The San Diego Section held its sixth all-star baseball game in conjunction with the Padres June 26 at Petco Park. The event followed the Padres’ 8-5 series sweep over the visiting Washington Nationals.
The Padres ended a seven-game homestand with a 6-1 record in a midseason bid to climb up the National League West Division standings.
For the 48 preps on deck, the 2024 Padres High School Baseball Night provided an opportunity – a final one for seniors in attendance – to showcase their skills in front of hundreds of family, friends, and maybe even a few scouts.
The East all-star squad, buttressed by five Metro Conference student-athletes and 11 selections from East County, clobbered the West squad by a final score of 10-3 as the teams piled up 18 hits (11 by the victorious East team) in the annual event.
Calexico first baseman Andres Ontiveros and Cathedral Catholic catcher/outfielder Elijah Selga both hit home runs for their respective teams while Eastlake catcher Noah Betanco out-dueled La Jolla Country Day shortstop Jack Circuit to win the pregame home run derby.
Ontiveros, who had two hits in the full nine-inning contest, earned honors as the game’s Most Valuable Player.
Section commissioner Joe Heinz termed the event memorable for participants and spectators alike.
“It’s awesome to be able to play in one of the best ballparks in the country,” he said. “They were all fired up for a once-in-a-lifetime experience.”
The Grossmont Conference had the most representation by with 10 players selected. The Metro Conference had seven players represented, including two players on the West team.
East County selections included Grossmont first baseman Cody Bigley, Santana pitcher Adam Brabandt, Mt. Miguel outfielder Jeremiah Castillo, Christian catcher Xavier Farnum, Granite Hills left fielder Jordan Mansfield, El Capitan shortstop Brody McAuliffe, Granite Hills catcher Owen Rodgers, Helix Charter third baseman Antoin Simpson, Valhalla left-hand pitcher Colton Stinkeoway, Grossmont right-hand pitcher Cody White and Monte Vista pitcher Gavin Daley.
South County players included Eastlake catcher Noah Betanco, Olympian outfielder Jordan Bleisch, Eastlake outfielders Angel Laya and Jacob May, Bonita Vista infielder Luis Sosa, Montgomery pitcher Anthony Gonzalez and St. Augustine catcher Shane Miranda.
Helix Charter athletic director Damon Chase called it a “great honor” for the participating players.
“Most kids would probably say playing in the CIF championship game and playing in the all-star game here would be at the top of their career, especially against the top players in the county,” he said.
Four players from each team competed in the home run derby.
Betanco, Laya, Ontiveros and Simpson represented the East squad while La Jolla Country Day’s Jack Circuit, Cathedral Catholic’s Eli Selga, Maranatha Christian’s Levi Ham and San Marcos’s J.J. Moran represented the West team.
Each player had two minutes at the plate to hit as many balls out of the park. Balls that traveled to the warning track but not over the fence also scored points.
All eight players competed in the preliminary round, with the top two point-getters advancing to the final round. Points from both the preliminary round and final round were combined to determine a champion.
Circuit tallied 14 points in the preliminary round while Betanco chalked up 13 points to join the LJCD shortstop in the finals.
Selga and Ham both recorded 11 points while Moran notched 10 points to fall short of advancing to the final. Simpson (nine points), Laya (five points) and Ontiveros (four points) each gave it their best shots.
Trailing by a point entering the final round, Betanco made up the difference with a 13-10 scoring edge to win the home run derby by two points — 26-24.
“It’s kind of cool being my final game here,” the Metro-Mesa League Field Player of the Year said after being crowned derby king. “It was a great experience.”
Betanco later made two plate appearances in the all-star game while donning catcher’s gear late in the match-up.
The appearance at Petco Park was the second of the year for Betanco, who played at the downtown ballpark in April against Metro-Mesa League rival Bonita Vista as part of the Padres’ annual six-team prep series.
“It was a dream come true to play here, for sure,” he said. “I’ve dreamed of this moment since I was in middle school. To be able to play with all this talent was a great experience.”
A shared experience, of course.
Valhalla senior Colton Stinkeoway capped his senior season with the all-star appearance after leading the Norsemen to this year’s San Diego Section Division III championship with a one-hit shutout on the hill.
“It was pretty cool,” the VHS pitcher said. “I realized it was rewarding — all the hard work paid off.”
Stinkeoway, who plans to attend Southwestern College to further his baseball career, pitched a scoreless eighth inning while retiring the West lineup in order.
“I want a year or two to develop more — it’s definitely what I need,” the Norseman standout said of electing to continue his career path at the community college level. “I don’t want to pay a lot of money to go to a four-year university and only pitch one or two innings. I can transfer after a year of two.”
Current Arizona Diamondback pitcher Kevin Ginkel took that exact route from El Capitan High School to Southwestern College to the University of Arizona to Major League Baseball. Ginkel has a National League Championship Series ring to show for it.
Overall, three East County hurlers saw action on the hill. White (sixth inning) and Brabrandt (seventh inning) also pitched scoreless frames; White struck out two batters while Brabrandt allowed one hit.
“I love it,” White said. “It was definitely a cool experience. It was my last day in San Diego actually, so it was kind of surreal before I leave for the Marine Academy. The four years as a Foothiller were fun. Being with the friends I made, we had our ups and downs, but it was fun.”
Betanco was joined in the East lineup by Titan teammates Laya and May. Laya competed in the home run derby and singled in the first inning while May hit a RBI single in the third inning to give the East an early 3-1 lead.
Farnum represented Alpine.
After hitting into an inning-ending double play in the opening stanza, he came back with two RBI in the third inning to propel the East team in front by a score of 5-1.
San Pasqual’s Luke Nieblas and Bonita Vista’s Sosa both drew walks off Coronado’s Max Murry to open the frame. Nieblas scored on May’s single, leaving two runners on board.
Both runners moved up a base, to second and third, via a double steal. That proved pivotal when Farnum singled on a 3-2 count to plate two more runs.
“Not everybody gets to play at Petco Park,” Farnum said. “It’s an honor. It was a fun experience. I’m glad I had the chance.”
Farnum’s experiences during the 2024 spring season included playing for Christian head coach Mike Mitchell, who collected his 600th coaching win on April 3 following a 6-1 non-league win over University City.
“It was awesome,” said Farnum, who had two hits in the history-making game. “It was nice seeing Coach Mitchell getting his 600th win. It was an important milestone. He’s helped me become a better player through his coaching. I owe a lot to him.”
Making the grade
Bonita Vista’s Sosa led off the top of the first inning with a double, was wild-pitched to third base and scored on a passed ball for a quick 1-0 East lead.
Ontiveros made the score 2-0 in the East’s favor with a second-inning home run to right center field. Cathedral’s Selga countered with a home run for the West in the bottom of the third inning to make the score 5-2.
The West narrowed the score to 5-3 in the bottom of the fourth inning on a bases-loaded sacrifice fly but had a subsequent runner thrown out at the plate.
The East team regained momentum by scoring five runs in the top of the seventh inning. It was an outing that Santa Fe Christian pitcher Will Marenghi would rather forget.
Olympian’s Bleisch and Mt. Miguel’s Castillo walked. Marenghi promptly uncorked three wild pitches to score Bleisch and place Castillo at third base. The SFC hurler then issued a third consecutive free pass to first base when he walked Granite Hills catcher Owen Rodgers.
Simpson followed with a RBI to make the score 7-3 and Rodgers subsequently scored on yet another wild pitch.
8-3 East.
The West coaching staff changed pitchers at this point in the inning but reliever Jack Clark of University City could not stop the bleeding.
Grossmont’s Bigley reached on a hit to load the bases. Clark induced back-to-back strikeouts but committed an error on a comebacker by Sosa to allow the fourth run of the inning to score. With the basepaths still full, May was hit by a pitch to score the East’s 10th run of the game.
Mercifully, there was no more scoring in the game.
Besides getting the chance to knock balls out of Petco Park, Simpson made two excellent defensive plays at third base.
“It’s surreal,” he said of the whole all-star experience. “The home run derby was fun. It was a great experience. It’s a beautiful ballpark.”
Montgomery’s Anthony Gonzalez (West) and Scripps Ranch’s Jordan Green (East) closed out the ninth inning for their respective teams.
“Awesome,” Gonzalez summed up as players began leaving the field for points unknown.
