By Ed Piper
La Jolla's baseball team, forced by the COVID pandemic last Spring to cancel the regular season and miss the 2020 playoffs for the first time in school history, will square off at home Wed., June 9, at 3:30 p.m. against the winner of Tuesday's San Dieguito-Brawley play-in game in the Vikings' opener of the 2021 CIF postseason.
Then, head coach Gary Frank's squad is also guaranteed a second playoff game Fri., June 11, again at home on their beautiful Muirlands Middle School field. That encounter will either match LJHS with a fellow winner from Wednesday, or a fellow loser from the Vikings' side of the bracket.
La Jolla, playing well all season with good hitting and solid pitching, enters the double-elimination playoffs having already amassed 23 wins, a new school record for the regular season. The red-and-black have seven losses.
Said Frank after the brackets were released after 1 p.m. Sat., June 5: "We are really excited to be able to compete in the playoffs and be able to finish the season--especially after last year's frustration of only playing seven games.
"We are not just competing for us, but also for last year's senior class that didn't get the opportunity to finish their high school careers on the field."
In Wednesday's game, Frank will start lefthander Owen McNally (6-3), who showed a good fastball in a complete-game victory at Mission Bay May 26 to go with his curveball. The southpaw struck out seven Bucs while not giving up a walk through seven innings.
The senior holds a 3.00 ERA in his nine starts (and one relief appearance) for 2021. He has gone the distance in five of those starts.
In Friday's game, Frank said he would start either lefty Ryan Lancaster (5-1) or righthander Kevin Steel (3-1).
The Vikings have persevered through their 30 games this season, whose start was delayed by the COVID situation, facing Rancho Bernardo, the number-one team in San Diego Section, in a tight 3-0 loss in the championship game of the Pirate Classic on Rancho Bernardo's home field.
Then, on the other end, La Jolla swept High Tech High (0-12) in City League play in a three-game set in mid-May by scores you might see in softball (7-0, 12-2, 7-1). The Vikings somehow split two games with San Diego High (4-8), another lower-tier conference opponent.
Rancho Bernardo's coach, Jeff Baumback, remembers La Jolla from the Oceanside tourney title game. "They're good," he says simply. RB is ranked 22nd in California.
"We lost 3-0 but held our own" in the April 10 game at Rancho Bernardo, said Frank. "I think that game gave our guys the confidence that they could compete with anyone."
That was the only tournament in pre-league play that the Vikings didn't win. Senior Gavin Graff led them with his right arm and bat to titles in the Lions Tournament and the GMC Tournament. He was all-tournament in all three. Gavin broke his right thumb two weeks ago and has a heavy cast (projected to be on for three months) on his right hand.
It was a bittersweet moment at Senior Game ceremonies Thurs., June 3, when Graff was recognized along with the team's other seven seniors.
"Losing Gavin is a tough blow," said Frank, "but our team has been extremely resilient all year long. "The boys have a 'next man up' mentality, and they have been overcoming adversity and the loss of teammates all year long (Luke Brunette, Spence Carswell, and now Gavin)."
By virtue of a number-two seeding in the playoffs--Christian High (12-0, 22-4 overall), which Frank's team beat 5-2 for a tournament title but then lost three games to in league play, gains the top seeding--the Vikes play at home every game until they meet the higher-seeded Patriots.
On Wednesday's potential opponents, the La Jolla coach said, "We played San Dieguito early in the year. Gavin threw a no-hitter and drove in the only run of the game. They have a very strong team.
"Brawley is a very good program and always fields competitive teams."
Statistically, the 2021 edition of the LJHS stands pretty high: it has scored the most runs, gotten the most hits, and driven in the most RBI's in school history. The team has the second highest batting average, third most stolen bases, third most doubles, as well. Team ERA is currently fifth lowest in school history. The 214 strikeouts by LJ pitchers is a school record. Team fielding percentage is sixth in school history.
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