2016 Prep Baseball & Softball Preview
Analise De La Roca
story & photos by Jamaal K. Street Spring sports have arrived and there’s lots of talent to behold for both the baseball and softball teams at San Pedro, Port of Los Angeles and Mary Star of the Sea High Schools. Break out your lineup cards; it’s time to batter up and swing for the fences.
SOFTBALL POLA (31-5 overall in 2015) – Last year was truly remarkable for the Polar Bears, as they reached the finals of the El Segundo and Las Vegas Spring Jamboree Tournaments, claiming the Silver Division title of the Torrance National Tournament, and reaching the CIF-LACS Division I semifinals, where it lost an 8-6 slugfest to eventual champion Chatsworth. Longtime coach Jesse Espinoza is now the head man after previous coaching stops at Mary Star, Banning and Los Angeles Harbor College, taking over for his brother Moses and sister-in-law Melissa, who both combined to coach POLA to three City Division III crowns and two straight D-I semifinal berths.
J.J. Duarte
Amanda Vitalich
Arizona State verbal commit, and All-City junior pitcher Analise De La Roca will be poised to shine as the top pitcher after tag-teaming with POLA strikeout queen Nicolle Miranda (now at Eastern Michigan) for two seasons. De La Roca may be the focus of attention for POLA, but the Polar Bears also return senior OF/P Vanessa Munoz, the lone remaining member of the 2013 championship team. Sophomore INF/OF/P Sienna Valencia, sophomore 3B/P Angie Vargas, sophomore infielder Brittany Mercado and junior INF/OF Destiny Sambrano also return for POLA, and catcher Allison Torstensen will look to contribute right away as an impact freshman for the Polar Bears. Junior outfielder Celeste Gutierrez also makes a return to softball after a year absence. SAN PEDRO (21-12 in 2015) - Now in his second season, there is some promise for coach Robert Whitney after a solid first year where the Pirates placed third in the Marine League, where defending league champion & CIF-LACS runner-up Carson is the favorite. Junior INF/C Andrea Cline, a two-time All-Marine League returning player, will be ready for a breakthrough season along with an experienced group of fellow juniors, such as All-Marine League pitcher Cindy Robles, All-Marine League outfielder Andrea Trejo, P/ INF Deanna Gonzalez, and infielders Ricki Justiniano and Mackenzie Winkle. Sophomore P/1B Quincy Greenwood and sophomore INF/C Taiya Reyna both have massive potential, while sophomore C/OF Anessa Quiroz, a transfer from nearby POLA, will be able to contribute in a mighty way once she's eligible to play on April 4. MARY STAR (22-4 in 2015) - Caitlin Colvin is in her first year as head coach for Mary Star, who went 8-1 in winning their fourth Camino Real League championship in five years, but the Stars will have a pitcher-by-committee after the 1,100-plus strikeouts Marina Vitalich (now at George Mason) provided for four years will be greatly missed. Two-time All-Camino Real League selection Amanda Vitalich, a standout junior shortstop, along with incoming freshman Amanda Rojas, will both see action in the circle. Mary Star does return four more All-CRL selections in junior catcher Gianna Fletcher, senior infielder Isabella Samperio, sophomore infielder Miranda Marquez and junior first baseman Gigi Gentile as the Stars will play a full season of having all their home games on their campus field after all those years of having home field advantage at the San Pedro Softball Complex. Also returning for the Stars with valuable experience are senior outfielders Krislyn Vara and Sarah Rodriguez. spt
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BASEBALL SAN PEDRO (19-12 overall in 2015) – Last year was the best thus far for coach Steve Tedesco, who enters his third year as the head coach of the Pirates. Even though last year was marred by a publicized brawl at Carson, San Pedro still managed to go 6-4 (probably 7-3 if it weren't for the double forfeit with the Colts) and finish third in a tough Marine League. Senior catcher, All-City and All-Marine League first team returnee J.J. Duarte will be handling a deep and athletic pitching staff, which includes All-Marine League junior Mikey Hernandez Jr., who's also a slick fielding second baseman, junior Isaiah Bumgarner, sophomore Ryan Zamudio, senior Austin Cook and junior David Barraza. Bumgarner, another All-Marine League returning player, is also a solid hitter while playing sharp at third base. MARY STAR (20-7 in 2015) – Even though Andy Fiamengo left to become an assistant coach at the new Marymount California University baseball program, the Stars bring back an old friend to the party. Starting his second term as coach is Rick Ibarra, who guided the Stars to a CIF-SS final in 2002 and will look to guide a gritty team to a potential repeat Camino Real League crown and maybe a longer playoff run, considering Mary Star was bounced in the first round of CIF-SS Division 5 by Lompoc. All-CRL senior OF/P Gianfranco Gentile is a dangerous player, with a knack for hitting triples and making ‘web gem’ catches in center field. Other All-CRL returning players include senior catcher Nicco Castania, senior outfielder Ozzie Aveiro, senior P/INF Joey Domicoli, senior infielder Tyler Velozzi and senior P/INF Troy Tripp. Sophomore P/INF's Gabriel Pech and Matt Marquez look to play larger roles in Mary Star's plans in 2016. Senior P/OF Ryan Sadler also returns for the Stars. POLA (16-11 in 2015) – Just like their run to the CIF-LACS Division 3 title in 2014, cocoaches Brian and Dennis Emerson lifted the Polar Bears up from another rough start in 2015, winning 13 of their final 18 games after starting the season 3-6, going a perfect 10-0 in the Crosstown-Ocean League, and nearly defending their throne which Los Angeles CES took from them in an 8-4 win in the Division 3 final. Two-time All-City senior lefty pitcher Fernando Rivas is back for one final run at the championship, as are the other remaining holdovers from the only male-related sports City title in school history, senior OF/C Kyle Micek, senior OF/P Paul Castaneda, senior 2B/C/P Anthony Raya. Senior infielder Daniel Sanchez is another returning player for POLA with extensive experience.