Pictured L-R: Gabe Lopez & Fernando Palencia 

Baseball:

Signing Day:

Arcadia saw two key contributors to its Pacific League championship run sign on the dotted line to continue their baseball careers at the collegiate level.

Fernando Palencia is headed to the University of San Diego, and Gabe Lopez will pitch for Cal State Dominguez Hills.

In this writer’s opinion, Palencia, along with South Hills’ Sterling Patick, were the SGV area’s most consequential baseball players in 2023.

Palencia batted .481, with 37 hits, 26 runs, 15 RBIs, 10 doubles and two home runs.

He was equally as valuable on the mound, going 7-1 with four saves and a 1.59 ERA.

Palencia struck out 53 batters in 39 2/3 innings.

Gabriel Lopez made up one-third of one of the SGV’s premier pitching staffs.

Lopez, Palencia & Ian Hoffstetter), went a combined 20-3 on the mound for Nick Lemas.

He might not have gotten as many headlines as Hoffstetter and Palencia, but Lopez played a major role in the Apaches going 20-5 in 2023, including an 11-1 run in Pacific League games.

Lopez went 5-1, with a 1.87 ERA.

He struck out 49 batters and his 48 2/3 innings on the mound was second to Hoffstetter (65 2/3 IP).