Baseball:
They weren’t even supposed to be there.
This same Covina ‘White’ team finished second in the Covina Baseball Association League to Covina Red.
They went 0-2 against the Red in the regular season.
But Covina White started their postseason journey at Goddard Middle School, where they went 2-2.
They defeated Ventura County and Santa Monica, and that was good enough to qualify for the Zonal at Hollenbeck Park in Covina.
Standing in their way to the Colt World Series, however, were the CBA champs.
Covina White opened play with a 16-2 first-round victory over Corona.
In the quarterfinals, they edged Covina Red, 3-1.
An 18-8 beatdown of Redondo Beach in the semifinal set up a rematch in which Covina Red would need to beat Covina White twice to earn a spot in Marion, Illinois.
Covina White was having none of that, though, and they punched their ticket with a dominating 11-3 victory over the regular season champions.
Covina represents the West Zone, as they open World Series play on Friday against Nicaragua at 3 (1 Pacific time).
The World Series runs from July 26-30 at Marion Stadium in Illinois.
It’s a 10-team double-elimination bracket.
If Covina wins on Friday, they’d face Southern Illinois on Saturday at 8.
If they fall in their first-round game, Covina will battle the Czech Republic-Michigan loser on Saturday at 12.
Andy Flores is likely to be on the mound Friday.
He picked up both wins against Covina Red.
Kevin Mitchell, a lefty, has also been key during this playoff run.
Aiden Aramburo and Omar Paredes are just a couple of the hitting leaders for Covina.
In the postseason, Aramburo is batting .500, with eight hits and six RBIs.
Paredes is hitting at a .484 clip, with four base hits, including three doubles and four RBIs.
Covina is getting contributions throughout its lineup, including time hitting from Dylan Hynes and Kevin Mitchell.
Although they are a Covina team, 10 of the 13 players that have traveled to Illinois are from Glendora High School.
It’s the first time since 2017 that a Covina team has made the Colt World Series.
The first-round schedule, names of Covina players and link to the World Series official site are listed at the bottom of this story.
Good luck, boys!
Quotable:
Covina manager, Jose Flores: “Everyone is in shock. The Covina Baseball Association is one of the top organizations of its kind in Southern California, and Glendora wasn’t expected to do as well as we did. Really, our goal in entering the league was to just get more reps for our kids throughout the summer and see who has what it takes to be on the varsity team. Many of our kids have been playing together in little league and other programs since they were in T-ball. No one involved with the team, including the coaches, players, and their families expected to be going to Illinois this summer, so we’ve been scrambling around trying to make our arrangements. These kids have been dreaming of playing in the Little League World Series, and now here they are, going to the Colt League equivalent. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”
Friday’s Round Games:
Czech Republic vs Michigan at 9
Texas vs Japan at 12
Covina vs Nicaragua at 3
Marion, Illinois vs Mexico at 8
** Southern Illinois & Ohio have a first-round bye.
Covina Coaches:
Jose Flores
Tony Garza
Ben Garcia
Covina Players & Their High Schools:
Reed Agosta (Glendora)
Aiden Aramburo (Glendora)
Johnathon Barnett (Covina)
Jackson Dossey (Glendora)
Andy Flores (Glendora)
Diego Flores (Glendora)
Noah Garcia (South Hills)
Diego Garza (Glendora)
Dylan Hynes (Glendora)
Kevin Mitchell (Glendora)
Omar Paredes (Glendora)
Noah Robledo (Glendora)
Tyler Womack (Temple City)
Teams in 2024 Colt World Series:
Asia-Pacific Champ: Tokyo, Japan
European: Prague, Czech Republic
Mexico: Monterrey, Mexico
Caribbean: Masaya, Nicaragua
East: Youngstown, Ohio
North: Bay County, Michigan
South: Palmview, Texas
West: Covina, California
Host Team: Marion, Illinois
Southern Illinois
To view the official website of the 2024 Colt World Series, click on the link here: Colt World Series > Home
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