Senior righthander Kevin Steel (8-2) pitches at home
against Mira Mesa April 27 in a 7-3 win.
Tuesday's play-in starter yielded five hits
and struck out six in that winning effort.
(Photo by Ed Piper)
By Ed Piper
Seeded fifth in the CIF Division 3 playoffs, La Jolla plays host to Hilltop, the 12th seed, Tues., May 17, at 3:30 p.m. in a play-in game for the postseason at the team's complex on the campus of Muirlands Middle School.
The Vikings (8-2 in the City League, 17-11 overall) will go with senior righthander Kevin Steel, the 6'5" starter who carries an 8-2 record this season, with a 1.81 ERA. Steel pitched last week's co-championship clincher at Mission Bay, when La Jolla secured a share of the league title with the Buccaneers for their first league title in eight years.
In that game May 11, "QB1" (Coach Gary Frank's nickname for the quarterback, who shared time with Jackson Stratton at the position last Fall) went the distance, giving up five hits and one run, striking out nine while walking one and hitting one batsman. You would think that Steel's stats this season would put him in the running for all-league as well as All-CIF honors.
"We are looking forward to putting Friday's (May 13) disappointing loss (at home to Mission Bay for sole possession of the City League championship) behind us," said Frank Sun., May 15, "and bouncing back with a much more competitive effort.
"We are very confident with Kevin Steel on the mound, and are excited to continue competing as a team, and make a run at a CIF title."
The 2022 edition of the Vikings carry a .280 team batting average, with Steel, freshman Hank Hansen, and senior Nicky Reynolds leading the way in the lineup packing, respectively, season averages of .370, .333, and .314.
Which is not taking anything away from fellow hurler Beau Brown, a senior lefthander, who compiled a workman-like 5-4 win-loss record on the mound in a team-leading 57 2/3 innings, alongside a .308 batting average. Third baseman Spence Carswell led the Vikings in RBI's with 18 during the regular season, but Brown, who will enter UCLA in the Fall, drove in 16 just behind Steel's 17 RBI's.
"Brownie" was brilliant for 6 1/3 innings Friday in a 2-0 loss to Mission Bay. His fastball was effective, as well as his "slurve" (slider/curve) in limiting the Bucs to four hits. Unfortunately, with a scoreless duel until then, Mission Bay chipped him for a couple of hits. When he was pulled by Frank for closer Carswell in the turbulent seventh inning, a bunt disputed by Frank led to Brown's being run into by the batter/runner, who ran near and possibly inside the foul line to first base on the play.
The runner already on base scored, and La Jolla was left with a hard-luck try at attempting to win the City League outright. Instead, with the defeat, the Vikings had to lick their wounds and settle for sharing the championship with their league rival.
Mission Bay enters the Division 4 playoffs as the second seed, enjoying a day off Tuesday during the play-in round before taking on the winner of High Tech High Chula Vista-Calexico on Wednesday.
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