​

By Brian Reed-Baiotto, Sports Editor​

​

When Marshall takes the near eight-mile bus ride to Rosemead on Tuesday in the CIF-SS Division 7 semifinals, the Eagles go in with some serious momentum.​

​

Marshall and Rosemead have played twice this year in Mission Valley League play.​

​

And the Eagles were victorious on both occasions.​

​

In fact, Rosemead’s regular season finale was a 9-5 home defeat at the hands of the Eagles.​

​

Marshall is also on a six-game win streak, outscoring its opponents by a margin of 42-9 over that stretch.​

​

In their regular-season finale, Marshall shut out first-place Arroyo, behind a complete-game effort by freshman Travis Delgado.​

​

Why is that relevant?

Because ​Arroyo is in the other half of the D-7 bracket in the semifinal round.

​

And that also means there is at least a 50-percent chance or better that the D-7 final could be an all-MVL showdown.​

The Knights will make a 170-mile road trip to Santa Maria to take on Valley Christian Academy (11-7-1) at 3:15.​

While the Arroyo-Valley Christian game matters in the big picture, Marshall’s sole focus is on Rosemead, as it should be.

Marshall finished third in the Mission Valley League, behind Arroyo and El Monte, in that order.

Regardless of what happens tomorrow, this 2019 club has more than doubled their win total from a year ago.

With one more win this season, the seniors will have won as many games in 2019 as they had in the three previous years combined.

Marshall’s win total is also the program’s best showing in more than 15 years, as MaxPreps records/stats only date back to 2005.

Marshall’s win total is also the program’s best showing in more than 15 years, as MaxPreps records/stats only date back to 2005.

The Eagles success this season, though, hasn’t really derived from their offensive prowess, or lack thereof.

As a team, Marshall is hitting just .217.

But fortunately for the Eagles, they’ve gotten some timely base hits in big moments.

The lion’s share of the credit should go to the Marshall pitching staff for this incredible season.

Thomas Arnst, Alex Nava and Travis Delgado have combined to go roughly 150 of the 162 innings in 2019.

The Eagles team ERA is a very respectable 2.20, and they’ve played their best baseball down the stretch.

Marshall has had many heroes throughout this successful 2019 campaign.

But Sam Karp, Alex Chew, Alex Nava, Travis Delgado and Thomas Arnst have been vital and consistent throughout the season.

Thomas Arnst and Alex Nava have been durable, dependable and clutch, as Marshall’s 1-2 punch on the mound.

What’s been special for the Eagles tandem is once they start a game, they usually aren’t done until everybody is shaking hands after a win.

Between the two of them, Arnst and Nava have combined for 131 innings, and their records aren’t indicative of their excellence.

Both have lost low scoring games.

Thomas Arnst is a junior and has been a rock for coach Joe Federico’s pitching staff.

Arnst is 6-4 with a 1.85 ERA.

He’s gone 61 innings, walked 18 and struck out 67 batters.

Arnst is 2-0 in the playoffs, which includes wins over both Ojai Valley and Bosco Tech.

He’s gone 13 innings in the two games he started and has allowed just one earned run over that stretch.

He hasn’t walked a batter and struck out 12.

Arnst went one inning of relief in Nava’s victory over Tarbut V’ Torah and he actually walked one batter.

“Thomas is one of the best pitchers in the area because of the arm angle he throws from and his ability to locate his pitches,” Federico said. “He is also mentally strong when he’s on the mound, and nothing seems to bother him.”

Alex ​​Nava has contributed both on the mound and at the plate.

He is 5-2, with a 1.21 ERA.

Nava has logged 70 innings on the mound, walked 36 and fanned a team-high 78 batters.

Nava is also batting .297, with 19 hits, eight runs and seven RBIs.

He’s been consistent throughout, but he’s really come into his own over the last half of league play and now into the playoffs.

In his 9-0 victory over Tarbut V’ Torah, Nava went six scoreless innings.

He allowed just one hit.

Nava walked three and struck out nine in the victory.

“Alex has given us a great effort over the past four years,” Federico said. “Alex wants to win. He works extremely hard and is very coachable. He’s become a better pitcher throughout the year and has done a terrific job in the outfield when he’s not on the mound.”

​​Sam Karp’s bat has been as red-hot as his hair.

All jokes aside, Sam Karp has been the foundation of Marshall’s offense.

And before getting to those impressive numbers, we would be remiss if we didn’t mention that Karp was also a contributing factor for the history-making 2018-19 Marshall boys soccer program.

Karp and his teammates won the CIF D-6 championships and were the runners up in the CIF State finals.

But back to baseball.

Karp is batting .382 with 21 hits.

How good is that?

The freshman is batting 85 points higher than the next closest Eagles’ batter.

He’s scored 10 runs, has 11 RBIs and four doubles.

Karp leads (statistically) the Eagles offense in average, hits, RBIs, doubles, on-base percentage (.485), slugging percentage (.454) and OPS (.940).

“Sam has a really good swing and uses the entire field, which is why he leads our team in batting average. He can also play multiple positions, which helps us when we need to make changes,” Federico said.

Alex Chew has also been crucial for Marshall.

​​Chew is tied for second in hits with 19.

His 14 stolen bases are just two behind team leader, Jacob Hernandez, who has stolen 16 bases in 24 attempts.

Chew has scored 12 runs, which is third best amongst the Eagles.

He has three RBIs.

Chew’s on-base percentage is .398, slugging is .318 and his OPS is .717 through the first 24 games.

“Alex has matured as a baseball player throughout the season,” Federico said. “We moved him from the outfield to catcher because he has a great arm. Alex has become a better hitter because of his ability to recognize pitches and his willingness to hit the ball where it is pitched.” ​

Last but not least is the baby of the group.

Travis Delgado, however, has played like a man, despite his being just a freshman.

His 3-0, complete-game victory (and shutout) on the mound over Arroyo in the regular season finale was as impressive as any this season for the Eagles.

Delgado has been there whenever Federico needed an inning or two here and there, and he’s more than prepared to, as proven, go deep into a game if he gets a start.

On the mound, Delgado is 3-1, with a 3.98 ERA.

In 19 innings pitched, he’s walked 12 and struck out 19.

Offensively, Delgado is batting just .208.

But he’s collected 15 hits and scored 13 runs, which is second best on his team.

His five doubles are tied for most with Nava.

And Delgado is the only Marshall player with both a triple and home run.

“Travis has more natural power than anyone on our team. He has done a great job as our closer and spot starter, and even a better job as our third baseman,” his coach said.

We asked Federico at what point he thought this season could be special.

Said Federico: “I have been telling these guys all year that they are a group that can do something special and they have bought in. We say, “if we hit, we win”. We pitch well and play solid defense. Our hitters have started making adjustments, so they have become more successful. We also played some pretty good teams in the preseason and I think they learned some lessons from the butt kicking(s) they took in those games. My coaches have done a great job with these guys and they continue to improve on a daily basis.”

By the way, the best part about this group of five solid athletes for the Marshall baseball program is that two are freshman (Delgado & Karp), one is a sophomore (Chew), one is a junior (Arnst) and Nava is the lone senior.

The immediate future for Eagles’ baseball looks very bright.

In comparison to Marshall, Rosemead’s team batting average is 80 points higher.

But the Panthers’ pitching staff has a pretty fat 5.59 team ERA.

And you don’t have to be a baseball aficionado to know that pitching is the name of the game in this sport, especially in the postseason.

We asked each of the five players what they felt their roles were, at what point did they realize this was a new day for this program and why, and lastly, why has Marshall been so successful this season?

Their answers are below.

Quotable:

Marshall senior Alex Nava: “My role on this team is to be a leader. I knew this could be a big year at the beginning of the season, because we came together and worked hard, and did so as a team. The team bonding and our coaching staff as well as the preparation at every practice was a big part of our success.”

Marshall junior Thomas Arnst: “I see my role on this team as being one of our main starting pitchers, and to me, that means keeping the other team’s score to a minimum. I believe my role is to do the best I can when I am called upon to do my job on the field.

I always felt like our team could make it to CIF and go deep into the tournament. Since the beginning, our coach always told us we could dominate in our league and make it to CIF, and in our first few practices and games, I realized the potential we had for this season.

Practicing every day and getting better every day has made our team successful. On days when some schools weren’t practicing, we were getting in extra reps. Also, the addition of a few new coaches on our coaching staff has brought new insight into the game and made our team more successful than previous years.”

Marshall freshman Travis Delgado: “I’m only a freshman, so my role is to just get better every day. Coach Federico knows this and doesn’t expect the freshmen to be the best, but he does expect us to learn from our mistakes. I have to contribute wherever the team needs, whether that is hitting, pitching, or fielding. At the same time, my role is to learn from the upper classmen who have more experience than me.

All year our team has had a strong bond. This is a family. I see the seniors in the halls and instead of acting too cool for me, they ask “What’s up?” We do team bonding activities. We have good chemistry. We started off the season with a couple wins. The team felt really good and we were getting a good idea of what we could do this season.

But in the middle of the season, our team started to slump. We had a tough stretch with some ugly losses. And honestly, I started to wonder if we would even make the playoffs. I was discouraged but the leaders on our team and the seniors assured us that we would be fine. They told me to keep my head up. They never lost faith.”

Marshall freshman Sam Karp: “I see myself as the motivator. I keep the guys going and get them fired up. I felt good about this team from the beginning. I felt we had confidence from the start. The new freshman and additional coaching staff brought a new attitude. Consistency and team chemistry have played a big role in our success.”

Marshall sophomore Alex Chew: “I see my role as a teacher to some of the freshmen. We knew from the beginning of the season that our team was in good shape as we had incoming freshmen that had lots of potential, as well as our overall work ethic during practice. The help of the coaches, as well as our hard work is what made Marshall successful throughout the duration of the season.”

Getting to know Thomas Arnst:

Favorite team: Dodgers

Favorite movie: Benchwarmers

Favorite musical artist: Juice Wrld

Musical artist some might be surprised I like: Queen

Someone famous I’d like to speak with: Warren Buffett

Getting to know Sam Karp:

Favorite team: Dodgers

Favorite movie: Interstellar

Favorite musical artist: The Beatles

Musical artist people might be surprised I like: Vicente Fernandez

Someone famous I’d like to speak with: Fred Rodgers

Getting to know Travis Delgado:

Favorite team: Angels

Favorite movie: Happy Gilmore

Musical artist some may be surprised I like: Thomas Rhett

Someone famous I’d like to speak with: Mike Trout

Getting to know Alex Chew:

Favorite team: Dodgers

Favorite movie: Ted

Favorite musical artist: Lil Uzi Vert

Musical artist some may be surprised I like: The Beatles

Someone famous I’d most want to talk to: Mike Trout

Getting to know Alex Nava:

Favorite team: Dodgers

Favorite movie: The Sandlot

Favorite musical artist: Nav

Someone famous I’d like to speak with: Fernando Valenzuela

​Tuesday’s CIF-SS Division 7 Semifinal Schedule:​

Arroyo (13-8-1) at Santa Maria Valley Christian (11-7-1)​

Marshall (15-8-1) at Rosemead (9-9)​

​2019 Mission Valley League Standings:​

Arroyo (13-8-1, 10-2)​

El Monte (14-8-1, 8-4)​

Marshall (15-8-1, 7-4-1)​

Rosemead (9-9, 6-6)​

Mountain View (8-12, 5-7)​

South El Monte (3-19-1, 3-8-1)​

Gabrielino (4-13, 2-10)​

​Marshall’s Postseason Schedule:​

May 2: Marshall 16, Ojai Valley 1​

May 7: Marshall 9, Tarbut V’ Torah 0​

May 10: Marshall 3, Bosco Tech 2​

​Rosemead’s Postseason Schedule:​

May 2: Rosemead 11, Hesperia Christian 3​

May 7: Rosemead 7, Indian Springs 3​

May 10: Rosemead 11, Southwestern Academy 1​

​Head to head match ups between Marshall and Rosemead:

March 1: Marshall 2, Rosemead 1​

April 16: Marshall 9, Rosemead 5​

May 14: Marshall at Rosemead

Marshall Records Through The Years:

2019: (15-8-1)

2018: (7-14)

2017: (5-17)

2016: (4-15)

2015: (8-13)

2014: (12-9)

2013: (12-10)

2012: (11-11)

2011: (1-12)

2010: (4-9)

** Thanks to Felita Kealing for the photo.