Orange Coast, San Joaquin Delta, Mt. San Antonio and Sacramento City converge on Fresno for baseball championship
CCCAA Baseball Championship
Fresno City College
May 26-28
State Championship Bracket l Championship store
Tournament Headquarters (links for webcasts, live stats, recaps)
By John Van Gaston
Cerritos College
FRESNO, Calif. - After three playoff rounds, it comes down to the final weekend in May to determine the CCCAA Baseball State Championship the top two teams from the north will face the top two teams from the south to decide who'll hold the trophy. The three-day tournament begins on Saturday with a pair of first-round games - Orange Coast vs. Sacramento City at noon, and San Joaquin Delta vs. Mt. San Antonio at 6 p.m.
Below are preview for each of the four participating teams.
San Joaquin Delta College (40-8)
Northern California #1 Seed
Big 8 Conference Champions
Regional – Def. Taft, 4-1, 8-1
Super Regional – Def. San Mateo, 15-12, 2-5, 8-7
Sectional – Def. Ohlone, 7-2, 6-10, 9-3
CCCAA State Championships – 2 (1959, 2011)
CCCAA State Runner-up – 3 (2009, 2014, 2015)
Head Coach – Reed Peters
Returning to the CCCAA State Championships after a one-year hiatus, San Joaquin Delta College had to win a pair of third-game contests in the post-season to reach the Final Four. The Mustangs, who were the top-ranked team in the state the majority of the season, have qualified for the Final Four six times in the last 10 years. They powered their way into the state championships with 42 home runs on the season and have scored a state-leading 466 runs this season. A rare combination of power and patience at the plate, San Joaquin Delta also lead the state with 295 walks. Additionally, they have been successful with their team speed, swiping 102 bases and have complimented their offensive approach with the six-best team ERA (3.24) in the state.
Individually, the duo of Jake Cruce (11 HR) and Beau Philip (10 HR) are the only pair of hitters in the state to have double-digit numbers from the same team. Not to be outdone, the state-leader in doubles, Zack Mathis, also ranks fourth in the state with 57 RBI, while Cruce has driven in 56 on the year. All nine starters in the batting order are hitting over .300 and are led by Jimmy McClenaghan and his .418 average. On the bump, the tandem of Nick Avila and Kevin Kyle have each won nine games, while 11 different players have won at least one game this season. The team’s other two starters, Garrett Munn and Raul Rizo have combined to win 10 games, while the staff has combined to strike out 418 batters, which is the second most in the state.
Sacramento City College (33-14)
Northern California #2 Seed
3rd Place Big 8 Conference
Regional – Def. Chabot, 6-1, 5-1
Super Regional – Def. Fresno City, 13-7, 15-11
Sectional – Def. Sierra, 3-14, 4-1, 2-1
CCCAA State Championships – 5 (1951, 1953, 1988, 1998, 1999)
CCCAA State Runner-up – 11 (1967, 1968, 1984, 1987, 1989, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1997, 2002, 2006)
Head Coach – Derek Sullivan
A fixture throughout the 1980s and 1990s at the state tournament, the Panthers are making their first appearance since 2007. Under the direction of Jerry Weinstein through those two decades, Sacramento City won three championships and reached the championship game six other times. They had a three-year run from 1991-93 where they came up short in the state championship game each year. In 2018, they swept past their first two opponents, but found themselves with their backs against the wall after being defeated, 14-3 by conference rival Sierra College. They bounced back for 4-1 and 2-1 wins to reach the Final Four. In that clinching win, they hung on by getting out of a bases loaded situation in the eighth inning and then held off the host Wolverines in the ninth inning. Not a team who will light up the scoreboard, the Panthers rank 71st in the state with a .258 team batting average, they find ways to get on base. Ranking third in the state with 249 walks, Sacramento City is tied for 13th in the state in runs scored (331). They have done an exceptional job on the mound and rank fourth in the state in ERA (2.91) and have allowed only 355 hits in 421 innings.
Jake Guenther leads the offense in batting average (.338), hits (52), doubles (14), walks (45) and is one of three players with 46 runs scored. Kody Gardner has driven in a team-leading 47 runs this year, with eight different players hitting at least one home run. Ben Purcell leads a deep pitching staff with eight wins and 61 strikeouts, with closer Adam Erickson one of the most effective hurlers on any team. In his 21 appearances, Erickson is 5-1 with eight saves and a 1.80 ERA. Starters Danny Chavez (6-1) and Carlos Melero-Salaiz (4-2) both have ERAs under 3.00, while 10 different pitchers have won games this season for the Panthers.
Orange Coast College (33-13)
Southern California #1 Seed
Orange Empire Conference Champion
Regional – Def. Cuesta, 4-3, 5-3
Super Regional – Def. Riverside City, 2-1, 11-6
Sectional – Def. El Camino, 9-0, 7-4
CCCAA State Championships – 6 (1956, 1960, 1980, 2009, 2014, 2015)
CCCAA State Runner-up – 3 (1955, 1958, 1962)
Head Coach – John Altobelli
As recently as the 2015 season, Orange Coast College was hoisting their second straight CCCAA State Championship trophy, both at the expense of San Joaquin Delta College. The Pirates, who were able to escape Cuesta College in the regional playoffs, thanks to a pair of comeback wins, are the only team to go undefeated in the postseason. Through the month of February, the Pirates were an uncharacteristic 8-7 on the year, but regrouped and went 25-6 the remainder of the season. Orange Coast, who doesn’t rank in the top 10 in the state in nine of the 10 offensive categories (they are 4th in doubles with 104), gets the job done with clutch hitting from everyone in the lineup at different times. Same with their pitching-by committee, as they rank 29th in team ERA (4.54) and are 41st in runs allowed (247). But in their seven playoff games, the Pirate pitching staff allowed just 17 runs (16 earned) on only 40 hits.
Aside from Murphy Stehly and his .331 batting average, no other regular is batting over .318, while Ramiro Velasquez (.315) leads the way with six home runs and 37 RBI. Seven different players have driven in at least 20 runs, with five players clubbing double-digit numbers in two-base hits. The pitching staff has used nine different starters during the season, with Cameron Jabara (8-0, 3.86 ERA) and Michael Giacone (6-2, 87 Ks, 2.00 ERA) rising to the top of the ladder. Josh Berman (5 saves) and Doug Magee (4 saves) have been effective out of the bullpen, while the staff has recorded 358 strikeouts on the year, which is tied for the seventh most in the state.
Mt. San Antonio College (35-12)
Southern California #2 Seed
South Coast Conference North Division Champion
Regional – Def. Santa Barbara City, 7-3, 15-10
Super Regional – Def. Glendale, 5-4, 8-5
Sectional – Def. Saddleback, 7-6, 4-13, 3-2
CCCAA State Championships – 2 (1964, 1965)
CCCAA State Runner-up – 0
Head Coach – John Knott
The newcomer to the group, Mt. San Antonio College is making their first state tournament appearance since the 1960s. As the #4-seed out of Southern California, the Mounties were able to go to #2-seeded Saddleback College and post a pair of one-run wins to earn the right to play in the Final Four. In fact, three of their six wins were by one run after going 3-5 in one-run games during the regular season. As one of two teams in the Final Four with a team batting average over .300 (the Mounties are hitting .311 on the year), they also rank fourth in runs scored (370), fifth in hits (514), tied for 10th in triples (20) and are 12th in both on-base percentage (.403) and slugging percentage (.442). The pitching staff is tied for seventh in strikeouts (358) and rank 19th in runs allowed (221).
Elijah Greene leads the state in batting (.438) and hits (88) this season, which includes 16 doubles, eight home runs and 46 RBI, and is joined by teammate Anthony Walters in the top 10 in slugging percentage. Walters, who leads the Mounties with 10 home runs, 18 doubles and 59 RBI, has a .711 slugging percentage, with Greene checking in at .687. Walters (.371) and Ryon Knowles (.362) also come in with lofty batting averages, while Michael Sandoval is third on the team with 45 RBI. Pitching ace Cornelussen is 12-1 with a 3.46 ERA on the year, with Jacob Kampen going 7-1 with a 3.21 ERA during the regular season. The two-headed tandem of Steven Ordorica and Zach Bromstead have combined to go 10-2 with nine saves in 47 combined appearances and are the Mounties go-to pitchers out of the bullpen, along with Matt Garcia, who is 3-2 in 24 appearances (23 in relief).