Crisp will check that one out eventually.

Maxwell's Perry, as it turns out, didn't come close to matching the consecutive no-hit innings record when he lost his streak in the second inning against Sutter on April 21.According to Kirk Barron, who writes for the Colusa County Sun-Herald, only one of Perry's no-hitters lasted past five innings, and that game only went six. He estimates Perry compiled "somewhere between 22-26 innings" of no-hit ball (Kukuruda's record last year was comparable).

This season, the 6'1" Perry has pitched 41 innings. In that time, the senior has faced 136 batters, allowed just four hits, five walks and two hit batsmen, while striking out 90. In terms of the big stat—runs allowed—Perry is pure as the snow atop Mount Shasta. By the way, he's also hitting .400.

Even more astonishing, pitching partner and fellow senior Tyler Wells (6'2", 190) has nearly equaled Perry's performance: 40 innings pitched, 105 batters faced, allowed eight hits, eight walks, two hit batsmen, but he has allowed two runners to cross the plate, but they were unearned. Remarkably, both pitchers have a perfect ERA of 0.00.

To put these numbers in perspective, however, Maxwell (22-0) plays at the Division V level against such north state teams as Dunsmuir, Hayfork, Tulelake and Shasta. The only team Maxwell has faced from the Sacramento area is Division VII Valley Christian of Roseville, winning 2-0. In that contest, Wells was tagged for four hits, half his yearly total.

None of this is to diminish what obviously is a dream season for the coaches, players and parents of the Maxwell Panthers, which advance umblemished in the playoffs.

It is meant to show just how jaw-dropping good Byron Randolph of Winters was in 1963.

By Cabral 04/23/11

Christian Brothers head coach Rich Henning is smiling this Easter Weekend after his Falcons swept through four opponents to claim its first the Land Park Easter Tournament Championship in nearly a decade, Henning asserts.

Rich, a CB grad from 1978, played at Sacramento City College for two seasons. He was drafted by and played for the San Francisco Giants from 1983-1985, compiling a 15-11 record with a 3.87 ERA, over three seasons, including two at Fresno in the California League. Henning then turned to scouting, working for three years for the Giants, then four years for San Diego.

Henning is in his third year guiding the CBS baseball program. Brothers is hoping the wind continues to fill their sails when they return to Capital Valley League play next week after starting out 2-5. It'll be an uphill climb, however, as Del Campo leads the bunch with a 5-2 mark, followed by Casa Roble and Bella Vista, two tough clubs.

Catchers Impress at Raley Field

Filed by Cabral 04/15/11

At Raley Field tonight, we saw two outstanding catchers in Granite Bay's Nate Esposito and Antelope's Bryan Babcock.

Esposito, son of the Grizzlies' head coach Pat Esposito, is a solid backstop with an impressively strong arm. More importantly, he moves behind the plate with cat-like quickness and the authority you hope to see in a high school catcher. He also swings the stick with confidence. In this reporter's opinion, Nate Esposito will play at the next level someday.

On the Titan's side, junior catcher Babcock made two great plays in the early innings. In the Grizzlies' first frame, Babcock circled under a pop foul directly behind the plate and made the catch with his glove against the netting like a minor league veteran. Most impressive since most high school back stops are much closer to the plate than Raley Field, which measures approximately 60 feet from the plate. Then in the bottom of the third, when the runner on first attempted to steal second, Babcock smoothly rose up and fired a strike to nail the runner for the out. Showing he shines on offense as well, Babcock had hits in his first two at bats.

Fans were also treated to a unique moment, when Granite Bay's senior first baseman Albert Garrido slammed a ball toward the left field wall. It looked like it may have had the distance until Antelope's left fielder caught it right in front of the Les Schwab Tire Sign, approximately 375 feet away. The ball narrowly missed that tire above the fence that features the five-figure payout if ball lands in the netting. River Cats media relations driector Rebecca Brutlag reports that no River Cat or opposing player has ever claimed the $10,000 Schwab prize in the 11-year history of Raley Field. One wonders if Garrido's would have collected if his ball landed in the hole.

Herd's Win Yields Karma, Oddities, Good Eatin'

Filed by Cabral 04/05/11

At Elk Grove yesterday, the Fates must have been smiling on diminutive Jorge Vina. The second-sacker had struck out three times in the contest already when he came to bat in the decisive seventh inning, his team trailing by two runs, and two Herd runners on base. Franklin pitcher Josh Pigg had already struck out the first two hitters and looked dominant until Trever Hicks singled and Dom Nunez drew a walk. Pigg then hit Vina, who was elated to take one for the team. It meant Elk Grove's leading hitter--J.D. Davis--would come to the plate with the bases loaded. Davis hit that towering fly ball down the left field line. By the time it dropped to the turf, Vina had raced around the bases and slid safely at home with the winning run. Fate, karma, kimet. Whatever, Vina will take it

...

While Vina's strikeouts were a glaring weakness in the Elk Grove attack, Sophomore Ryan "Rowdy" Tellez was silenced for a different reason. The 6-4, lineman-sized outfielder/first baseman/pitcher, was intentionally passed three straight times in the game, and walked a fourth time. One scout in the stands noted that he'd seen better: once a player he was bird doggin' had been issued four intentional walks.

...

After the game, the Elk Grove players were feasting on some home-cooked Mexican fare. Smelled delicious. Nice way to celebrate a miraculous come-from-behind victory with enchiladas and Spanish rice.

Jesuit Team Circles 'Round Coach

Filed by Cabral 03/30/11

After last night's tough 6-3 loss to Davis, Jesuit players one-by-one and sometimes in pairs, were seen in the visitor's dugout wrapping their arms around the back of head coach Joe Potulny. Such gestures of consolation are typically seen after a season-ending loss in the playoffs. Asked if the Marauders players were in fact consoling the head coach after losing his second game in as many days, Potulny smiled and said, "Aw, no. We do that all the time. I'm a hugger."

The long-time Jesuit coach admits that this club is not playing good baseball right now, but he believes they're getting better. He defended his mammoth first baseman Rhys Hoskins for one of his two errors in the sixth inning. Jesuit's left-handed pitcher Gabriel Araj, who had just entered the game, had picked off Davis runner Dillon Johnson, who broke for second. Hoskins' throw hit the runner charging into second, and Johnson scampered to third base. "If (Hoskins) makes that throw, it's a very good play," offered Potulny in defense of the three-sport star. Jesuit made three errors in the ball game. Johnson later scored an insurance run for the Blue Devils.

Another reason the Marauders are not up to speed is starting pitcher Logan James has yet to throw a pitch in a game. The junior southpaw dinged his elbow in December, and is still not ready to take the mound, though he's getting close, Potulny said.

Two consecutive losses, including Monday's 11 inning affair to Division I Section Champions St. Mary's of Stockton, will no doubt drop Jesuit in the Dandy Dozen rankings. Potulny's more concerned with righting the Jesuit ship. One thing's for sure: he'll have the support of his huggin' players.

Dandy Dozen Team Results

Filed by Cabral 03/23/11

Franklin sneaks by Del Oro 3-2; Pigg goes 2-2.

Bella Vista loses to Ponderosa 6-6; suffers first defeat of the season.

McClatchy edges Kennedy 3-2; Cordy gets victory with 16s.

McClatchy Shaves Locks to Raise Cancer Awareness for Youths

Filed by Cabral 03/14/11

McClatchy teammates and coaches yesterday shaved their heads as part of St. Baldrick's Day. Not your typical High School fundraiser, the event is staged each year by the McClatchy baseball program to raise awareness and funds to fight childhood cancer.

Senior Jake Luigi's suggested the event four years ago, since his younger brother once had cancer, but has been in remission for 10 years, and is now a freshman at McClatchy.

Here's a photograph taken at yesterday's event:

photo courtesy of Jerry Cordy.

Two Locals Tabbed To Rawlings/Perfect Game
High School Senior Preseason All-America Team

Filed by Cabral 03/10/11

Rawlings/Perfect Game has selected two local players to its High School Senior Preseason All-American Team: J.D. Davis of Elk Grove High and Max Cordy of McClatchy High. Davis was picked to the 3rd Team, while Cordy made the Honorable Mention squad.

With this selection, Rawlings Sporting Goods® continues to recognize the top 400 high school baseball athletes in the U.S., while also showcasing their abilities to collegiate and professional scouts, according to a joint news release issued by Rawlings and PerfectGame.

In partnership with Perfect Game USA, the world’s largest scouting report service, Rawlings is devoted to distinguishing “THE FINEST IN THE FIELD” with these prestigious awards. Mike Thompson, Rawlings Vice-President, said, “These selected athletes are being recognized for their skill, athleticism, and dedication to their game which allows them to perform to the highest level of game play. With more than 240,000 high school athletes in the nation, these players represent the very best in their class.”

Last fall Cordy and Davis were teammates and starred on the El Dorado Hills Vipers select team, which won the Perfect Game/Evoshield National Championship (Upperclass).

The Rawlings/PG list is further categorized by state. Selected to the California Region team were:
Davis, first-team and Cordy, second-team.

Those making honorable mention on the California list were Granite Bay catcher Nate Esposito, Bradshaw Christian pitcher Brady Dragmire, Christian Brothers pitcher Paul Drozd, Ponderosa infielder Hunter Gallant, Folsom catcher Cody Isham, Franklin pitcher Jordan Johnson, Oak Ridge infielder Willie Tucker and Jesuit first baseman Rhys Hoskins nd pitcher Cameron Law.

Last year, the Sacramento Region featured three players on the Rawlings/PG Preseason All-America team: Dan Child, Jesuit; Jake Rodriguez, Elk Grove; and Tyler Kuresa, Oakmont. Child and Rodriguez now play for Oregon State, while Kuresa attends rival Oregon.

Filed by Cabral 03/06/11

While scorekeeping during the Jesuit/Rio Americano game yesterday, a Rio mother turned and asked a smart question about an infielder's decision that had just ended the inning.

With two outs and a Jesuit runner on second base, the batter smoked a grounder to the Rio third baseman, who promptly fired the ball across the infield to narrowly nab the runner at first for the final out. "Why didn't he just tag the runner?" asked the woman.

Her son, who was sitting in the vicinity, reacted by telling her, "Because that's the play." The youth, who plays on the Raiders' JV squad, was naturally correct. I added, "I see your point; he could have easily tagged the runner," who was barreling toward the third base bag, as runners are supposed to do with two outs.

I explained that if the infielder had acted on her advice, and the runner managed to sidestep the third baseman's tag or simply retreated back to second, it would have been a "bad play" for the defense.

But it was a good question, and I was pleased to see that her expression indicated she'd learned something new out at the ol' ballyard. What she didn't know was, I had learned something as well.

NOTE: If you have an opinion on "the play," share it with us on our Facebook page.

2011 All League/Conference Selections

2011 Area Leaders

High School Web Chatter   

El Dorado Hills Vipers Claim Perfect Game's "UpperClass" National Crown

(Original Source Sep. 27 http://www.perfectgame.org/Articles/View.aspx?article=5027 )

The EDH Vipers defeated the SoCal Outlaws 9-4 Monday afternoon in Goodyear, Arizona to win the Perfect Game/Evoshield National Championship (Upperclass) and a berth in the WWBA World Championship in Jupiter, Florida in late October.

The Vipers, made up of players from the Sacramento, California area, were clearly the top offensive team in the 56 team championship, scoring 38 runs over their last 4 games. That offense, along with an outstanding pitching effort by RHP Max Cordy(McClatchy) was the story of the championship game.

The Vipers got on the scoreboard first with 2 runs in the first inning, the first scoring on an Rbi double by SS J.D. Davis (Elk Grove), and added another run in the second inning. The Outlaws scored a single run in the second inning and 2 more in the top of the third on a booming ground rule double by EH Kory Weeks to tie the game at 3-3. At that point the game looked like it was going to be a long and high scoring contest.

That appeared to be the case especially after the Vipers added 4 more runs in the bottom of the 3rd inning. 1B Jimmy Jack(Granite Bay), who was 2-3 on the game with a sacrifice bunt, drove home 2 of those runs with a line drive double to right centerfield.

That was the point where Cordy, a 6-4, 190 lb primary outfielder who had struggled getting the ball down in the strike zone over the first 3 innings, took over. The right hander had a quick 8-pitch inning in the 4th, then got a nice double play to end the 5th inning before striking out the side around a couple of base hits in the 6th. Cordy seemed to gain strength throughout the game, pitching steadily at 84-85 mph with a 73 mph slider that got better as the game progressed. He allowed a meaningless run in the 7th inning and finished his complete game, and the championship, with a strikeout.

Cordy, who earlier in the championship picked up a win with 2 2/3 innings of scoreless relief, was named the event’s Most Valuable Pitcher.

Davis was an easy choice as the tournament Most Valuable Player. The 6-3, 210 lb Fullerton recruit went 12-20 with 7 doubles and a game winning home run. He also pitched 6 scoreless innings over 2 games, striking out 10 hitters and hitting 92 mph with his fastball. Davis, the #3 hole hitter, combined with OF Rhys Hoskins (Jesuit) (9-21, 9 Rbi’s) to give the Vipers a dominating middle of the lineup.

Several notable young MLB players have competed in recent WWBA World Championship tournaments. Among them are Buster Posey (Giants), Jason Heyward (Braves) and Stephen Strasburg (Nationals), Clayton Kershaw (Dodgers) and Ike Davis (Mets). The tournament begins on October 21.

The Vipers are coached by Dan Stozzi.

Zach Green Competes for Spot On 16U USA Team

Filed by Cabral 09/23/10

Zach Green, a junior at Jesuit High School, is facing some of the toughest competition in his young baseball life. Green this weekend is competing in the USA 16 and Under Trials in Durham, NC.

The Rocklin resident is battling against 38 other lads aged 16-14 for a spot on the 20-man roster to be selected next week. The club will play in the 2010 COPABE "AA"/16U Youth Pan American Championships next month in Lagos de Moreno, Mexico.

The USA 16U team has won the past two Pan AM gold medals.

Green and his Marauders team came within one game of claiming the mythical city championship in last spring's DI Playoffs, losing the final contest to Elk Grove High.

Huffman and state high school sports board agree to baseball bat rule 

Filed by Brett Ainsworth, Contra Costa Times

Posted: 08/11/2010 09:09:02 AM PDT Updated: 08/11/2010 12:35:08 PM PDT

A proposed one-year statewide moratorium on metal bats in high school baseball games has been shelved after the state governing body for high schools sports agreed to accelerate standards on metal bats for the coming school year and move toward requiring protective head gear. 

The agreement was announced Wednesday morning in Sacramento, five months after a Marin teen was nearly killed by a baseball struck by an aluminum bat.

Assemblyman Jared Huffman, D-San Rafael, appear at a press conference at 10:30 a.m. at the state Capitol with Marie Ichida, executive director of the California Interscholastic Federation, to announce a joint agreement.

State high school sports officials recently met with Huffman, who this spring authored Assembly Bill 7, called "the bat bill," shortly after 16-year-old Gunnar Sandberg was critically injured by a batted ball while pitching for Marin Catholic High School's varsity baseball team. Three other lawmakers - Sens. Mark Leno, Gloria Romero and Elaine Alquist - joined Huffman as co-authors of AB 7 in May.

The bill, which proposed a one-year moratorium on metal and composite bats for the 2011 season, advanced through the Senate Education Committee and was eligible to be introduced to the Senate. However, it was not brought forward because Huffman wanted to make appeals for grassroots support.

To conform with the timeline developed by the National Federation of State High School Associations, California was scheduled to implement bat standards recognized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association in the 2012 season. Now that there is a commitment by the CIF to implement the standards starting this school year rather than the next school year, Huffman plans to withdraw AB 7.

The agreement "puts California on a path to lead the nation in safety for these popular high school sports," Huffman and Ichida said in a joint statement.

Bjorn Sandberg, Gunnar's father, said Tuesday that he and Gunnar were considering a trip to Sacramento to attend the press conference.

"I haven't seen anything on this for a long time, but we are supportive of anything that makes things safer," he said.

On Aug. 6, the CIF executive committee adopted performance standards for metal and composite baseball bats to be used during the 2011 season, one year earlier than originally scheduled. Also, the committee moved to develop standards for protective headgear for pitchers, infielders and base coaches in both baseball and softball. The CIF will encourage schools to voluntarily require protective headgear starting in the spring season and will consider creating mandatory rules the next year.

"My preference was always to see this issue resolved by the baseball community, not the Legislature, and that's what we've accomplished here," Huffman said in a statement he planned to read Wednesday morning. "This agreement moves California high school baseball in the direction of increasing the safety of student athletes and will hopefully avoid traumatic injuries like the one suffered by Gunnar Sandberg, by accelerating more protective rules that will bring metal bat performance closer to that of wood bats."

Huffman said agreement with the CIF could lead to protective headgear for pitchers everywhere.

"A few years from now, baseball and softball pitchers at all levels, and in all states, will take for granted the protective head gear they wear. And people will look back to Gunnar Sandberg's story, to AB 7, and to CIF's leadership, as catalysts for this important change."

Supporters of such bills contend that metal alloy and aluminum bats make baseballs travel faster after contact and lead to more serious injuries. Opponents said wooden bats also are dangerous and that there is no documented proof of an increase in injuries from metal bats.

The Marin County Athletic League switched to wooden bats the rest of the season, including the playoffs, after Sandberg's injury, but the North Coast Section board of managers - who govern high school sports from parts of the Bay Area up the coast to the Oregon border - voted not to follow suit.

Sandberg was struck in the head by a line drive off a metal bat while pitching against De La Salle High School of Concord on March 11. He was critically injured and placed in a medically induced coma, and Marin Catholic made a switch to wooden bats immediately after the accident.

Sandberg has since recovered after extensive rehabilitation. In June, ESPN aired a feature on the metal bat controversy and focused on Sandberg's life-threatening injury, and he threw out first pitches at San Francisco Giants and Oakland A's games.

Bjorn Sandberg said Gunnar's doctors have not cleared him to play soccer for Marin Catholic this fall but that Gunnar hopes to return to the baseball team in the spring.

Contact Brent Ainsworth via e-mail at bainsworth@marinij.com

Filed by Mark McDermott 06/30/10

Rocklin High School coach Roc Murray, who was named the California Coaches Association Baseball Coach of the Year this past season, will be honored at Raley Field on Thursday when he throws out the first pitch before the Sacramento River Cats play host to the Pacific Coast League-leading Fresno Grizzlies.

Murray was one of three Sacramento-area individuals recognized for their coaching excellence, professional contributions and dedication to high school athletics at the 53rd annual CCA Hall of Fame/Coach of the Year Awards banquet on June 19 in Fresno. River City High girls tennis coach Dave Brooks and Jesuit High football coach Dan Carmazzi were also honored.

Murray becomes the first baseball coach from the Sacramento area to earn Coach of the Year. His Thunder team won the Sac-Joaquin Section Division II title this season en route to a 24-8 record. Murray began the program 17 years ago.

“It’s a really neat award,” Murray told the Placer Herald. “There have only been 38 baseball coaches in the history of the state that have got it and there has never been a coach in our section that has gotten this award. So, it means an awful lot to me.”

Bud Murray, Roc Murray’s father, won the award in 2000 at Hart High in Newhall.
“They have one coach in the entire state in each sport that gets the award and it was pretty amazing that he and I have both won it,” Roc Murray beamed.

Filed by Mark McDermott 06/28/10

Underclassmen from Northern California high schools gathered June 16 at Delta College in Stockton for the Milwaukee Brewers Area Code team tryouts.

One local product caught the eyes of the Brewers staff of coaches and scouts, as well as the approximately 50 other scouts and college coaches in attendance.

Jesuit High School shortstop Zachary Green, who will not graduate until 2012, was impressive in all aspects of the morning session. The 6-3, 185-pound Green was solid at shortstop and displayed one of the stronger arms of all the boys who made the cut. He showed bat speed, kept his head steady and made solid contact.

This past season Green put up impressive statistics for the Sac-Joaquin Section Division I North runners-up. He hit .367 with four home runs, 29 RBI, three triples and an on-base percentage of .470.

“I was confident going into the tryouts, not knowing the other talent level but knowing my own ability, work ethic and desire,” Green said. “I think probably my hitting was the thing the coaches liked most about me at the tryout.”

****************************************************************************

CalHiSports.com has named J.D. Davis of Elk Grove baseball State Junior Player of the Year.

Davis put up numbers that were spectacular. On the mound, he went 10-1 with a 1.99 ERA and struck out 91 batters in 67 innings. At the plate, he led the Thundering Herd (29-7) with 62 RBIs. He also batted .483 with 30 runs scored and eight homers in leading his team to the Sac-Joaquin Section North Division I title and section runners-up to St, Mary’s of Stockton.

This is the second straight year that an Elk Grove player has been given this honor. Jake Rodriguez got the nod a year ago. Both Davis and Rodriguez were finalists for Mr. Baseball, the state’s top honor.

Sac Bee's Joe Davidson reported this weekend that Rodriguez has decided to forego the pros for the scholarship awarded by Oregon State. Rodriguez was drafted in the 11th round of the 2010 MLB Draft by the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.

 College Commitments--Letter of Intent Signings

Updated 11/20/10

YUBA CITY HONKERS = CAL-HI SPORTS

DIVISION II STATE "TEAM OF THE YEAR"

06/08/10

Division II: Yuba City (Yuba City, Calif.) 29-2
What a four years it’s been for head coach Jim Stassi and his three sons. This year, there was just Jim and youngest son Jake, but they and the rest of the Honkers still rolled to a fourth straight CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Div. III title. That streak began in 2007 with Brock Stassi as a senior and Max Stassi as a sophomore. Yuba City finished 30-1 and earned its first State Team of the Year designation for Division II. Two years ago, in Max’s junior season, the Honkers were 29-3 and were No. 3. They had Max and Jake last season with a 27-3 mark and another No. 1 state ranking. If you’re counting, that’s 115-9 in four years with three Division II State Team of the Year honors.

©2010 ESPN Internet Ventures

Sacramento Area High School
Sac-Joaquin Section
Playoffs

To read scores and stories for each division playoffs and championship, click on the Division above.

Commentary: 2010 Sac-Joaquin Baseball Playoffs  

Fine Young Men Shine After the Lights Go Down

Last night concluded the 2010 Sac-Joaquin Baseball Playoffs with a memorable two-game win by Elk Grove over Jesuit High School. These two clubs embody a rich baseball tradition and demonstrated success, with the trophy case hardware to prove it. Yet, we came away from this tournament appreciating, not just the incredible talent, but the classy, well-behaved way these student-athletes carry themselves.

Players like Division II Rocklin's Matt Fielding, who is more down-to-earth than his 5'8" frame would suggest. He displayed incredible poise out there on the mound, and when his defense let him down with an uncharacteristic 5-error performance in the championship game, "Matty" was there to pick up his teammates. And sing their praises afterward.

Then there are the Twin Towers from Division I North Representative Elk Grove, Jake Rodriguez and J.D. Davis. Rodriguez, who hit over .500 for the third straight regular season but came up short in the batting department in the first four games of the tournament, stood taller than his 5'9" stature after defeating Jesuit last night. He gave credit to his coaches for guiding him back from the Batting Wasteland in which he was mired, and eventually broke out the lumber in the last three games with the impressive power for which he is known: two home runs and a ringing double.

Davis, a 6'2" junior who hit .464 this year, trumped his battery mate "J-Rod" by slamming three thunderous home runs in the tournament, including two in last night's pivotal first game, which helped steal the momentum from Jesuit. He also claimed two important pitching victories in the tournament and would have been this reporter's Most Valuable Player had there been a vote this year. Davis, who must be a lady-killer with those sea green eyes, is polite, mature and self-confident. He has a winning smile and a personality to go with it, and could be the top stud in next year's 2011 class.

Another young man who impressed was Blake Parks, the junior catcher from Yuba City, who has a cannon for an arm, and demonstrated that he can hit with power to all fields during the tournament. Though not as refined behind the plate as Rodriguez, he will be an anchor in that post next year for the Honkers. He, too, exudes a quiet confidence and humility that is refreshing in today's young student athletes.

Credit for the deportment of these young men must go to their parents and coaches, who have obviously impressed upon them the need for humility to offset confidence. For staying positive when the chips are down. And for continuing to work hard at their craft supplemented by personal sacrifice, without which no player will taste personal or team success. Each of these is a wonderful characteristic to incorporate in one's personality, and it's clear that these young men mentioned above—and many more like them that we did not get to meet—embody all that is good in high school sports today.

Editor-Rick Cabral 

Baseball America State Report: California  06/02/10

UPDATE 06/10: To see where these players went in the MLB Draft, click through.

In Baseball America's state report on California, Tyler Kuresa of Oakmont HS Roseville was the highest rated local high school player at #37 (.447/03/15). The annual list by Baseball America is comprised of high school and college players.

Andrew Knapp, switch-hitting catcher from Granite Bay (.315/01/19) was ranked atop the list of local players on the list (#40 in the state). Knapp's Grizzlies finished 2^nd in the Section losing to Division II champion Rocklin (which did not place a player on the list).

Next on the Baseball America list at #61 was Jake Rodriguez c Elk Grove HS, the Section North representative (.457/12/47).

Dan Child Jesuit's top pitcher was ranked at #65 with a 6-2 record through the playoffs.

The local area players as ranked by Baseball America in the California state report are listed below:

All contents Copyright of Baseball America 2010