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San Diego Section Baseball Playoffs Championship Games Wednesday, June 6 Division I Playoffs First Round Second Round Third Round Fourth Round Fifth Round
First Round Second Round Third Round Fourth Round Fifth Round
First Round Second Round Third Round Fourth Round Fifth Round
First Round Second Round Third Round Fourth Round Fifth Round
Metro Conference Mesa League South Bay League
Montgomery Aztecs RBI: Brandon Meredith 46; Johnny Miranda 17; Rolando Sanchez 16; Aaron Ayon 15; Carlos Garcia 13; Ivan Mora 12; Armando Meza 11; Juan Moriel 10; Abraham Torres 8; Juan Miranda 5; Nick Carrillo 3; Michael Cortez 3; Kenneth Melton 2; Brett Miller 2. Runs scored: Juan Moriel 34; Brandon Meredith 27; Ivan Mora 25; Carlos Garcia 18; Johnny Miranda 13; Rolando Sanchez 11; Armando Meza 10; Abraham Torres 10; Nick Carrillo 9; Aaron Ayon 9; Juan Miranda 6; Brett Miller 4. Home runs: Brandon Meredith 8; Juan Moriel 2; Rolando Sanchez 1; Aaron Ayon 1; Michael Cortez 1. Doubles: Juan Moriel 10; Aaron Ayon 10; Brandon Meredith 10; Rolando Sanchez 4; Carlos Garcia 4. Triples: Brandon Meredith 3; Ivan Mora 2. Stolen bases: Brandon Meredith 10; Juan Moriel 9; Ivan Mora 5; Abraham Torres 3. Pitching: Bradley Procopio 7-1 record, 0.97 ERA (122 strikeouts/79 innings), 8 complete games, 2 no-hitters; Aaron Ayon 2-0 record, 1.68 ERA (10 strikeouts/16 innings); Abraham Torres 1-2 record, 1.91 ERA (17 strikeouts/22 innings); Brett Miller 6-2 record, 2.57 ERA (43 strikeouts/46 innings), 3 complete games; Ryan Carrera 8-1 record, 2.80 ERA (54 strikeouts/55 innings), 4 complete games.
Bonita Vista Barons RBI: Nick Mendez 29; Richard Zumaya 27; Christian Mua 18; Guido Knudson 18; David Shields 11; Liam Sharkey 9; Alex Mangubat 9; Jaron Apalategui 9; Nic Norris 7; Brant Meeks 7. Runs scored: Guido Knudson 26; Richard Zumaya 25; David Shields 19; Nick Mendez 17; Christian Mua 17; Nic Norris 13; Jaron Apalategui 12; Alex Mangubat 12; Reiner Gubio 9; Liam Sharkey 7; Leo Morales 6. Home runs: Nick Mendez 3; Richard Zumaya 3; Guido Knudson 1; Alex Mangubat 1; Christian Mua 1; David Shields 1. Doubles: Richard Zumaya 10; Nick Mendez 8; Christian Mua 6; Guido Knudson 6. Triples: Nick Mendez 2; Guido Knudson 2; David Shields 2. Stolen bases: Christian Mua 7; Guido Knudson 5; Richard Zumaya 4; Glenn Sahagun 3l Nic Norris 3; Nick Mendez 3. Pitching: Guido Knudson 7-4 record, 2.51 ERA (72 strikeouts/58 innings), 6 complete games, 1 shutout; Richard Zumaya 4-4 record, 2.94 ERA (59 strikeouts/64 innings), 3 complete games, 1 shutout; Nick Mendez 2-1 record, 4.02 ERA (14 strikeouts/22 innings); Glenn Sahagun 2-0 record, 4.44 ERA (14 strikeouts/11 innings).
Eastlake Titans RBI: Jomel Torres 26; Ricardo Lopez 14; Patrick Jarin 9; Dennis Walker 8. Pitching: James Billburg 4-0 record, 1.79 ERA (21 strikeouts/27 innings); Ricardo Lopez 2-1 record, 2. 18 ERA (15 strikeouts/25 innings); Matt Meads 2-2 record, 3.85 ERA (13 strikeouts/20 innings).
Otay Ranch Mustangs RBI: Alvarez 17, Taboada 9, Aguirre 9, Fialkowski 8, Padilla 7, Canedo 6. Doubles: Alvarez 5, Jordan 3, Taboada 3, Padilla 3, Canedo 3. Home runs: Alvarez 4, Jordan 2. Stolen bases: Jordan 6, McCurdy 5, Fialkowski 3, Taboada 3.
2007 Mesa League Second Team Player of the Year Pitcher of the Year Championship team All-San Diego Section Second Team
Second Team Player of the Year Pitcher of the Year Championship teams All-San Diego Section Second Team |
San Diego Section Finals
Foothillers defy odds with third straight CIF title
Posted June 8, 2007
Winning San Diego Section baseball championships appears to have become, um, a tradition at Grossmont High School . The Foothillers captured their third consecutive Division III title Tuesday night with a thrilling 6-3 come-from-behind victory against Hilltop at SDSU's Tony Gwynn Stadium. Overall, the CIF championship was the school's seventh.
Grossmont also won the Division II title in 2001 and the Division I title in 1997 under Phillips after winning back-to-back Class 2A championships under Jeff Meredith in 1990-91. The Foothillers finished second in the Division I championship game in 1996 and 1998 and placed runner-up in the Class 2A title contest in 1989.
It's been some kind of run the past 16 years with 10 CIF title game appearances — a facet that has helped define the high standard of excellence in the program.
Of the last three titles, Phillips said each one had a different twist.
“They're all great,” the Grossmont coach said. “I'm so proud for this senior group. There was no quit in these kids. They battled hard. They never gave up.”
Through four-and-a-half innings of Tuesday's game, it appeared as if the second-seeded Foothillers (27-7) would have their bid for a “three-peat” nixed as the pesky fourth-seeded Lancers built a 3-2 lead. But the reigning Grossmont North League champion Foothillers employed some aggressive base-running — including a dramatic double steal of second base and home plate — to go with some timely hitting while capitalizing on some untimely Hilltop miscues to push across four runs in the bottom of the fifth inning to provide the margin of victory.
“I never would have thought it after the first four-and-a-half innings,” Phillips said. “The odds were against it.”
The Foothillers have excelled over the years in the intimate confines of their home park but the deeper configuration of Tony Gwynn Stadium — the site of last weekend's NCAA regionals — did not favor home-run hitters such as Nick Longmire, who led the section this season with 15 home runs. Only one ball was hit beyond the heads of an outfield in Tuesday's championship matchup — and that came off the bat of catcher Derek Baum to drive in the go-ahead run in what turned out to be Grossmont's fateful inning.
Four runners reached base in the bottom of the fifth inning before the first Foothiller could be retired. Longmire opened with a single and Bryan Haar joined him on the basepaths after the Lancers misplayed a pop-up in short right field. Hilltop replaced starter Craig Rasmussen with reliever Dominic Bowen but before Grossmont's next batter, Baum, could connect with wood, the Foothillers engineered a daring double steal, with Longmire scoring to tie the game. Baum then smacked the ball to the alley in left center, scoring Haar, and Kyle Secciani followed with a surprise bunt single to place runners at first and second base, still with no outs on the scoreboard.
Williams brought in another runner on a sacrifice fly, with Secciani taking second base on the throw home. Secciani proceeded to steal third base, and scored on the ensuing overthrow.
6-3 Grossmont.
Starter Taylor Wohlwend went the distance to finish the season 9-1 on the hill. He struck out seven batters while issuing just two walks and allowed no earned runs in the title game.
“When you're behind, you've got to turn up the pressure,” Phillips said. “We were aggressive running the bases. We didn't play long ball. We played short ball.”
The Foothillers, who finished 4-0 in postseason play, actually got on the scoreboard first as Josh Simms drew a walk, stole second base and scored on a double down the third base line by Haar in the opening inning.
But South Bay League co-champion Hilltop (20-13) went up 3-1 courtesy of an error, passed ball, bases-loaded walk and a double-play ground-out in the top of the second inning. Grossmont halved that deficit in the bottom half of the third inning as Haar drew a lead-off walk, moved to third on a basehit by Baum and later scored on a force-out by Williams.
Four players on the Foothillers' current squad have played a part in the last three consecutive CIF titles: Williams, Longmire, Haar and Wohlwend.
Williams called the run of three straight division pennants “pretty amazing.”
“It comes down to the hard work and dedication that both the players and the coaches put into it,” Williams said. “For the players at Grossmont to win three CIF championships in three years is part of our tradition. It's is an amazing accomplishment. It's something that's unique in high school sports.”
Rasmussen — the hero of Hilltop's fifth-round 3-2 victory against the top-seeded Oceanside with a sixth-inning home run — appeared to overcome some early game jitters on the mound before finally switching positions with Bowen at first base in the troublesome fifth inning. Bowen, however, faced even more adversity after arriving on the hill. Only three of the Foothillers' six runs were earned.
“You can't give a good team too many outs in one inning,” said Hilltop head coach Kurt Gritts, whose team was making its first finals appearance since 1994. “We were excited to be here. We played a pretty good game except for one inning. Being here was good but winning would have been great. We've still got a young team and hopefully we'll be back. We played a tough schedule at the start of the season and that's why we were here.”
As for a four-peat on Grossmont's part? The Foothillers graduate seven players off their latest championship squad. Hilltop loses six seniors.
Hilltop Lancers finish second in Division II finals
Hilltop High senior Craig Rasmussen was put on the spot when asked what might happen should the Lancers pair up in this year's San Diego Section Division II playoffs against the Montgomery Aztecs, with whom they shared this year's South Bay League title.
The observer could immediately tell that Rasmussen was a bit uncomfortable when posed the question, and answered in proper diplomatic fashion. “It would be interesting,” he said finally.
As it turned out, Hilltop, seeded fourth in this year's draw, did not have to face third-seeded Montgomery . Instead the Lancers drew top-seeded Oceanside .
Three times.
If Rasmussen was slightly uneasy about the prospect of facing the Aztecs, who had blasted Hilltop 8-1 in the teams' last meeting to secure the league co-title, the butterflies must really have been fluttering at the prospect of facing the No. 1 Pirates.
If so, there was no outward signs of that as the Lancers calmly went about taking two of three games from Oceanside in the double-elimination tournament to advance to Tuesday's championship game against second-seeded Grossmont.
“We wanted to be there,” Hilltop head coach Kurt Gritts said.
The Lancers went 2-0 to start the eight-team double-elimination tournament, scoring two runs in the seventh inning on a smash down the right field line by Joey Orozco to nip fifth-seeded Helix, 4-3, on May 23 and blasting the No. 1 Pirates, 12-4, in second-round play on May 25. In the latter game, Rasmussen earned the win on the hill to improve to 7-2 as the Lancers stunned the hosts with five-run outbursts in both the fourth and seventh innings, collecting 13 hits in the game, including three by Ryan Fariss (two RBI).
The upset victory earned Hilltop a rematch with Oceanside on May 29, with the Pirates handing the Lancers their first loss in the double-elimination tourney by a score of 7-3. Fariss homered for Hilltop and knocked in all three runs but Oceanside's James May went 3-for-4 with a triple and two RBI while teammates Matt Cerdia and Pat McBride each went 2-for-3 with one RBI.
Game 3 in the teams' series belonged to Rasmussen, who cracked a solo home run in the sixth inning to break a 2-2 tie and sealed the fifth-round win with a pitching performance that included six strikeouts with five hits allowed. He also picked two runners off first base in his team's 3-2 victory on May 31.
“It's a long way up there,” Gritts said in reference to the three games in Oceanside . “We had three bus rides up there. We beat them two out of three. I thought we could play with the best and we proved it. The kids might have been a little overconfident (in the second game) and it showed. The third game we played a heck of a game. Craig pitched a wonderful game.”
Rasmussen was back on the mound in Tuesday's championship tilt in a game that marked the Lancers' first return to a CIF final since 1994 and team's third trip since winning the Class 2A banner in 1985.
Tuesday's title contest also erased two consecutive years of frustration of having fallen short by one victory of reaching the championship game.
Hilltop looked to make the most of its 13-year breakthrough trip to the CIF finals, holding a 3-2 lead on the second-seeded (and two-time defending champion) Foothillers through four-and-a-half innings. Enthusiasm was high on the Lancers' bench. The stands at SDSU's Tony Gwynn Stadium were filled with hordes of Hilltop well-wishers representing a cross-spectrum of sports on campus.
The South Bay League co-champions were also playing well.
But the wheels came off the cart for one fateful inning as Grossmont pushed across four runs to steal — literally — a 6-3 victory and a rare section three-peat.
Despite the disappointing setback, Gritts remained upbeat about this year's otherwise heroic postseason showing.
“You can't give a good team too many outs in one inning,” he said Gritts. “We were excited to be here. We played a pretty good game except for one inning. Being here was good but winning would have been great. We've still got a young team and hopefully we'll be back. We played a tough schedule at the start of the season and that's why we were here.”
Rasmussen, who had taken a ball off the shin earlier in the game, pitched into the fifth inning with the lead. He had appeared to overcome some early game jitters on the mound but switched positions with first baseman Dominic Bowen (the winning pitcher in the opening round win against Helix) after the first two runners in the frame reached base.
Bowen faced even more adversity after arriving on the hill.
The reigning Grossmont North League champions (27-7) employed some aggressive base-running — including a dramatic double steal of second base and home plate — and a double to the wall by catcher Derek Baum while capitalizing on some untimely Hilltop miscues to push through to the victory.
Four runners reached base in the bottom of the fifth inning before the first Foothiller could be retired. Nick Longmire, the section-leader with 15 home runs, opened with a single and Bryan Haar joined him on the basepaths after the Lancers misplayed a pop-up in short right field. It was at this juncture that Hilltop replaced Rasmussen with Bowen but before Grossmont's next batter, Baum, could connect with wood, the Foothillers engineered a daring double steal, with Longmire scoring to tie the game. Baum then smacked the ball to the alley in left center, scoring Haar, and Kyle Secciani followed with a surprise bunt single to place runners at first and second base, still with no outs on the scoreboard.
Augie Williams brought in another runner on a sacrifice fly, with Secciani taking second base on the throw home. Secciani proceeded to steal third base, and scored on the ensuing overthrow.
6-3 Grossmont.
Starter Taylor Wohlwend went the distance to finish the season 9-1 on the hill. He struck out seven batters while issuing just two walks and allowed no earned runs in the title game.
Perhaps the most surprised person in Tony Gwynn Stadium was Grossmont coach Rob Phillips. “I never would have thought it after the first four-and-a-half innings,” he said. “The odds were against it.”
Both teams benefited from miscues by the other team in the title contest. Only three of the Foothillers' six runs in the game were earned. All three Hilltop runs were unearned.
The Foothillers, who finished 4-0 in postseason play, actually got on the scoreboard first as Josh Simms drew a walk, stole second base and scored on a double down the third base line by Haar in the opening inning.
But Hilltop (20-13) went up 3-1 courtesy of an error, passed ball, bases-loaded walk and a double-play ground-out in the top of the second inning. Rasmussen, who drew a lead-off walk, advanced to second base on a single by Adrian Bringas and later scored on a fielding error. Adam Villalobos reached base on a missed third strike and a walk to Thomas Padilla brought in yet another run. Kyle Rolf hit into a double play to bring in the Lancers' third runner of the frame but the inning ended with Rolf being thrown out at third base after Bowen followed with a single.
Grossmont halved that deficit in the bottom half of the third inning as Haar drew a lead-off walk, moved to third on a basehit by Baum and later scored on a force-out by Williams.
“When you're behind, you've got to turn up the pressure,” said Phillips in reference to his team's dramatic comeback. “We were aggressive running the bases. We didn't play long ball. We played short ball.”
The Lancers can just say they went a long, long way in this year's playoffs.
Division IV notepad
Marian Catholic finished one win shy of advancing to this year's championship game after dropping a 2-1 decision to second-seeded Francis Parker on May 31 in fifth-round play. The victorious Lancers scored the game-winning run on a sacrifice fly by Greg LaBarre in the fourth inning. Dorsey Ek improved to 10-0 with the win, with relief help from Jim Schultz, who recorded his fifth save. Emmanuel Gutierrez took the loss. Nick Noonan cracked a solo home run in the third inning for Francis Parker.
Granite Hills Eagles soar with Division I CIF banner
Posted June 15, 2007
The San Diego Section playoff selection committee tabbed the Granite Hills Eagles as the No. 1 team to go through to win this year's Division I title. While playoff bracket-makers may have taken the heat from coaches of various sports throughout the 2006-07 interscholastic sports season, they appeared right on when it came to the Eagles' post-season fortunes.
Granite Hills (28-5) finally ended several years of playoff frustration by winning this year's Division I championship banner with a 3-2 victory against second-seeded Torrey Pines (26-9) June 6 at SDSU's Tony Gwynn Stadium.
The Eagles, who won their fourth CIF title overall and first since 1998, finished regular season play ranked No. 1 among all section teams, followed by the Falcons, their Division I finals opponent, in the No. 2 spot.
The Division I title contest earned honors as the only one of the four divisional championship games that paired the top two seeded teams in the bracket.
This one was close, with senior ace hurler Eric Krause entering the game in the fifth inning with the bases loaded and Granite Hills nursing a 2-1 lead. Krause got out of the jam with a strikeout and fly-out and completed his stint on the mound with four K's to hand the Eagles their 19 th win in 20 games to close out a memorable 2007 campaign.
Krause won two games and recorded a save in another in helping the defending Grossmont South League champions qualify for this year's Division I championship game.
Granite Hills advanced as far as the semifinals last year and finished second to Rancho Bernardo in 2005. Five players from that runner-up team in 2005 were still on the Eagles' roster.
Sophomore Travis Hopper started the championship game and set down the first nine Falcons he faced. He pitched into the fifth inning having allowed just three hits and one unearned run. With the help of Krause, who earned his second save of the playoffs, Hopper got credit for the win to finish the season 8-2.
Hopper, who got the surprise starting call just a few hours before game time, said he pitched his finest game of the season.
Certainly, Granite Hills reserved its best for last.
The Eagles, who previously won CIF titles in 1977 (Class 2A), 1994 (Division I) and 1998 (Division I), pushed across single runs in the first, third and fifth innings. Austin Coleman finished the game 2-for-3 with a triple and two RBI while Josh Quierones knocked in one run.
Brian Humphries scored two runs while Travis Taijeron scored once.
Granite Hills got a huge momentum lift by going up 3-1 in the bottom half of the fifth inning after Krause had entered the game to put out the fire.
Kevin Silvett led Torrey Pines at the plate by going 2-for-4 with a solo home run. In taking the loss, Eric Hillenbrand (12-3) struck out nine batters and scattered six hits.
The Palomar League champion Falcons entered the Division I championship game after out-lasting Palomar League runner-up Poway in what turned out to be three playoff games between the North County rivals. The Falcons defeated the Titans, 6-2, in fifth-round play on May 31 to advance to the title matchup.
Torrey Pines bested Poway, 5-4, in double-elimination play after being relegated to the consolation bracket following a 6-0 second-round loss to the Titans.
The Eagles, though not exactly waltzing through the playoffs, ended their post-season run with a perfect 4-0 record.
Granite Hills, after finishing 14-1 in league play, secured a date in this year's CIF finals by defeating visiting Mira Mesa, 10-4, on May 29. Humphries set a school record for most hits in one season (51) by stroking a pair of doubles. Just a junior, Humphries entered this year's championship game also holding school records for career hits (136), career doubles (34) and single-season two-baggers (17). He drove in two runs in the fourth inning on his second double to give the hosts a 4-1 lead and made a spectacular catch while running into the center field fence in the seventh inning to rob a Marauder of a potential home run.Louis Cazares blasted a two-run home run to help fuel the Eagles' explosive six-run fourth-inning outburst. Krause improved to 12-1 this season while hurling a complete game. He allowed five of the six hits he gave up in the game in the fifth inning but recovered to retire the final seven Mira Mesa batters in a row. He holds the school record for career wins at 32.
Granite Hills opened the playoffs with an 8-2 victory against visiting Patrick Henry on May 23 as Krause nailed 11 strikeouts and Taijeron slammed a three-run home run in the fifth inning.
Taijeron is the school's all-time career home run leader with 33.
The Eagles drew fifth-seeded Mira Mesa in second-round action on May 25, winning the teams' initial playoff matchup by a 4-3 score. Hopper got the start and picked up the win with relief help from Krause in the final frame. The Eagles flew out to an early 4-1 lead before holding off the Marauders, who made it close with two runs in the top of the seventh inning.
Humphries keyed Granite Hills entering this year's championship game with a .459 hitting average, while Taijeron (.449, 39 RBI) owned a team-leading 11 home runs and Krause a team-leading 1.29 ERA with 119 strikeouts (second most in the section). Other top hitters included Coleman (.358, 11 home runs, 43 RBI), Cazares (.340, seven home runs, 22 RBI), Krause (.340, 30 RBI), Tyler Winters (.333, 10 RBI) and Johnny Omahen (.308, nine RBI). Hopper owned a 1.99 ERA.
Division III notepad
El Capitan, which finished second in the Grossmont North League standings with an 8-4 record, went 2-2 in this year's tournament to finish 19-14 overall. The Vaqueros, seeded seventh, won a 10-1 play-in contest against Valley Center to draw second-seeded Cathedral Catholic in the opening round of double-elimination play, dropping a 15-4 decision. El Capitan rebounded to eliminate Grossmont South League runner-up Valhalla, 2-1, in second-round play before exiting this year's postseason tourney following a 7-0 setback against Cathedral Catholic in third-round action
In the win against Valley Center, Kevin Morton earned the win while Miles Reagan cracked a solo home run. Morton (8-3) fanned eight Norsemen in the Vaqueros' second-round win.
Valhalla finished 18-14.
CIF notepad
University City won a play-in game into the Division III double-elimination tournament where the Centurions went 3-1 to secure a date in the June 6 title game against St. Augustine. UC helped send Mission Bay, the No.1 seed in the division (and the section's top-rated team at midseason) to an early exit with a 4-1 victory in second-round play. Ramona promptly eliminated the Bucs via an 8-6 win in third-round play.
UC topped St. Augustine, 8-6, to claim the Division III title — the first-ever in school history.
Metro Conference
Alvarez's arm, Taboada's bat lead Mustangs to Mesa League title
By Scott Hopkins
Posted May 16, 2007
It's spring cleaning time, and Otay Ranch students need to clear another spot on their gym wall — a space about as big as, say, a Mesa League banner.
And senior outfielder Matt Becera needs to find space on his letterman's jacket for yet another championship patch.
The gym wall and Becera's jacket will soon be sporting Mesa League baseball championship adornments after the Mustangs defeated Bonita Vista, 4-1, Wednesday afternoon to clinch their first-ever title.
Competing in the Mesa League for the first time this season, Otay Ranch made the most of its debut and fulfilled the dreams of many players who have been playing together since their freshman year.
“This is the highlight of a great four years,” elated Mustang coach Bob McCurdy said after the final out. “These guys worked very hard, and the Mesa is a very tough league.”
As for Becera, he recently earned league and CIF patches as a member of the school's first section soccer champion. And he'll be gunning for another CIF patch as baseball playoffs begin next week.
The game featured a matchup between two of the South County 's finest pitchers. Senior Guido Knudson took the mound for the Barons against Otay senior staff ace Ricky Alvarez.
“It was a championship game, so it could have gone either way,” said McCurdy, who was doused with an icy Gatorade shower shortly after the contest ended.
Alvarez was able to prevail on the strength of a complete-game five-hitter in which he walked three Barons and struck out nine.
Knudson also turned in a strong performance, going the distance and also giving up only five hits. He walked one and struck out three.
The Mustangs jumped out to a quick 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning when left-handed hitter Juan Taboada stroked a triple, driving in leadoff man Luis Marchena who was aboard on a single.
The Barons came right back in the top of the second when Knudson singled home junior catcher D.J. Shields, who had singled and advanced on a groundout by outfielder Glenn Sahagun.
The 1-1 score stood unchanged until the bottom of the sixth inning. Taboada's single opened the frame, but he was forced at second base on a fielder's choice by the coach's son, Robert McCurdy. After an infield popup for the second out, things began to happen for the Mustangs.
Catcher Jose Aguirre ripped a 3-0 pitch for a clutch triple, scoring McCurdy with the winning run. Outfielder Trevor Garcia was also on base when Joey Vega cleared the bases with a double, bringing the final two runs across the plate and securing the league title.
Coach McCurdy praised his team's timely two-out hitting as the key to victory.
Taboada had a single, double and triple in three plate appearances to lead the Mustang attack.
Otay Ranch opens CIF play next week against an opponent not yet decided. The Barons will hope for an at-large berth when brackets are announced this weekend.
Procopio keys Aztecs baseball team with back-to-back no-hitters
Posted April 6, 2007
The Montgomery Aztecs and Bradley Procopio took it on the chin in last year's San Diego Section Division II championship game, losing 3-2 in extra innings to the Grossmont Foothillers. The Aztecs and Procopio, in particular, appear ready to challenge for an upper echelon finish again this season.
The right-hander tossed two no-hitters to help Montgomery claim the title of this year's Metro Conference tournament. He picked up his first victory of the season in a 12-0 win against Otay Ranch on March 24 as he fanned 15 batters. The Aztecs out-hit the Mustangs 11-0. Brandon Meredith delivered the big blow with a three-run home run in the opening inning. Meredith and Carlos Garcia both finished the game with five RBI.
Procopio won his next game on March 28 also in no-hit fashion as he struck out 13 batters in an 11-0 victory against Chula Vista . Montgomery out-hit the Spartans 12-0. Meredith slammed a two-run home run in the second inning.
The Aztecs downed Eastlake , 5-3, in last Saturday's Metro tournament championship game at Otay Ranch, though Procopio did not figure in the decision with one inning of relief for starter Better Miller (3-1). The Aztecs rolled across three runs in the top of the sixth inning on a double by designated hitter Armando Meza to provide their margin of victory against the Titans (6-5).
Procopio gave up just two hits in Monday's 3-2 Lions Tournament victory against Kennedy (Granada Hills) while striking out 15 batters. The win raised his pitching record to 3-0 and the Aztecs' season-opening mark to 9-2-1.
Montgomery improved to 3-0 in Lions tourney play following Wednesday's 6-0 win against Torrey Pines and Tuesday's 4-2 victory against Elk Grove. Miller went the distance in Wednesday's win against the Falcons, scattering six hits, while Meredith produced four RBI on a home run and double.
Procopio has struck out 69 batters in 37.2 innings of work to go with a 1.49 ERA. Meredith leads the Aztecs with a .489 hitting average, 24 RBI, eight stolen bases and four home runs.
Meza is hitting .364 while teammate Juan Moriel owns a .354 batting average.
Interview with Brad Procopio
Interview by Jeri Jacquin
Let's start off with just a plain trivia question. When is the last time you heard of a pitcher throwing consecutive no-hitters? There have been notable no-hitters and they are easily Googled. However, back-to-back no hitters by the same pitcher? Well, let me enlighten you.
The first no-hitter in question took place on March 24 when a 17-year-old senior from Montgomery High School named Brad Procopio pitched a gem against Otay Ranch. The final score was 12-0. If that is not jaw dropping enough, let's add that he struck out 15 batters. Perhaps we can add a little more drama. In his previous game appearance to his first no-hitter, he struck out 15 batters in a 6-4 victory against Bonita Vista.
Brad finished the Aztecs' March 28 home field contest against Chula Vista with his second consecutive no-hitter as Montgomery prevailed by a score of 11-0. In that game, he struck out 13 batters.
If one is to look at the 2005-06 season, Brad's overall ERA was 1.70 with a record of 7-4. He had 72 strikeouts, which placed seventh in the San Diego Section and second in league. His opponents' batting average was .179. He was recognized last season as a member of the Mesa League First Team, Mesa League Pitcher of the Year, and member of the All-San Diego Section Second Team (Breitbard certificate).
The Aztecs fought all the way to the Division II championship game at SDSU's Tony Gwynn Stadium and earned respect for being the underdog team. Although they did not win, they ended the 2005-06 season with a highly respectable 22-9 record. Also, Brad got a taste of playing on a famous field.
So you may wish to know what has he done lately? I am so very glad you asked.
Let's look at this young man's record so far this 2006-07 season. As it now stands, he has four wins and no losses with an ERA of 1.49. This translates as first in league, according to statistics posted on www.MaxPreps.com. Though still early in the season, Brad has 69 strikeouts (in 37.2 innings) which places him first in the section and first in league. His opponents are batting .095 against him.
Would saying “not too shabby” be an understatement here?
Will pitch for education
But that is not all one needs to know about Brad. He is also an excellent student with a 3.8 GPA and is experiencing the usual senior panic of deciding on which college to attend. As the 2006-07 school year starts to come to a close, it is only another phase of a young person's life.
One of the most important mind-bending aspects of a high school senior's life (and that of his parents') is deciding an educational future. The insanity begins as a student visits colleges, applies and starts the process of finding the funds to pay for a well-rounded education.
But what is a student to do when the maze to find funds becomes more of a dead-end than good leads? The Internet has a wealth of information but it is a huge process to weed out the worthwhile ones, first of all, then go through all the scholarships that are available. Once that is done, another process must take place to find out which scholarships a student actually qualifies for.
There are companies that will gladly take your money and convince you that they will find the scholarships. However, there is no guarantee that you will get them. High school counselors have become overwhelmed trying to help both junior and senior class students with scholarships and making sure the financial aid applications are completed on time.
So what is a student to do? If you ask anyone in the education field, the constant answer to “Where can I find scholarships?” is a resounding “Oh, they are out there!”
Knowing all of this, one would think the scouts and scholarships would be available to Brad. It just doesn't seem to be the case. With funds being tight for all colleges, it takes persistence and connections to find the dollars needed to afford the price of a well-rounded education.
What does Brad hope to accomplish in college? He has decided to combine his love of baseball with his compassion for fellow athletes and has chosen the field of sports medicine for his degree. This does not mean, however, that he has forgotten his dream of playing Major League baseball.
Experience even in youth
It is not as if this young man woke up recently and said, “Hey, I think I'll pitch a ball.” Brad has been playing baseball since he was 6 years old. In 1998 his team was in the Tournament of Champions and in 1999 he was selected to the All-Star tournament team for the Imperial Beach Little League. That same year he began travel ball with the San Diego Rookies.
In 2000, he once again made the All-Star tournament team for Imperial Beach and moved on to the San Diego Cherokees, who placed third in the USABF World Series. That same year, he was selected to represent his class at the San Diego County Math Field Day competition, proving that he started quite early with multi-tasking.
In 2001 Brad again made the All-Star tournament team for Imperial Beach and placed second in the USSSA State Championship with the San Diego Cherokees. He pitched a one-hitter in the All-Star game and pitched his first no-hitter at the Triple Crown World Series qualifier. This would also be the year he began to pitch for the Montgomery Aztecs, batting .385 and only giving up one earned run in 15 innings pitched.
In 2002 Brad pitched his first no-hitter at a Little League Memorial Day tournament, striking out 17 batters in six innings while also hitting a home run. He later pitched two one-hitters, striking out 29 batters in two All-Star tournament games. He finished the season with a batting average of .725 and led the league in home runs. He would later pitch his second and third no-hitters in travel tournament play with the San Diego Cherokees.
All of this led to Brad visiting “down under” while playing for the Area Code team during “friendly” games in Perth and Adelaide , Australia . He was 13 years old pitching for a 16-year-old age-group team.
Again, not too shabby eh?
Talking with Brad
When I asked Brad how he felt about his first no-hitter, his response was, “I was numb, it didn't set in that I had thrown a no-hitter until two days later. It was a great feeling!”
And the second? “It felt like a dream! Like something written only in books. I just never thought that something so great could happen to me,” he said.
So how do you celebrate consecutive no-hitters? How do you celebrate a rare feat such as this? Well, this particular young man asked to go to Soup Plantation to have dinner with his family.