Baseball Heads to Fresno For CCAAA State Championships

The El Camino College baseball team heads back to Fresno for the CCCAA State Championship for the fourth time overall and for their second trip in the past three seasons. The Warriors are looking to win their first CCCAA Baseball State Championship.  Joining them in the field are three opponents who were participants in the CCCAA Baseball Final Four last year. Defending state champion and No. 1 NorCal seed, San Joaquin Delta, last year's runner-up and No. 4 NorCal seed Sacramento City College, and No. 1 SoCal seed Orange Coast College.

THE DETAILS

Opening Game

No. 2-SoCal  El Camino College (38-7) vs. No. 1 NorCal San Joaquin Delta (39-7)

The Game Schedule

Bracket Information Here: https://bit.ly/2Qi9CWQ

Game 1-Saturday May 25th (12:00 PM) at John Euless Park

If the Warriors win Game One, they play in the winner's bracket game at 2:00 PM on Saturday.  If the Warriors lose Game one, they play in the loser's bracket game at 10:00 AM on Saturday.

Venue: John Euless Park at Fresno City College.  Euless Park is located on the NW corner of E University Ave and N Clark St

Admission: $12 General; $8 Students with valid ID, Seniors over 60, and Children under 12 CASH ONLY.

FOLLOW THE ACTION

Live stats and live video will be available for all the games. Please visit the Tournament Central page for more information.  https://bit.ly/30zexHt  

Live Stats: https://bit.ly/30wpjyh Game One vs San Joaquin Delta

Live Video: All games will be broadcast by SoCal College Sports..  Link will be updated and posted daily on the @elcobaseball twitter account.  

Getting to know the opponents

San Joaquin Delta (North #1 Seed)

HOW THEY GOT HERE

San Joaquin Delta finished the regular season with a 33-7 overall record.   They won the Big 8 conference with a 19-5 record. The Mustangs drew the No.1 seed in NorCal and opened up the regional round with No.17 Monterey Peninsula College. They swept past the Lobos in two games after winning game one, 12-2, and game two, 12-1.  They next swept past No.15 Cosumnes River College in two games. They won game one, 12-3 and took game two, 11-7. In the sectional round, they swept past No. 8 Los Medanos College. They won game one, 10-4 and game two, 10-5.

San Joaquin Delta Notes

The Mustangs have so far outscored opponents 67 runs to 22 runs.  They have put up double digits in each of the six games they have played so far in the postseason.  The Mustangs lead the state with 475 runs scored. They are fifth in the state with a .322 batting average and third in the state with 537 hits. They are fifth in the state with 41 home runs. They lead the state with 287 walks and 143 stolen bases.  They lead the state in on-base percentage with a .441 OBP. Their pitching staff leads the state with 481 strikeouts and are second with a 10.45 K/9 ratio.

The Mustangs boast at least six starters with a batting average above the .330 mark.  Vinny Bologna leads the team with a .413 batting average and 71 hits. His batting average is fourth in the state.  He leads the state with 73 runs, 72 RBIs and 16 home runs. He leads the state with a .855 slugging percentage. Taison Corio is second with a .370 batting average.  Jimmy McClenaghan is third with a .365 batting average and 49 runs scored. Zack Mathis is fourth with a .352 batting average and 66 RBIs. Anthony Lucchetti is fifth with a .340 batting average and 50 runs scored.  Blake Dickman is sixth with a .338 batting average. The Mustangs have a strong 1-2 punch on the bump with Robert Gasser leading their pitching staff and the state with a 14-0 record and 130 Ks with a 2.18 ERA. Kevin Kyle is second in the state with 119 strikeouts and tied for fourth with 11 wins and a 3.27 ERA.  

Sacramento City (North #2 Seed)

Sacramento City College were given the No.4 seed in NorCal. They finished third in the Big 8 conference with a 28-11 (16-8 conference) record.   They swept No.13 Taft College in two games. They won game one, 11-10 and game two, 6-3. They next defeated No.7 San Mateo College in three games.  They lost game one, 3-2. They came back to win the next two games, 9-5 and 8-6. The Panthers next hosted No.5 Ohlone College and it took three games again.  They won game one, 7-6 in 10 innings. They lose game 2, 12-1. They came back to win game three on monday after a rainout, 6-2 to win the series.

Sacramento City Notes

The Panthers have a team batting average of .279 and have scored 344 runs for the season.  Outfielder Anthony Galati leads the Panthers with a .347 batting average. He's second on the team with 51 hits, leads the team with 45 runs, and has swatted 5 home runs.  Infielder Daniel Walsh leads the team with 44 RBIs and sports a .316 batting average. Kevin Saenz leads the team with 8 home runs and has a .294 batting average. Tanner Cunha (6-3, 5.04 ERA) and Ryan Costeiu (5-2, 4.46 ERA) are the top starters for the Panthers and Colby Harrison (1.57 ERA, 40 IP) is their top reliever/opener and has four saves.  

Orange Coast College (South #1 Seed)

The Pirates were given the No.1 seed in SoCal after winning the Orange Empire Conference with a 29-8-1 (16-5 conference record).  They swept No. 16 LA Mission in two games. They won game, 8-1, and game two, 10-3. In the super regional round, they swept past No. 12 Long Beach City College in two games. They won game one, 9-6, and game two, 2-0.  In the sectionals round, they swept past No. 8 Mt. Sac in two games. They won game one, 10-7, and dominated game two, 15-1.

Orange Coast College Notes

The Pirates have outscored opponents 69 runs to 18 so far through the playoffs.  The Pirates are third in the state with a .324 batting average and lead the contingent of four teams.  They have the fifth most hits with 493 hits. Sophomores Jacob Gentry (.392, 47 hits, 36 RBI), Murphy Stehly (.383, 51 hits, 39 RBI), Davis Delorefice (.370, 54 hits, 31 RBI), Tyler Lasch (.361, 53 hits, 35 RBI) and Tommy Williams (.358, 48 hits, 23 RBI) lead the Pirates offensively.  Pitcher Cole Van Den Helder is the ace of the Pirates with a 11-1 record with a 3.55 ERA with 61 strikeouts over 88 2/3 innings, and relievers Ben Davis (6-3, 1.81 ERA, 61 Ks in 64 2/3 IP), Vince Inman (4-0, one save, 1.29 ERA) and Delorefice (1-1, four saves, 3.86 ERA) help bolster the staff

For El Camino College

The Warriors were given the No.2 seed in Southern California.  They have consistently ranked within the Top 7 teams in the state throughout the season and hovered around the No.3 team in Southern California behind Orange Coast College and Riverside.  The final CCCSIA Poll (April 30th) ranked the Warriors as the No. 4 team in the State and No. 2 team in Southern California. The Warriors are back in the sectional round for the third season in a row.  They defeated Orange Coast College in three games in 2017, got swept by Orange Coast in 2018, and are hosting for the first time in 2019.

How They Got Here

The Warriors finished the regular season with a 32-6 overall record.  They went 17-5 in conference play. The Warriors posted a 15-2 record at home.  The Warriors won a share of the South Coast Conference-South Division title, splitting the division title with Long Beach City College. They swept past Pasadena City College in the opening round of the CCCAA Baseball Southern California Regionals with a 6-0 and 5-1 wins.  They beat Cypress College in three games in the CCCAA Baseball Southern California Super Regional round. They won game one, 8-3, lost game two, 2-1, and prevailed 8-7 in the series finale.

Recapping the Regional vs Pasadena City College

The No.2 Warriors swept past the No. 15 Pasadena City Lancers in two games.  They won Game One 6-0 and Game Two 5-1. The Warriors outscored the Lancers 11-1 and outhit them 21 to 11.  In Game One, Jimmy Galicia went the distance and tossed a 9-inning complete game shutout. The Warriors jumped to an early 3-0 lead in the second inning and never looked back enroute to a 6-0 victory. In Game Two, Aaron Orozco tossed a 9-inning complete game in 105 pitches.  The Warriors were the designated visitor team and took a 2-0 lead in the top of the 1st. Pasadena scored their only run of the weekend in the first inning on a balk. The Warriors were able to tack on runs in the 3rd, 5th, and 6th inning to pick up a 5-1 victory.

Recapping the Super Regional vs Cypress College

The No.2 Warriors needed all three games to get past No.11 Cypress College.  The Warriors took Game One, 8-3, led by another 9 inning complete game from Jimmy Galicia.  A big six run inning including a grand slam by Joseph Borges was all the Warriors needed to hold onto the victory over the Chargers.  In Game Two, it was a pitchers duel between Aaron Orozco and Reid Sebby of Cypress. The Chargers ultimately scored two runs after Orozco was pulled.  El Camino rallied with one run in the 9th and had a chance and had the tying and go-ahead run on base, but a flyout double play ended the frame and the Chargers won 2-1.  In Game 3, the Warriors and Chargers traded blows early but El Camino held a 6-3 lead heading into the 9th inning. Cypress fired off five hits and scored four runs to take a 7-6 lead.  However, Spencer Long called game and hit a game-winning two run walk-off homerun over the LF wall to secure the series for the Warriors and Game 3, 8-7.

Recapping the Sectional vs Glendale

The No.2 El Camino Warriors were able to sweep past No. 4 Glendale in the sectional round.  Coming into the series, Glendale was the top hitting team in the state, while El Camino held the top pitching.  In Game One, the Warriors jumped to a 9-0 lead by the third inning after the Glendale starter completely lost control in the third inning.  The Warriors held onto a 14-2 game as Jimmy Galicia tossed seven solid innings to pick up his third win of the postseason. In Game Two, The Warriors and Vaqueros traded blows and were tied 3-3 until the eighth inning.  The Warriors were able to push across four unanswered runs as the visiting side in the last two innings to hold onto a 7-3 victory. Glendale actually had a chance to tie the game up with the bases loaded with two outs in the bottom of the 9th, but Spencer Long wasn't going to let a repeat of the previous weekend's series against Cypress happen again.  

Joseph Borges On a Tear

The sophomore center fielder is on fire for the Warriors this postseason.  He has a batting average of .457 (16-for-35), .457 OBP, and a .600 slugging percentage. He has scored 7 runs, has 8 RBIs, and 1 home run.  For the season, Borges is slashing .345/363/.462.

Not Your Typical 9-Hole Hitter

Taishi Nakawake has batted in the 9th spot in the lineup for the whole season.  Nakawake is is fifth on the team with a .303 batting average. Nakawake has 46 hits and 32 runs scored.  Through the postseason, Nakawake is slashing .476/.571/.571 with 10 hits, 9 runs scored, and 4 RBIs.

Run Up the Racks

Aaron Orozco has struck out 110 batters in 104.2 innings pitched.  Orozco has a 9.46 K/9 ratio. Orozco is number 4 in the state in strikeouts and no.1 in Southern California.  He has fanned 22 batters so far in the CCCAA Southern California Baseball Playoffs.through three starts.

Pitching Leading the Way

The Warriors are the No.1 team in the state with a 2.12 ERA from the pitching staff, more than half a run better than second-place Cuesta (2.73 ERA). Jimmy Galicia (1.74), Aaron Orozco (2.06), Max Pappas (2.43), and four relievers have an ERA under 2.50. Pitchers Jimmy Galicia and Aaron Orozco have been the anchors of the staff, combining to go 23-3 on the season in 31 combined starts. Galicia leads the state with 114 innings pitched and has the best ERA (1.74) amongst starting pitchers in the CCCAA. Orozco is fourth in the state and first in Southern California with 110 strikeouts on the season.. The Warriors have allowed the eighth least amount of hits with 315 in the state and have an opposing team batting average of .217 (lowest among teams remaining in postseason play).  The pitching staff is no.1 in the state in runs/earned allows (114 runs/94 earned runs). They have allowed 94 earned runs in 398.2 innings pitched.

No Free Passes Here

The Warriors have allowed the fourth fewest walks in the state with 112 (lowest among teams remaining in the postseason).  Mendocino/Irvine Valley did not qualify for the postseason. Long Beach was eliminated in the super regional round.

Quality Work

The Warriors pitching staff has produced 37 quality starts in 45 games.  Jimmy Galicia leads the way with 14 outings, Aaron Orozco has 12, Max Pappas 10, and Nathan Draves has one. The pitching staff has only allowed one team to score double-digit runs in one game, vs Chaffey on April 11th.

Always Be Closing

Spencer Long is tied for third in the state with 9 saves.  Long has been excellent on the mound allowing just five runs 26 innings pitched.  Long has a 1.73 ERA and has fanned 33 batters and allowed just four walks. In ten of his thirteen appearances, Long has thrown more than one inning.

Defense Wins Championships

The Warriors have the second ranked defense in terms of fielding percentage (.977).  Ohlone is top in the state with a (.978) fielding percentage. The Warriors have committed the lowest amount of errors (39) in the state, Ohlone College is number two with 40 errors.

Multi-Tasking

The Warriors have four players with double-digit multi-hit games, led by Joseph Borges 19 and Spencer Palmer's 16.  Borges is batting .345 and leads the team with 59 hits and four home runs. Palmer is batting .331 and is second on the team with 53 hits. Palmer also leads the team with 21 extra-base hits including 16 doubles and leads the team with a .479 on-base percentage.  Taishi Nakawake has 13 multi-hit games and Aaron Orozco has 11. Orozco is batting .303 with 43 hits.  Nakawake is batting .303 with 46 hits.

Protect This House

The Warriors are 21-3 in home games at Warrior Field. They have outscored opponents 169 runs to 68 runs in home games. In the playoffs, the Warriors have outscored opponents 49 runs to 18 runs.

I Am Iron Man

Sophomores Spencer Palmer, Taishi Nakawake, Ty Conrad, and Spencer Long are the only four players to have played in every game so far this season

Recognition Earned

Eight Warriors were given All-South Coast Conference, South Division honors.  Aaron Orozco, Jimmy Galicia, and Joseph Borges were named to the first team. Max Pappas, Spencer Long, Spencer Palmer, Taishi Nakawake, and Ty Conrad were named to the second team.

The Pitching Staff/Probable Starters

Game 1-Jimmy Galicia.  12-2, 1.74 ERA

Game 2-Aaron Orozco. 11-1, 2.06 ERA.

Game 3-Max Pappas.  7-1, 2.43 ERA.

Once a Warrior, Always a Warrior

The Warriors had to deal with more adversity then most teams had to deal with this season.  They lost starting outfielder Brett Gieseke after the 14th game of the season right before conference play started on a non-contact injury at practice.

On April 18th, the Warriors lost a teammate in Sladen Mohl to a tragic car accident.  Mohl was the starting catcher to one of the best pitching staffs in the state. Sladen is survived by his parents and four siblings.

"We are all deeply saddened by this tragedy. Sladen was an excellent baseball player but an even better teammate and individual. He was kind, positive and brought smiles to everyone he came in contact with. Our hearts are with his family at this moment. Sladen will be missed but never forgotten. Once a Warrior, always a Warrior," said Nate Fernley, ECC Baseball Head Coach.

The rest of the season has been dedicated to Sladen. A fallen teammate, brother, and friend.  

SLADEN MOHL MEMORIAL FUND

El Camino College baseball head coach Nate Fernley has started the "Sladen Mohl Memorial Fund" to aid Sladen's family in covering upcoming costs and arrangements.

"Sladen Mohl was a beloved friend, son, family member and teammate to many people across the country. Sladen left us far too early, but has left a life-long impact on every individual that he has come in contact with. We are raising funds to help support his loving family with the upcoming costs and arrangements. Sladen was from Alaska so we would like to bring him home. All donations will be going directly to Sladen's mother for the expenses."

Donations can be made by following this link: https://www.gofundme.com/sladen-mohl-memorial-fund