The 2017 baseball season – Little League Baseball and Major League Baseball alike — is heading toward an exciting finish.
The Little League World Series West Region tournament kicked off last weekend with Santa Margarita representing Southern California and San Ramon’s Canyon Creek Little League representing Northern California in the six-team regional field.
Tournament action continues through the upcoming weekend. The West region champion advances to the Little League World Series in South Williamsport, Pa., later this month.
The Padres, meanwhile, are once again well out of contention (a staggering 30 games back) in the National League West Division standings.
However, there is no shortage of teams vying for postseason playoff berths in both MLB’s National and American leagues as summer turns into fall.
The Washington Nationals (NL East), Los Angeles Dodgers (NL West) and Houston Astros (AL West) are runaway leaders in their respective divisions while a four-team race appears to be developing for the NL Central title between the defending World Series champion Chicago Cubs, Milwaukee Brewers, St. Louis Cardinals and Pittsburgh Pirates.
The Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees are once again embroiled in a tight finish in the AL East while the Cleveland Indians and Kansas City Royals are pushing each other for the AL Central banner.
Chula Vistan John Jaso remains a contributor for the Pirates with eight home runs, 26 RBI and 20 runs scored in 207 at-bats this season.
Santee native Stephen Strasburg, the first pick in the 2009 MLB Draft by the Nationals, is currently recovering from an injury, progressing to throwing bullpen practice as he works toward rejoining the active rotation.
The West Hills High School alum has posted a 10-3 record so far this season with a 3.25 earned-run average in 20 starts. He has 141 strikeouts in 121 innings pitched.
Adrian Gonzalez, the No. 1 MLB draft pick in 2000 out of Eastlake High School, has been moved to the 60-day disabled list with a herniated disc in his back and is expected to remain out of action with the Dodgers until the middle of this month.
Gonzalez, an original draft pick by the Florida Marlins, has played for four MLB teams in his 14-year professional career. He played two seasons with the Texas Rangers in 2004-5, then enjoyed a five-year stay with the hometown Padres (2006-10).
He joined the Dodgers in 2012 after a two-year stint with the Red Sox.
He’s reached postseason play in a Los Angeles uniform the past four seasons. He helped lead the Padres to the National League Divisional series against St. Louis in 2006.
A five-time MLB All-Star Game selection, four-time Golden Glove award winner and two-time Silver Slugger award winner, Gonzalez has appeared in 49 games this season with a .255 hitting average, one home run and 23 RBI.
At 35, baseball has been very kind to him and his family. He’s making $22 million this season. Over the duration of his MLB career, he’s made more than $145 million.
Locals only
The College World Series wrapped up in June. Locally, UC San Diego finished runner-up in the Division II championship game after winning the West regional tournament.
A pair of Chula Vistans – pitchers Troy Cruz (Bonita Vista) and Adrian Orozco (Otay Ranch) – helped the Toreros post a final 44-19 record.
San Diego State University’s baseball team was also in the running in the Division I tournament. The Aztecs qualified for the Long Beach regional after winning the Mountain West Conference championship tournament.
SDSU received the No. 4 seed in the regional tournament behind top-seeded Long Beach State, second-seeded UCLA and third-seeded Texas.
The Aztecs had defeated both Long Beach State and UCLA twice in the regular season.
However, a 6-0 loss to Long Beach State in the opening round promptly dropped SDSU into the elimination bracket.
The Aztecs eliminated UCLA, 3-2, in a 13-inning nail-biter on the second day of competition but could not cinch a comeback as they lost, 7-4, in a third-round game to Long Beach State to suffer elimination themselves from the tournament.
SDSU finished 42-21 to close the season. The 42 victories tied for the most for the program in the last 15 seasons.
The Aztecs had quite a bit to be proud of as their season ended in early June. SDSU won its a fourth Mountain West Conference tournament title in the last five seasons and advanced to an NCAA regional for the fourth time in five years.
SDSU’s 2017 roster featured a robust five South County players: senior infielders Andrew Martinez and Andrew Brown, freshman outfielder Julian Escobedo, sophomore catcher Dean Nevarez, freshman pitcher Tre Brown.
Escobedo, Nevarez and Tre Brown all are graduates of Eastlake High School while Martinez is a Mater Dei Catholic High School alum and Andrew Brown attended The Rock Academy.
Martinez hit .320 in 59 games for the Aztecs this spring. He scored 31 runs, slugged 19 doubles and eight home runs and drove in 35 runs.
He was the MVP of the Mountain West tournament, which SDSU won to advance to the NCAA regional.
Martinez stroked the game-winning two-RBI single in the bottom of the eighth inning in the championship game of the MW tournament as SDSU defeated Fresno State 5-3.
He hit a two-run home in the top of the ninth at UCLA to give SDSU an 8-6 win over the Bruins in a non-conference game on May 2.
Brown appeared in 51 games for SDSU in 2017 with 12 doubles, three home runs, 37 RBI and a .332 hitting average.
He ranked second on the team with 25 multiple-hit games.
Nevarez appeared in 52 games, slammed nine home runs and collected 31 RBI while scoring 33 times. He hit .301 at the plate.
He finished second on the team in home runs, including one in the championship game at the Mountain West tournament.
Escobedo played in 48 games, racked up 21 hits, including two triples and six RBI. He stole nine bases (nine-for-nine) to rank third on the team in that category while posting a .226 hitting average.
Tre Brown made only two appearances as a true freshman this season, tossing one inning.
Martinez was among 36 SDSU student-athletes who were honored for their high achievement in the classroom as Mountain West Scholar-Athletes for the 2016-17 school year.
Go Aztecs
Several Aztecs earned postseason honors. Outfielder Tyler Adkinson and shortstop Danny Sheehan were both selected to the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA)/Rawlings NCAA Division I West All-Region First Team.
Meanwhile, pitcher Brett Seeburger was selected in the 10th round of the 2017 Major League Baseball draft by St. Louis. He was one of four SDSU players taken in the draft.
Second baseman Alan Trejo was tabbed in the 16th round by the Colorado Rockies while pitcher C.J. Saylor was selected in the 28th round by St. Louis. Adkinson was taken in the 32nd round by the L.A. Dodgers while pitcher Marcus Reyes was a 38th-round pick by the Toronto Blue Jays.
More than 20 current and incoming Aztecs competed in summer ball leagues around the country.
Of note, Nevarez hit a home run in his first at-bat for the Duluth Huskies in the Northwoods League.
Little League
Action in the West region tournament kicked into gear on Sunday as Hilo (Hawaii) edged Chandler National (Arizona), 2-1, and Santa Margarita blasted Nevada champion Summerlin South from Las Vegas, 7-2, to each win their opening games in the double-elimination tournament.
In Monday’s second-round games, Hilo hammered Utah champion Dixie Little League from St. George, 14-5, while Santa Margarita slipped past Canyon Creek, 3-2, to each win their opening two contests.
Santa Margarita’s Bobby Gray set down the first 12 batters he faced and finished the game with 10 strikeouts while allowing three hits in five-and-two-thirds innings to pick up the win in Sunday’s opener.
Santa Margarita, which eliminated Eastlake Little League in the Division III championship game on July 30, won Monday’s game on a walk-off suicide squeeze bunt by Garret Strenger. Mason Kellerman scored the game-winning run in the bottom of the sixth inning after first staking the SoCal champions to an early 2-0 lead with a two-RBI double.
Elimination games are scheduled Tuesday and Wednesday before Santa Margarita and Hilo hook up in a highly anticipated winners bracket matchup on Thursday (6 p.m., ESPN).
The elimination bracket final is scheduled Friday, Aug. 11, at 6 p.m., while the championship game is scheduled Saturday, Aug. 12, at 6 p.m. Both games will be telecast on ESPN.
For tournament updates, visit the website at http://www.llbws.org/llbbws/west.htm
Little League World Series
West Region Tournament
Participating Teams
•Chandler National Little League (Arizona)
•Hilo Little League (Hawaii)
•Summerlin South Little League (Nevada)
•Canyon Creek Little League (Northern California)
•Santa Margarita (Southern California)
•Dixie Little League (Utah)
Game schedule
Sunday, Aug. 8
Hawaii 2, Arizona, 1. (ESPN3)
Southern California 7, Nevada 2 (ESPN3)
Monday, Aug. 7
Hawaii 14, Utah 5 (ESPN3)
Southern California 3, Northern California 2 (ESPN3)
Tuesday, Aug. 8
Northern California 5, Arizona 2(elimination game) (ESPN3)
Utah 8, Nevada 5 (elimination game) (ESPN3)
Wednesday, Aug. 9
Utah 13, Northern California 11 (elimination game) (ESPN3)
Thursday, Aug. 10
Southern California 12, Hawaii 8 (winners bracket final) (ESPN)
Friday, Aug. 11
Utah 12, Hawaii 6 (elimination bracket final) (ESPN)
Saturday, Aug. 12
Championship game: Southern California 11. Utah 7 (ESPN)
Note: Santa Margarita advances to Little League World Series
Website: http://www.llbws.org/llbbws/west.htm
LLWS West Region notebook
- Joshua Ward scored on a wild pitch to complete a two-run rally and give Hawaii a walk-off 2-1 victory over Arizona in the opening game of the West Region tournament on Sunday. Kaiman Kuamo’o keyed Hawaii with 16 strikeouts on the mound while teammate Kyson Wada had two hits and one RBI. Joshua Tiederman led Arizona with eight strikeouts on the hill.
- Southern California exploded for six runs in the bottom of the fifth inning and held on to defeat Nevada, 7-3, in an opening-round game on Sunday. Santa Margarita’s Bobby Gray set down the first 12 batters he faced and finished the game with 10 strikeouts while allowing three hits in five-and-two-thirds innings to pick up the win.
- Hawaii got hits from nine different players in storming back from a 5-0 deficit with 14 runs in two innings to earn a 14-5 victory over Utah in a winners bracket game on Monday. Kaynan Kaku Jr. led Hawaii with four RBI while Wailele Kane-Yates struck out 10 Utah batters in four innings.
- Southern California won Monday’s winners bracket game over Northern California, 2-1, on a walk-off suicide squeeze bunt by Garret Strenger. Mason Kellerman scored the game-winning run in the bottom of the sixth inning after first staking the SoCal champions to an early 2-0 lead with a two-RBI double.
- Aidan Camberg and Cade Hannula recorded back-to-back home runs to help lead Northern California to a 5-2 elimination game victory against Arizona on Tuesday. Camberg and teammate Austin Spears led Northern California with two RBI each. Camberg and Arizona’s Angel Morales each had three hits in the contest. Gavin Noreus fanned eight NorCal batters in three innings on the mound.
- Kyler Terry went two-for-three with five RBI while Parker Andrus drove in two and struck out five over five innings in Utah’s 8-5 elimination game win over Nevada on Tuesday. Terry went yard for a grand slam to account for four of his five RBI in the game.
- Utah defeated Northern California, 13-11, in a dramatic seesaw elimination game matchup on Wednesday. In the span of two innings, Northern California saw an early 6-0 lead disappear as Utah assumed a 10-6 lead with five runs each in the bottom of the second and third innings. The teams combined for 29 hits and three errors. Matt McArthur led Utah with three RBI while teammate Jaxon Barden collected three hits.
- Southern California rallied with six runs in the top of the sixth inning to slip past Hawaii, 12-8, in Thursday’s winners bracket final to secure a berth in Saturday’s championship game. Santa Margarita trailed Hilo, 7-6, before turning the tables on its opponent to take a 12-7 lead into the bottom of the frame. Drew Rutter keyed Santa Margarita with four RBI while Bobby Gray knocked in three runs. Both players each had two hits in the game. Joey Gray struck out five Hilo batters in four-and-one-third innings.
- Utah rapped out 13 hits and scored four runs in each of the third, fourth and fifth innings to overcome an early 6-0 Hawaii lead en route to posting a wild 12-6 win in Friday’s elimination game final to earn a berth in Saturday’s championship game. Kean Webb paced Utah with three RBI and recorded nine strikeouts in five innings of work on the mound. Joshua Ward keyed Hawaii with three hits in the loss.
- Southern California champion Santa Margarita punched its ticket to the Little League World Series by holding off Utah, 11-7, in Saturday’s West region championship game in San Bernardino in a game filled with seven home runs (four for Southern California and three for Utah. Southern California broke out to an early 3-0 lead only to have Utah storm back to tie the score.Southern Californialater took an 8-3 lead only to have Utah score four runs in the bottom of the fifth inning to narrow the score to 8-7. Santa Margarita rolled across three insurance runs in the top of the sixth inning to finally put some breathing room between them and the team from Dixie Little League in St. George. Bobby Gray and Joey Gray each belted home runs to lead Southern California. Drew Rutter and Joey Gray each collected three RBI in the contest. Joey Gray had three of Santa Margarita’s 17 hits in the game. Bobby Gray pitched five-and-two-thirds inning with four strikeouts. He recorded 19 first-pitch strikes. Cole Decastro led Utah with three RBI in the setback.
