Photos by Adan Jaime

Baseball:

By Brian Reed-Baiotto, Sports Editor

Since the age of 12, Jake Brown has always wanted to play baseball at Cal Baptist University.

He loves what the school stands for and has a high regard for the baseball program.

In fact, the Lancers are the back-to-back Western Athletic Conference champions.

He also knew that his parents, Leighanne and Michael Brown, would be able to make the 17-mile trip to Riverside to see their son play all of his home games.

On Tuesday, in front of his parents, Brown called Lancers’ baseball coach Gary Adcock to let him know he intended to commit to Cal Baptist.

It was an emotional moment for Brown to make that dream come true, especially having to watch his parents choke up in the background.

One of the Lancers’ assistant coaches, Andrew Brasington, was also in on the conversation.

Brown just finished a remarkable senior year at Rancho Cucamonga High School.

The Cougars finished fourth in the Baseline League behind Damien, Chino Hills and Los Osos in that order.

But RCHS made a run to the CIF-SS Division 4 title game and a semifinal appearance in the CIF State Division 4 playoffs.

Brown hit home runs in both the semifinal and championship game.

His solo blast in the bottom of the fifth inning on June 15th helped the Cougars upset No. 1 ranked Murrieta Mesa, 2-0, in the D-4 semifinals.

Brown’s numbers speak volumes.

He led RCHS in every offensive category, including average (.427) hits (47), runs (31), RBIs (25), doubles (10), triples (2), home runs (five), on-base percentage (.515) and slugging percentage (690).

Brown also contributed on the mound.

He went 2-2, with a 2.69 ERA.

Brown ate up 41 2/3 innings and struck out 33 batters.

And as much success as he had, Brown wanted to talk about the year “we had,” not “I had.”

“We did stuff this season that I’ll never forget,” he said. “And every member of this team is responsible for that, as are the coaches. We had some rough spots along the way, but even when we struggled in Baseline League play from time to time, we knew we were preparing ourselves for a potential run in the playoffs. And we sure made a run in the postseason. I am so thankful to every teammate and coach I’ve had at Rancho. I would not be where I am without them and I’ll always appreciate them. Our coaches didn’t just teach us about baseball, they taught us about life and I’ll take everything I learned with me for the rest of my life.”

Brown saved the last for his two favorite people, Leighanne and Michael Brown.

“My parents have sacrificed everything to give me the opportunity to learn, grow and succeed in baseball and life,” he said. “I can’t put into words just how much their love, guidance and support has meant to me and my ability to be in a position to chase my dreams and hopefully play professional baseball one day. I want them to know that I love them so much and appreciate everything they’ve done and continue to do in support of their youngest kid. My dad is always making sure I have everything I need and is my biggest fan and my mom is the one who brings me up when I’m down. She gives me unconditional love and support and it means everything to me.”

Quotable:

RCHS coach, Tony Garcia: “Jake was a coach’s dream. An unmatched work ethic and a passionate desire to make his teammates better. He played his heart out for our team. When asked to make adjustments, he immediately worked his tail to learn it and do his best to make it happen for his team and teammates. I am gonna be talking about this kid for a long time to my future players. It was a privilege to have him for the past two years. He will make a name for himself at the big stage for CBU. He has all the ingredients to be big at the next level. He will work hard to make our program proud!”

To see Adan Jaime’s photo gallery of Brown, click on the Facebook link here : (3) Facebook