By Ed Piper
Tim Holdgrafer's induction into the La Jolla High Baseball Hall of Fame puts him among some pretty special people in Viking history. Bob Allen, a Class of 1977 graduate, and Gary Frank, 1990, both played pro ball in the minors after starring at LJHS. Brent Woodall, of course, took things to another level, a 3.9 GPA as a student who starred in the "legacy" sports of football, basketball, and baseball. He was named Prep Athlete of the Year in San Diego in 1988. He played in the Cubs' system, later a victim of the 9/11 terrorist attack in 2001.
Not being from San Diego, I had Bob Skinner's baseball card as a kid. He and Gene Littler, the pro golfer, both Viking alumni, helped form a committee to move ahead on the baseball field at Muirlands Middle School in 1979.
Reading my Pipeline coverage June 14, 2015, the year "Timmy" (as he was commonly called) was named CIF Player of the Year in baseball, Frank, La Jolla's coach, said: "He is immensely talented, but also he is one of the hardest workers on the team."
"He wasn't always the most vocal person on the team, but when he said something, everyone paid attention," Frank continued. Holdgrafer had outstanding junior and senior seasons at La Jolla, his .364 batting average from the third slot in the order and his 10-1 won-lost record as a righthanded starter as a senior setting the pace--10 wins being the all-time LJHS record for a single season. (He hit .366 as a junior, .349 as a sophomore.)
What is interesting is that Holdgrafer joined his uncle, Jason Green, in the Viking record book as the only two pitchers with 100 strikeouts.
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