Baseball: By Brian Reed-Baiotto, Sports Editor As the 2020 baseball season neared, Arcadia senior Justin Rios was expected to be the No. 3 pitcher for the reigning Pacific League champions. Fellow seniors Preston Howey (13-1, 0.75 ERA) and Chris Wilson (10-1, 0.99 ERA) were coming off a remarkable 2019 season. And they were arguably the […]
Baseball: By Brian Reed-Baiotto, Sports Editor Luke Heiberg’s high school baseball career was much like a roller coaster. He had dramatic up and down moments. But unlike a roller coaster, Heiberg finished on top (of his game). Heiberg began his prep career at La Salle, and despite starting his freshman campaign on the JV team, […]
Baseball: By Brian Reed-Baiotto, Sports Editor Before Adonis Harrison took over the reins of his alma mater in 2018, the Muir baseball program was irrelevant. It might sound mean, but it’s the nicest and most politically correct way of saying it. Harrison, though, came in and his impact was felt instantly, and it earned the […]
Baseball: By Brian Reed-Baiotto Justin Gutierrez was ‘heart broken’ when COVID-19 cut his high school baseball career short. And it wasn’t just because he wanted to finish out the final two-thirds of his senior season. It was also because in 2020, Gutierrez had gone from PO (pitcher only) to the second best hitter in the […]
Baseball: By Brian Reed-Baiotto, Sports Editor There were a number of players and programs in the San Gabriel Valley that members of the media looked forward to covering during the 2020 baseball season. For this writer, Maranatha’s Brock Vradenburg was on a very short list, because of his ability to change the complexion of a […]
Baseball: By Brian Reed-Baiotto, Sports Editor Eli Paton finished his high school career at Maranatha on a high note. But it didn’t start off that way. Paton transferred to the Pasadena school after his sophomore season at Loyola. And after sitting out the first eight games of 2019, Paton struggled mightily. Heading into mid-April of […]
Baseball: 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, […]
By Brian Reed-Baiotto, Sports Editor There isn’t a scintilla of hyperbole in saying that Thomas Arnst left the Marshall Fundamental baseball program much better off than when he found it four years ago. And before going any further, Arnst would want you to know that his teammates and coaches had just as much to do […]
Baseball: By Brian Reed-Baiotto, Sports Editor Bonita’s AJ Moreno and Trevor Caton played instrumental roles in the success of both Steve Bogan’s football program and Ryan Marcos’ baseball team. Moreno and Caton also did well in the classroom, are regarded as very solid young men and they are best friends. The Bearcats’ duo played football […]
Baseball: By Brian Reed-Baiotto, Sports Editor Amongst the thousands of seniors throughout the state of California who had to endure a massive gut punch when the 2020 baseball season was officially canceled, San Dimas’ Liam Rocha and Blake Johnson had every reason in the world to be angry. And before getting into their stories, it […]
High School Sports: By Brian Reed-Baiotto, Sports Editor N’Jiaye Bonwell and D’Andre Smith recently stopped by campus to pick up their cap and gown. This coming Tuesday, the Saints duo will also receive a diploma that will recognize their four years of excellence in the classroom. But what they didn’t know when collecting their graduation […]
Baseball: By Brian Reed-Baiotto, Sports Editor At first glance, one might wonder two things about 18-year old Zach Jacobs. Does he live in Huntington or Newport Beach, and is he a surfer or skateboarding enthusiast? In reality, this innocent looking kid is a baby-faced assassin on a pitcher’s mound. But it sure didn’t start out […]
Water Polo: By Brian Reed-Baiotto, Sports Editor When Ellie Travisano walked onto the GHS campus for the first time, expectations were incredibly high. And they came from both the girls water polo program and Travisano herself. From day one, Travisano has been a captain and a leading contributor for a team that hadn’t made the […]
Pictured L-R: The Salgado family & Al’s drawing, which includes Derek Jeter, Babe Ruth, Ken Griffey Jr., Mickey Mantle, Roger Maris, Nolan Ryan, Jose Cruz, Barry Bonds and Jackie Robinson By Brian Reed-Baiotto, Sports Editor Al Salgado is a talented, creative and versatile man. The 1985 Edgewood High graduate went on to play baseball at […]
College Baseball: Pictured L-R: Abel pitching for Cal Baptist, Abel w/wife Jennifer & daughter Joy. By Brian Reed-Baiotto, Sports Editor Abel Galvan wasn’t necessarily a superstar baseball player, but the 50-year old Workman High School graduate is without question a Hall of Fame person. And that’s not a slight at his efforts or success on […]
Baseball: By Brian Reed-Baiotto, Sports Editor It would be difficult to find an SGV area program that made a bigger turnaround in 2020 than Rancho Cucamonga. One year after going 7-20 overall, and 3-12 in Baseline League games, the Cougars claimed nine victories in their first 12 games. And it wasn’t like RC rolled out […]
By Brian Reed-Baiotto, Sports Editor Numbers alone can’t fully measure the worth of a player or coach. But numbers alone made Pat McGee the Pasadena area’s best (high school or college) coach over the 2016-17 sports calendar season. And while McGee had much more of an impact than just wins and losses, we’ll keep […]
College Sports: By Brian Reed-Baiotto, Sports Editor If Tony Barbone was judged solely on his success as a baseball coach at Azusa High School, APU and Concordia, it would be considered a very impressive life. If you looked at the quantity and quality of his family, friends and colleagues, one might be envious. But it’s […]
Baseball: Pictured L-R: Skip and son Michael at Yankee Stadium, & Skip w/wife, Cinda. By Brian Reed-Baiotto, Sports Editor Skip Claprood couldn’t have been more mistaken. When this reporter asked the Citrus College Hall of Famer to describe his baseball career, the 74-year old legend said he was “a dime a dozen.” To be fair, […]
Even for the most talented of athletes, there is typically a slight learning curve or minor adjustments that one makes while transitioning from high school to college baseball.
