Baseball:

By Brian Reed-Baiotto, Sports Editor:

Etiwanda entered the 2022 season just one year removed from having won 12 games and finishing fifth in the Baseline League.

The Eagles’ pitching staff returned junior Dylan Goff (3-3) and seniors Alfredo Capacete (3-4) and Garrett Mnich (3-1), who combined to go 9-8, with a 4.42 ERA over 89 innings pitched in 2021.

EHS did not earn a postseason berth in 2021.

But in 2022, and to the surprise of many, the Eagles put together a year for the record books.

Etiwanda’s 27 wins tied the 2017 squad for most in school history.

The Eagles would go 12-3 to claim their third Baseline League title since 2017, including a 4-2 record against Damien and Rancho Cucamonga.

And Etiwanda would cap their 2022 season by defeating Temecula Valley (10-2), Warren (10-1), Pacifica (10-0), Palos Verdes (5-0 in 11 innings) and Torrance (6-1) to earn a second CIF-SS Division 2 title in five years.

The Eagles would have 10 days off between the CIF-SS D-2 finals and the start of the CIF State D-2 Southern California Regional playoffs.

Etiwanda would pick up victories over Maranatha (6-1) and Birmingham (12-1) before running out of pitching and falling in the D-2 So Cal Regional final to visiting Torrey Pines.

Aside from winning 75-percent of their games and securing a league and CIF-SS championships, what made this season so special for all involved was needing and getting production from every member of their roster.

They had heroes throughout their lineup and on the bench.

Among a team full of star-worthy contributors, it was junior Dylan Goff, and a freshman stud named Brady Ebel, who did much of the heavy lifting.

Goff and Ebel would combine to go 18-0 on the mound with a 0.73 ERA.

And for their starring roles in a championship season, Goff and Ebel have been named the 210 Prep Sports Baseball Players of the Year.

Brady Ebel would turn in nothing short of a historic rookie season.

Ebel, the son of Dodgers’ third-base coach Dino Ebel, let it be known early on that he was going to be special.

In his first career high school start on March 23rd, the EHS right-hander threw a no-hitter in a 7-0 victory over Ramona.

Ebel finished his freshman campaign with a 6-0 record and a 0.32 ERA in 44 innings pitched.

He walked nine and struck out 35 batters.

If Brady hadn’t tweaked his back in a semifinal round state victory over Birmingham, it is more than likely that EHS would have added a D-2 state regional title to their resume.

Ebel’s most clutch performance was in the CIF-SS D-2 semifinals at Palos Verdes.

He went the first six scoreless innings, but in the bottom of the seventh, the Sea Kings had the bases loaded and one out in a 0-0 tie.

The Eagles 14-year-old got out of the jam, Yahir Ramirez would go four more scoreless innings, and Etiwanda went on to score five times in the top of the eleventh to keep their season alive.

But that was just half of what Ebel contributed to Etiwanda’s success in 2022.

He batted .330, with 35 hits, 23 runs, six doubles and two triples.

Ebel would earn the Baseline League MVP after leading the pack in RBI’s (36) and home runs (5).

You wouldn’t think a kid with his skills and at such a young age could be as humble as he is, but Ebel mentioned that while he spent time with his father, he got to watch the way in which Mike Trout and Albert Pujols carried themselves, and there might not be two better role models than Trout and Pujols in the baseball world.

When asked his expectations for this freshman season, he kept it simple: “I went into this year wanting to earn a spot on the varsity team, having a starting spot and competing at the varsity level. Collectively, our expectations were to win our league and win CIF championship, and we did that,” Ebel said.

His coach put it this way: “Brady Ebel is a special young player.  His baseball IQ is through the roof at an early age.  He loves to compete and believes in his game vs. anyone.  Also, he embraces being a two-way player and wants to continue to do it,” Don Furnald said.

Dylan Goff said, “we asked a lot of Brady and he delivered. He pounded the zone, threw a lot of strikes and was very successful.”

It’s going to be fun for all to see how much this young man develops over the next three years.

Dylan Goff, quite simply, had the most successful year of any pitcher in the area.

Goff went 12-0, with a 0.73 ERA.

In 86 innings pitched, Goff walked 25 and struck out 93 batters.

And it was the Etiwanda ace that was on the mound in the Eagles’ biggest games.

If you ask his coaches and teammates what makes Goff so special, it’s the high percentage of strikes he throws, his ability to stay calm and Dylan’s willingness and trust in his defense to make plays behind him.

They also said his 3-3 record in 2021 was not indicative of how well he pitched, but even they couldn’t have predicted a perfect run this year.

In 2022, as the season went on, Goff got stronger, and his outings went longer.

Goff has gone from 5-foot-9 or so to 6-foot-1, and his velocity has increased from the mid-70’s to 84-86 in just over a year.

“Dylan always wants the ball,” Furnald said. “He worked extremely hard this offseason to get to this spot.  All of the workouts and lessons paid off.  He was a workhorse for us and his ability to throw strikes consistently with all pitches is his biggest strength.”

It goes without saying that Goff’s biggest moment was being on the mound at Cal State Fullerton on Saturday, May the 21st.

He would go the distance, but faced a serious threat in the top of the sixth inning, as Etiwanda led Torrance, 3-1, in the CIF-SS Division 2 title game.

The Tartars had runners on first and second with no outs and the potential go-ahead run at the plate.

As the spirited Torrance fans and dugout came alive, Goff took a deep breath, got back on the mound and dashed any hopes of a comeback, thanks to a 5-4 double play and a strikeout to end the threat.

Goff is humble about his accomplishments, and doesn’t like to take much credit, but we’ll let Brady Ebel describe Goff’s importance.

“Dylan is our ace and we wouldn’t be CIF champions without him.”

Goff has many people that he’s appreciative to, but none more than his parents, Stephanie and Ryan Goff.

“I couldn’t ask for more supportive parents,” Goff said. “Anywhere I need to be, they make sure I get there and if I need extra work, they pay for it, because they want to give me the best chance to succeed in baseball and life. My mom is always there for me, and is my biggest fan. She makes sure I’m doing well in class, and my dad gives me tough love. He isn’t shy in telling what I need to hear, which isn’t always what I want to hear. But I know he does it, because he believes in me and loves me.”

Goff also wanted to make sure the offense and his defense got as much credit as he and Brady did for this year’s success.

And one of the unsung heroes was senior Yahir Ramirez, who went 3-2 on the mound with a 2.87 ERA.

In 31 2/3 innings pitched, Ramirez walked eight and fanned 21 batters.

He was part of a pitching staff that helped shrink the team ERA from 4.76 in 2021 to 2.31 in 2022.

Ramirez went the final four scoreless innings in the semifinal win at Palos Verdes, 6 1/3 scoreless innings in a first-round state win over Maranatha and two scoreless against Torrey Pines before they broke out in that third inning.

Goff said team chemistry isn’t something you can fake.

You either have or you don’t.

And this 2022 team had terrific team chemistry, which meant each Eagles’ player put the program’s best interest above any individual glory.

Last but certainly not least was an Etiwanda offense that had a team batting average of .326, and scored just under eight runs per game.

The Eagles offensive leaders include:

Austen Roellig: (.446, 37 hits, 34 runs, 19 RBIs, 12 doubles, one triple & two HR’s)
Tyler Shigenaka: (.385, 35 hits, 25 runs, 20 RBIs, eight doubles, one triple & one HR)
Armando Briseno: (.382, 47 hits, 35 runs, 24 RBIs, six doubles, four triples & three HR’s)
Mike Harrison: (.347, 25 hits, 20 runs, 23 RBIs, eight doubles & three HR’s)
Brady Ebel: (.330, 35 hits, 23 runs, 36 RBIs, six doubles, two triples & five HR’s)
Tyler McEvoy: (.326, 30 hits, 24 runs, 26 RBIs, nine doubles, three triples & two HR’s)
Alfredo Capacete: (.299, 23 hits, nine runs, 14 RBIs, six doubles & one triple)
Parker Sobiesiak: (.296, 21 hits, 19 runs, 16 RBIs & three doubles)
Abraham Zapata: (.292, 19 hits, nine runs, 12 RBIs, four doubles & one triple)
Kaedon Mas: (.271, 19 hits, 22 runs 17 RBIs, one double, one triple & one HR)

Finally, congratulations to head coach Don Furnald, and his assistants, Dan Meltreger, Paul Gonzales, Bob Anton and Al Montes de Oca.

Quotable:

Etiwanda junior Parker Sobiesiak, on Goff & Ebel: “Brady had a tremendous year being that he is 14. I mean he’s really good. There is no denying that. I feel hv stuck to his game plan and executed when he needed to. Dylan was dominant on thv mound and if you handed him the rock, he was ready. Brady and Dylan did an amazing job and definitely stood out. But I also felt this was a team effort and we really came together. I feel like Mando (Armando Briseno) really took charge and guided us as a team.”

Etiwanda junior Tyler McEvoy, on Goff & Ebel: “Both Brady and Dylan were a huge part of our success due to the fact they were both able to carry an undefeated record and bring us to the big stage in CIF.”

2022 Etiwanda Statistical Leaders:

Pitching:
Dylan Goff (12-0, 0.73 ERA, 86IP, 25 walks, 93 strikeouts)
Brady Ebel (6-0, 0.32 ERA, 44IP, nine walks, 35 strikeouts)
Yahir Ramirez (3-2, 2.87 ERA, 31 2/3IP, eight walks, 21 strikeouts)
Jorge Solares (3-1, 6.18 ERA, 11 1/3 IP, 14 walks, 11 strikeouts)

Dylan Goff in Baseline League & the Playoffs:
Etiwanda 10-2 victory over Temecula Valley in D-2 playoffs: 6IP, 2R, 3H, 3BB, 10K
Etiwanda 10-0 victory over Pacifica in D-2 quarterfinals: 6IP, 2H, 0R, 3BB, 4K
Etiwanda 6-1 victory over Torrance in D-2 championship: 7IP, 1UR, 6H, 0BB, 9K
Etiwanda 12-1 victory over Birmingham in CIF State D-2 semifinal: 6IP, 1R, 4H, 3BB, 8 K’s
Etiwanda 7-0 victory over Upland: 6IP, 0R, 3H, 2BB, 7 K
Etiwanda 7-1 victory over RCHS: 7IP, 1R, 5H, 2BB, 7K
Etiwanda 4-2 victory over Chino Hills in 10 inn: 5IP, 2R, 7H, 4BB, 5K
Etiwanda 17-2 victory over Los Osos: 4IP, 0R, 1H, 1BB, 6K
Etiwanda 3-2 victory over Damien: 7IP, 1ER, 5H, 1BB, 7K

Brady Ebel in Baseline League, Playoffs & No-Hitter:
Etiwanda 5-0 victory over Palos Verdes CIF D-2 semifinal (11 inn): 7IP, 0R, 6H, 1BB, 6K
Etiwanda 10-1 victory over Warren in second round of D-2 playoffs: 1R, 7H, 0BB, 5K
Etiwanda 16-1 victory over Upland: 4IP, 0R, 2H, 1BB, 3K
Etiwanda 9-1 victory over RCHS: 6IP, 0R, 1H, 1BB, 2K
Etiwanda 10-1 victory over Chino Hills: 6IP, 1UR, 2H, 1BB, 4K
Etiwanda 3-1 victory over Damien: 7IP, 1R, 4H, 2BB, 8K
Etiwanda 7-0 victory over Ramona: 7IP, 0R, 0H, 3BB, 7K

2022 Baseline League Standings:
Etiwanda (27-9, 12-3)
Damien (17-12, 10-5)
RCHS (18-12-1, 8-7)
Upland (12-16, 6-9)
Los Osos (14-12-1, 4-10-1)
Chino Hills (12-14-2, 4-10-1)

2022 CIF-SS & State Playoff Scores:
5/5: Etiwanda 10, Temecula Valley 2 (CIF-SS D-2 First Round)
5/10: Etiwanda 10, Warren 1 (D-2 Second Round)
5/13: Etiwanda 10, Pacifica 0 (D-2 Quarterfinal)
5/17: Etiwanda 5, Palos Verdes 0 (11 innings) in D-2 Semifinal
5/21: Etiwanda 6, Torrance 1 (D-2 Championship Game)
5/31: Etiwanda 6. Maranatha 1 (CIF State D-2 State First Round Game)
6/2: Etiwanda 12, Birmingham 1 (CIF State D-2 semifinal)
6/4: Torrey Pines 19, Etiwanda 8 (CIF State D-2 final)