Baseball:

By Brian Reed-Baiotto, Sports Editor

There were a number of players and programs in the San Gabriel Valley that members of the media looked forward to covering during the 2020 baseball season.

For this writer, Maranatha’s Brock Vradenburg was on a very short list, because of his ability to change the complexion of a game with just one swing of the bat.

And the 6-foot-6, 230-pound first baseman was off to a tremendous start.

In just six games, Vradenburg had already racked up 11 hits, six of which were of the extra-base variety.

He homered twice, doubled two times, tripled and drove in 10 runs before the Coronavirus brought the world to a pause.

Vradenburg’s .550 average was fourth best amongst the 35-plus SGV area schools this site covers.

But his success didn’t happen overnight.

It all began back in 2018, his first full season at the varsity level.

Despite being one of the youngest starters in that lineup, Vradenburg hit fourth on a Maranatha team that ended the season on a 20-game win streak.

The 20th being a 4-2 victory at Cal State Fullerton over La Salle in the CIF-SS Division 3 championship game.

During that season, he hit .329, with 26 hits, nine runs, 19 RBIs and three doubles.

The roster was loaded with talent and characters, including the University of Arizona’s Dawson Netz, Dallas Baptist’s Max Blessinger and PCC’s Marco Martinez.

Netz, who set a new CIF-SS record by going 55 consecutive innings without allowing a run during the title run had a big impact on Vradenburg.

“I picked Dawson’s brain my entire sophomore year,” Brock said. “He is the most mature person I’ve ever met. I learned a lot from him. He taught me about the mental part of baseball. I also learned toughness from Max.”

One year later, Vradenburg hit .400, with 28 hits, 11 runs, 17 RBIs, six doubles, one triple and one home run.

His 13 walks tied Cam Slessor for the team lead and Vradenburg’s .500 on-base percentage led all Minutemen players.

That year, Maranatha went 17-11, claimed another Olympic League title, but fell in the second round of the D-2 playoffs.

At one point, Vradenburg served as a T.A. for Maranatha baseball coach Matt Shupper, and Brock asked his skipper if they could email some college programs to gauge interest in his services.

Instead of wanting to attend west coast universities and stay closer to home, Vradenburg liked the allure of Big-10 baseball, which is more of the “three-run home run” mentality and not the small-ball that many associate out here.

They got an earlier than expected response from Michigan State and the courtship was on.

An MSU coach named Graham Sikes was traveling to Arizona for a series at ASU and he let Shupper know he’d be close by and asked to come meet Brock.

One session in a batting cage and another the next afternoon at a Maranatha game and Michigan State was all in.

As happy as they were with the opportunity to have Brock’s bat in their lineup, they brought Vradenburg out to East Lancing on January 1 to see if he could handle the cold.

Just as the program was with him, Vradenburg was all in with the weather, the coaching staff, the academics and the surrounding area.

He’ll major in business and hopes to work in real estate or business marketing

With the stress of having to find a school to continue his baseball career eliminated from his mind, Vradenburg could concentrate on his studies and tearing the cover off a baseball.

And tear the cover off, he did.

In what turned out to be his last high school contest, Vradenburg had the biggest offensive game of his career at Maranatha.

The Minutemen were in Cerritos to take on Valley Christian in the Olympic League opener on March 7.

After having tripled, homered and then collecting a single, Vradenburg was given one final shot to hit for the cycle.

Most of the other starters had been taken out, but with a chance at history, it made sense to give Brock one more at-bat in the hopes of hitting a double.

And with a 3-0 count and Vradenburg admitting, “I was swinging no matter what,” the 6-foot-6 lefty crushed his second home run of the game.

It might be one of the only times a baseball player had been disappointed somewhat by hitting a home run.

Maranatha slugged their way to a 14-5 victory, finishing the season 5-1 overall, and 1-0 in league.

The only loss was a 3-2 decision at Bonita in a 10-inning game.

“That was a crazy way to end my career at Maranatha,” Vradenburg said. “Of all the things that disappointed me about having the season canceled, was the fact that we had such a great team, and I’m not just talking about the talent. We all got along well and were pulling in the same direction. But I enjoyed my time at Maranatha and with the guys. Winning a CIF championship was a great experience.”

Vradenburg’s parents play a big role in his life.

His mom, Ann, as Brock put it, “takes care of me with school and the mental side,” and his father, Todd, “is the reason for my athletic success. My dad played football at San Diego State and is an athletic junkie, and he’s my number one motivator.”

Vradenburg also wanted his club ball coach, Erikk Aldridge, to know how much he meant in Brock’s evolution as an athlete and for helping Vradenburg believe that with hard work, he could be a special baseball player.

One of the other studs on that 2020 Maranatha baseball team was Eli Paton, who will play for UCLA in 2021.

We asked Paton his thoughts on Vradenburg.

“Brock could be described as a gentle giant, standing at 6-foot-5, you are always looking up to him,” Paton said. “Brock is a great leader and played a major role in Maranatha’s success the last three years. He is one of the most consistent hitters I have ever seen at a high school level. He can hit with power to all parts of the field and Brock was able to push myself and his other teammates to be great.”

These days, Vradenburg works out with his trainer when they can and adheres to the social distancing norms, and for fun, he watches a ton of Duck Dynasty on YouTube and plays Call of Duty.

Finally, we asked Vradenburg to describe his experience at the Pasadena school.

“I am very thankful to Maranatha and Coach Shupper for all their guidance and support,” he said. “Even when I wasn’t on varsity my freshman year, Coach Shupper made me feel like I mattered and that meant a lot to me. He is a very good person, who cares a lot about his players, and the Maranatha student body in general. I also appreciate the schedule and tournaments we played in, because it gave all of us a chance to be seen.”

For his part, Shupper said Vradenburg “contributed in huge ways to the success of our program. Brock was always eager to learn anything and everything he could about this game and he wanted to be better tomorrow than he was today. He had a very strong work ethic, was very selfless and just wanted to do his part in helping us win as many games as possible. And because of that attitude, his teammates and coaches love him.”

Brock Vradenburg’s Career Stats:

2020: .550 batting average, with 11 hits, two doubles, one triple, two home runs, six runs and 10 RBIs

2019: .400, 28 hits, 11 runs, 17 RBIs, six doubles, one triple, one HR, & 13 walks

2018: .329, 26 hits, 9 runs, 19 RBIs, three doubles, .398 OBP

Career: .426, 65 hits, 26 runs, 46 RBIs

Maranatha Record With Vradenburg:

2020: 5-1, 1-0

2019: 17-11, 11-1 (league champs)

2018: 27-4, 12-0 (league champion, CIF D-3 champion)

Career: 49-16 overall, 24-1 in league, 6-1 in the playoffs, including D-3 championship in 2018