Photos by Carlo Montalbo & Jeff Serpa

Baseball:

There were more than a handful of San Gabriel Valley area athletes that had elite or MVP-caliber seasons in 2026.

Each of them shared the ultimate goal of winning a CIF-SS championship or more with their teammates.

When the dust had settled, Glendora was the lone 210 Prep Sports program that held up the CIF-SS (D-4) title trophy on championship weekend.

The Tartans outlasted Laguna Beach, 3-2, in nine innings at Cal State Fullerton.

Fast forward seven days, and GHS earned its first CIF State (D-3) Southern California Regional championship after a 7-3 victory over Kaiser.

And the Tartans mettle was tested on a number of occasions.

Glendora secured consecutive one-run victories in the CIF-SS quarterfinal, semifinal and championship rounds, and they opened the So Cal Regional playoffs with a 12-11 conquest of Culver City in 13 innings.

That season-saving win took four hours on Tuesday and approximately five minutes on Wednesday to complete.

Culver City had an 11-10 lead in the bottom of the 13th, but the Tartans had a runner on first with no outs when the game resumed the next day.

Three consecutive hits over a six-pitch stretch, and GHS had earned a spot in the semifinals.

After a 13-3 mercy-rule victory over Westview, the Tartans scored five runs in the bottom of the sixth on Saturday to defeat their visitors from Kaiser.

It was GHS’ third CIF-SS title and second in as many years.

The So Cal Regional championship, however, took Glendora’s historic run to another level.

There was literally a roster full of contributors that deserve credit for making 2026 arguably the most consequential season in program history.

Tanner Grable had an incredible senior year, as did John Seader.

Aidan Yamazaki was a great leader, Santiago Garza’s bat and Preston Tymchak’s arm played starring roles along the way.

But as well as they played, no one did more or was more clutch during the playoffs in more ways than sophomore Sebastian Lawrence.

His postseason stats were insane.

Perhaps no one put it better than two-sport stud Aidan Yamazaki when this reporter asked the Tartans senior what he thought about the idea of selecting Sebastian Lawrence as the (2026) 210 Prep Sports Baseball Player of the Year.

“I completely agree,” he said. “He kept our playoff run alive and saved us on multiple occasions.”

Here’s what Lawrence did.

He won three games on the mound during the eight-game postseason run, and contributed with his arm in games he didn’t get the official ‘win.’

Lawrence went the distance in Glendora’s 3-2 CIF-SS semifinal round victory at Saugus.

GHS trailed 2-0 in the top of the sixth when Santiago Garza capped the three-run inning with his two-run home run.

In the win, he allowed a pair of runs on four hits.

Lawrence didn’t issue a walk and registered four strikeouts.

Four days later at Cal State Fullerton, he only had three innings of eligibility for the week left, and Lawrence made them most of them.

He went a perfect sixth, seventh and eighth innings and struck out three Laguna Beach batters before Santiago Garza eventually singled home John Seader in the bottom of the ninth inning.

Lawrence contributed on the mound in two of the three So Cal Regional wins.

And while he didn’t necessarily have his best stuff, he battled and provided five innings in a condensed three-game four-day stretch in which the So Cal Regional begins and ends.

Lawrence’s biggest contributions came with a bat in his hands.

He went 15-for-29 at the plate.

Lawrence had at least one base hit in all eight wins.

Ten of his 15 hits were that of the extra-base variety.

Lawrence tallied six doubles and four home runs.

He scored nine runs.

And his biggest contribution?

Twenty postseason RBIs.

Lawrence finished the season with 35 RBIs.

That tied the GHS sophomore for most in the 210 Prep Sports coverage zone with Etiwanda’s Angel Mejia.

His five home runs are tied for third.

Lawrence hit .390 for the season, and his 39 hits is tied for seventh.

On the mound, Lawrence finished 8-1, which is fourth most in our zone.

He had a 3.16 ERA, and while he isn’t necessarily a strikeout pitcher, he did retire 39 batters on strikes.

Lawrence’s best game on the mound, as mentioned, was the complete-game effort at Saugus.

And there’s no question as to his shining moment offensively.

In the first round of the CIF State Division 3 So Cal Regional playoffs, Lawrence went 4-for-7 with three runs, a double, two home runs and six RBIs in the 12-11 victory over Culver City in 13 innings.

Most think his future is in baseball.

However, he won’t have too much time to celebrate Glendora’s historic baseball season, because his job as the Tartans quarterback is just over two months away from kick off.

If his on-the-field prowess wasn’t impressive enough, Sebastian Lawrence has an cumulative 4.6 GPA  in his two years at Glendora High School.

And he carries himself with dignity and treats others in a way we’d all want to be treated.

I asked Lawrence to answer the following: Why did you have so much success at the plate, what was your favorite individual moment and your favorite team experience this season?

Said Sebastian Lawrence: “I think I had so much success at the plate because of my coaches helping me out. Coach Greene throwing batting practice during actual practice and then to me and a couple of my teammates sometimes almost every day after practice. It also helped knowing my teammates and coaches placed their trust in me. It felt amazing to contribute on the mound and at the plate, because I knew I was serving my team and my community the best that I could. My favorite moment this season was when Santiago Garza walked off Laguna Beach for the CIF Southern Section Division Four championship. Individually, I would have to say the second Walnut game, because I threw all seven innings, almost a no-hitter, and I also went 3-for-4 at the plate with two doubles and a single.”

Quotable:

GHS senior, Aidan Yamazaki: “Seb’s competitive drive is truly unmatched. He really is the first one in every day and the last one out. You can tell by his poise on the mound that he has really focused on his craft and truly believes in himself and has the confidence you want to see in your starting pitcher. He kept our playoff run alive with his hitting on multiple occasions and kept us in so many close games with his dominant pitching performances.  I don’t think anyone else deserves the title of player of the year more.”

GHS senior, Tanner Grable: “Seb is a guy that is going to compete as best he can. We knew he was going to be a huge guy for us coming into the year and he definitely exceeded my expectations. He is a great athlete all around. He has the ability to be a hitter and pitcher at the next level.”

GHS sophomore, Riley Cooper: “Sebastian gave us his full effort every time he was put on the mound. He gave us everything he had no matter if he struggled or succeeded.  He was dominant throughout most of his outings, but even when he struggled, he didn’t let it affect him. At the plate, he was hitting balls hard no matter what pitch he saw or where the pitches were located. He played a major role in our run because he contributed in so many different ways.”

Glendora’s CIF-SS D-4 Playoff Run:
5/14: GHS 11, St. Anthony 5
5/20: GHS 10, Katella 6
5/22: GHS 4, Canyon 3
5/26: GHS 3, Saugus 2
5/30: GHS 3, Laguna Beach 2 (9)

Glendora’s CIF State D-3 Playoff Run:
6/3: GHS 12, Culver City 11 (13)
6/5: GHS 13, Westview 3
6/6: GHS 7, Kaiser 3

Sebastian Lawrence’s Offensive Playoff Stats:
5/14: 2-for-3, 2B, HR, 3R, 3RBIs vs St. Anthony
5/20: 3-for-3, 2B, HR, 1R, 4 RBIS at Katella
5/22: 1-for-3, 2B, 1R, 2 RBIs vs Canyon
5/26: 2-for-3, 2B at Saugus
5/30: 1-for-4 vs Laguna Beach
6/2: 4-for-7, 2 HR’s, 2B, 3R, 6 RBIs vs Culver City
6/5: 1-for-3, 2B, 1R, 3 RBIs vs Westview
6/6: 1-for-3, 2 RBIs vs Kaiser
Totals: 15-for-29, six doubles, four home runs, nine runs & 20 RBIs

Sebastian Lawrence’s Playoff Pitching Stats:
5/14: 4 1/3 IP, 6H, 5R, 0BB & 2K’s vs St. Anthony
5/20: 2 1/3 IP, 5H, 4R, 4BB at Katella
5/26: 7 IP, 4H, 2R, 0BB, 4K’s at Saugus
5/30: 3IP, 0H, 0BB, 3K’s vs Laguna Beach
6/2: 2IP, 3H, 4R, 2BB, 2K’s vs Culver City
6/6: 3IP, 8H, 3R, 1BB, 1K vs Kaiser