The Eastlake High School baseball team opens Mesa League play on April 19 at Bonita Vista High School. It appears the Titans have already hit a proverbial grand slam in non-league play.
The Titans have racked up some rather prodigious numbers so far in zooming to the No. 2 San Diego Section ranking.
Eastlake improved to 12-1 on the season after defeating visiting Mira Mesa, 12-0, on Monday. Sophomore newcomer Ricky Tibbett pitched five innings to pick up the win with relief help from Zaine Mendoza.
Micah Pietila-Wiggs went four-for-four in the game with three doubles while Santino Rivera and Brian Leonhardt each homered and drove in two runs. Bryan Reyes homered and drove in three runs.
Next up for the Titans is the annual Lions tournament on Monday. Eastlake’s round-robin opponents in the Classic Division include Torrey Pines, El Camino Real and Newbury Park.
Tournament finals are scheduled April 13 at a site to be determined.
The Titans have some unfinished business to complete after recording consecutive runner-up finishes in the San Diego Section finals.
Eastake lost, 10-6, to Poway two years ago in the Division I championship game and came up short by a 5-2 score in last year’s Open Division title game match-up against Cathedral Catholic.
Titan head coach Dave Gallegos said his team has set its goals for 2017. That being a league title and CIF championship.
But the defending Mesa League champions aren’t getting ahead of themselves quite yet.
“It’s one game at a time,” Gallegos stated matter of factly.
The Titans’ hot start has been fanned by winning two early season tournament championship titles. Eastlake defeated Helix, 9-0, on March 18 to win the annual Foothiller/Aztec tournament.
Last Saturday’s 5-4 win over longtime East County power Granite Hills awarded Gallegos’ team with this year’s Grossmont/Metro/City conference tournament title.
Eastlake went 6-0 to win its division in the GMC tourney. The Titans defeated Grossmont (1-0 on March 21), Helix (4-2 on March 23), El Capitan (6-2 on March 24), Santana (4-2 on March 28) and Granite Hills in back-to-back encounters.
The Titans uncharacteristically pummeled the Eagles by a score of 18-1 on March 30 and came back to top Granite Hills by one run in the championship game two days later.
Leonhardt picked up the win in the March 30 encounter while also hitting a grand slam home run and accumulating five RBI. Reyes hit another grand slam home run while Leonard Jones and Ben Ramirez each cracked a home run and collected three RBI. Jones also scored three runs.
The Titans assumed a 5-0 lead in the championship game as Pietila-Wiggs stroked a two-out two-run single in the second inning. Casey Schmitt added an RBI single in the fourth inning while Pietila-Wiggs also slammed a two-run home run in the same inning.
Granite Hills responded with a pair of home runs in its half of the fourth inning to make the game close.
Sean Ross hit a solo blast. Josh Verdon singled home Trevor Hazelhurst, who had reached base on a single and advanced to third base on a throwing error.
Darien Cossio then cracked a two-run homer to make it a one-run game.
Schmitt took over from Grant Holman on the mound in the seventh inning, though Hazelhurst tripled with two outs to put the tying run at third base.
Schmitt’s fastball has been clocked at 92 mph this season.
The Titans’ only loss this season has been 5-4 to Grossmont in 12 innings on March 11 to start the Foothiller/Aztec tournament.
Eastlake fielded a young team over the past two seasons that featured a core group of players who won the U.S. division championship at the 2013 Little League World Series. That core now has matured.
Ramirez, a highly decorated senior, tops Eastlake’s returning group. He showcased his talent at last summer’s Perfect Game All-American All-Star Classic at Petco Park.
He is among eight returning all-league players on this year’s Titan roster.
Other all-league returning players include Schmitt, Jones, Holman, Reyes, Leonhardt, Pietila-Wiggs and Rivera. Of that bunch, Ramirez, Schmidt, Jones, Reyes and Rivera are seniors; Holman, Leonhardt and Pietila-Wiggs are juniors.
Ramirez, Schmitt and Holman all earned All-CIF honors last season. Schmitt and Holman were first team selections; Ramirez was named to the second team.
Pietla-Wiggs and Holman were LLWS national media darlings. Pietla-Wiggs collected the most hits (11) while Holman recorded the most strikeouts (28).
Holman left his mark in South Williamsport by hurling a seven-inning no-hitter and two game-winning home runs, including a walk-off grand slam.
Tibbett, another LLWS alumnus, tops the Titan newcomers. Despite being a sophomore, he has already verbally committed to play at San Diego State University, according to Gallegos.
Eastlake’s accumulation of top talent over the past three years may be too much for opponents to overcome this season.
“Pitching is a great strength and our hitting is also a great strength,” Gallegos said.
