Photos sent to us by the Easter family

Baseball:

By Brian Reed-Baiotto, Sports Editor

If you went by statistics alone, Mikey Easter’s three-year run for the Arcadia baseball program was a massive success, both individually and collectively.

But to appreciate Easter’s full value as a ballplayer, one needs to know about his tireless work ethic, not to mention the growth he’s made as both a player and a person, and the number of positions he’s played.

Easter was easily one of the most consistent and versatile stars within the SGV baseball scene, and he eventually grew into the role of an effective and respected leader.

With Mikey Easter in the every day lineup, the Apaches went 52-9 overall.

He and his boys went 30-1 in Pacific League play, and that includes league titles in 2019 and 2021.

The 2020 season was halted after seven games, and at that time, Arcadia was 5-2 overall and 3-0 in league.

If you know anything about the Pacific League, it’s no secret that Arcadia versus Crescenta Valley is one of the SGV’s best and most heated baseball rivalries.

For quite a while, the Falcons ruled the Pacific League roost.

That all changed when Easter walked onto the Arcadia High School campus.

And while Easter would be the first to tell you that his teammates contributed just as much as he did, there are very few Arcadia baseball players that can say they went undefeated against Crescenta Valley.

Easter and the Apaches went 6-0 against CV during his prep career.

Four came at the varsity level, and in 2018, the Apaches freshman team swept the Falcons.

And he ended his career at Arcadia as the Pacific League’s Most Valuable Player.

Easter has practically played every position on a baseball field.

As a sophomore, he played first base and did a little pitching for Nick Lemas’ program.

In 2020, Easter was at shortstop and he finished his remarkable high school career behind the plate.

With all due respect to the versatility he displayed in the field, it was Easter’s bat that made him well known in the SGV baseball world.

In two seasons plus seven games in 2020, Easter tallied 78 hits, 60 runs, 72 RBIs, 22 doubles, five triples and two home runs.

His career batting average is approximately .451, and during his senior campaign, Easter led the Apaches in hits (40), runs (31), RBIs (31) and doubles (10).

His .488 batting average this past season was second to Jack Esguerra, who hit at a .522 clip.

Easter continues to work on his game as well as his body, and with numbers like we just mentioned, you might think Division 1 college programs would be knocking down his door.

Perhaps that would have been the case had Easter not committed to Hawaii Pacific during the pandemic.

Easter, however, recently decommitted for a number of reasons, and he’s become one of the area’s most valuable free agents.

His plan is to play one year at either East Los Angeles College or Pasadena City College, and to put together an impressive enough season to get the attention and interest from highly touted division one programs.

Easter will announce his decision tomorrow (Friday) whether it’s ELAC or PCC that gets his services in 2022.

And for any interested coach or scout, it should be mentioned that Easter works just as hard in the classroom as he does on a baseball field.

He left Arcadia with a 3.4 GPA.

Easter credits a number of individuals for helping him become such an elite and versatile player.

Two of those being Arcadia coach Nick Lemas and assistant coach, Gabe Hyatt.

Easter said Lemas and Hyatt have been invaluable to his career.

“I have known Coach Lemas and Hyatt since I was little,” Easter said. “Coach Lemas has always been there for me. During my freshman season, I couldn’t pull the ball and he worked with me all the time. Gabe has also spent so much time with me to fix my mechanics at the plate as well as helping me become the best catcher I could be. I really want them to know how much I appreciate them.”

Easter’s parents, Kim and Mike, play equally important and yet different roles in his life.

And you might be surprised to learn who has to play bad cop from time to time.

“My mom has been at every baseball game I’ve ever played. And while she’s my biggest fan and has shown me unconditional love throughout my life, she’s also not the slightest bit shy to put me in my place when I need it. There were times when I was younger that I was afraid to get in the car after a bad game. I knew I was about to hear about it. But I know it all comes from a loving place and that she knows what I’m capable of achieving. My dad has been there with me on the field as a coach and he always made sure that I had my head on straight. He has always been there to support me in every phase of my life and I love both of my parents so much for all their love, support and guidance.”

Aside from all of Easter’s physical gifts, and what separates him from so many solid baseball players is the fact that even in the best of times, he works his ass off to become better today than he was yesterday.

And he genuinely loves the game, his teammates and coaches.

“I would give a lot to have one more game with my boys,” Easter said. “I have never been on a team that was this united or close. We talk daily and hang out as often as we can. I’ll never forget my time at Arcadia, and that also includes my coaches, classmates and teachers.”

We asked Coach Lemas to touch on the following:

What has his role been year by year? As a lifelong baseball guy, what do you respect/appreciate most about him? What do you think he’s capable of doing beyond Arcadia in his baseball career?

Said Nick Lemas: “He was our starting first baseman as a sophomore. He wasn’t quite ready to be our starting catcher, and we already had a group of solid infielders. He had never played first before, but took to it very naturally. We also plugged him right into the middle of our lineup. I’m pretty sure he hit fourth all season and ended up being one of the valley’s top run producers. He also pitched a little bit, I know we needed him to start a tournament game and we hoped he could give us 2-3 innings and keep us in the game. I think he ended up throwing five or six scoreless innings.

During his junior year, Mikey was probably our best catcher, but he was our best infielder too. And he ended up being our starting shortstop since our other catcher was more limited to just catching.

This year he added about 10-15 pounds of solid weight and was undoubtedly going to be our catcher. Pitching became tough as the physical demand of catching prevented him from pitching much. But honestly, he could have played any position on the field. He did end up starting games at catcher, first, shortstop and third base this year. The bottom line is that this kid is a baseball player. It doesn’t matter to him where he plays, but as coaches, we know wherever we put him, he’ll be solid.

Last thing, If you asked each coach on our staff about Mikey, they’d all say the same thing. “I love that kid. “And it’s not just because he’s good at baseball. He’s a good person, a hard worker, a good listener, a good leader and this list goes on.”

Quotable:

Arcadia coach, Nick Lemas: “Mikey came into our program with a ton of talent and potential. But from day one, he bought into the philosophy of our program. He never had any ego or the “I’m not comfortable trying that” mentality. As time went on, he continued to develop every aspect of his game. His sophomore year, he had a lot of talented players to look up to and learn from. He became that same leader by the time this year came around. And under the circumstances of the year, there was no better person to lead us.”

Arcadia assistant coach, Gabe Hyatt: “Easter has been a dream to coach and watch grow as a player and young man. He’s always looking to push his game to another level, which as coach, makes it a lot of fun showing up to the field everyday. Watching him be a sponge to some of our leaders over the past few years has really been a big part of him growing into a strong leader of our program as well. A lot of guys that have a high level of success early on at the high school level, as he did, get complacent. Mikey is the opposite of that. His willingness to grind and grow as a player really sets him apart and is why you will continue to see a lot of success from him on and off the baseball field. We are gonna miss him for sure but I am excited to see him ball at the next level.”

Arcadia pitcher, Casey Spencer: “I’ve known Mikey since I was like seven and he’s never changed . He’s always been a grinder and a great friend. Mikey is one of those guys you want on your team. He will give you 110% on the field and will always put in the extra work. He made pitching this year a whole lot easier, because I trust him with everything.”

Arcadia infielder, Matthew McIntire: “Mikey has been my teammate ever since we were seven years old. Growing up with him and being on the same team as him really taught me how to compete. Mikey is such a fierce competitor and it really makes everyone around him better. Everyone sees Mikey working his butt off, which makes everyone else work just as hard. He is never satisfied with the results he gets, because he always thinks he can do better. He always pushes me to  get better, which I am very grateful for. He is a great teammate but an even better friend.”

Arcadia pitcher, Julian Eskridge: “Mikey is the best teammate that someone could ask for. He keeps everyone accountable, pushes everyone to get better, always gives his all, and leads with his words and by example. He’s always working hard, on the field and in the gym, assuring that he gets better everyday. Everyone around him wants to get better as a result of his contagious attitude and ethic. There’s no one I would rather compete with since he’s a hell of a friend, competitor, and my favorite catcher.”

Former Arcadia/current ELAC player, Jacob Lopez: “Easter is a great kid on and off the field. When I was a junior at Arcadia, Mikey was a freshman and just the physicality this kid showed was remarkable. I don’t even think he’s scratched the surface of what he can be.his The following year when we became teammates, I got to know him more and basically he was like a younger brother to me. When season came in the spring, I was just in awe of the IQ this kid had at the age of 15. He has power, he is good in the field and has a high IQ which is everything you could hope for in a teammate.”

Former Arcadia/current St. Mary’s pitcher, Preston Howey: “Mikey is a great baseball player. I’ve played with him and against him growing up and seeing the way he goes about things is at an elite level and he’s truly one to watch. Whenever I’ve watched him play, his baseball IQ is probably one of the best that I’ve seen. As far as I’ve seen, he’s a great catcher and has all the tools that one needs to succeed in that position. He’s a great guy and I’m excited to see his baseball career take off.”

Former PHS coach/current South Hills assistant coach, Mike Parisi: “I’ve know Mikey since he was 12 playing at Heasley Field. Watching him grow and develop into the player he is today has been fun. I’ve seen all the hard work he has put into this great game. We have a great relationship today and I’m one of his many fans. I am proud he has joined the Arcadia All CIF team. Congrats on a great high school career, and bring on the next journey.”

Muir baseball coach, Adonis Harrison: “Mikey is one of the best hitters I’ve seen in high school baseball. This guy can flat out hit. I really believe he’s going to be a big league catcher in the near future.”

Former St. Francis/Muir QB & outfielder, Jack Clougherty: “I have known Mikey and played with him since he was 10. He has always been a great competitor and works really hard at what he does. It was always fun to play against him. He was always a tough out and hard to steal on when he was catching.”

Mikey Easter Career Stats:

2019: .389, 28 hits, 18 runs, 32 RBIs, eight doubles & three triples, 12 walks
1-0 on the mound with 0.68 ERA in 10 1/3 innings

2020: 476, 10 hits, 11 runs, nine RBIs, four doubles, one triple & one HR
1.24 ERA in 5 2/3 innings. One walk & six strikeouts

2021: .488, 40 hits, 31 runs, 31 RBIs, 10 doubles, triple & home run

Arcadia’s Record w/Easter:
2021: (22-5 overall, 14-0 in league)
2020: (5-2, 3-0)
2019: (25-2, 13-1)

To view a photo gallery of Mikey Easter through the years, click on the Facebook link here: Facebook