California: Hot Start For Davidson, Yucaipa

Whether Yucaipa’s Matt Davidson is going to carry through with his commitment to play baseball at USC or be wooed into the professional ranks by a handsome signing bonus remains to be seen.

Matt Davidson, Yucaipa

Photo By Kirt Winter

No matter what the 6-foot-4, 225-pound right-hander decides, Davidson is a nugget. It’s just a matter of how long it takes him to polish his game. For sure, he is off to a great start.  

Davidson has driven the Thunderbirds to a 14-1 mark and a national ranking (No. 23 in this week's MaxPreps Xcellent 25). He is batting at a .524 clip (22 for 42) with three home runs and 19 RBI.

As a pitcher, Davidson’s numbers are arguably more glittering. In eight appearances, he has posted three wins and four saves. He has not allowed an earned run and owns 24 strikeouts in 16 2/3 innings.

Not surprisingly, the Trojans have Davidson ticketed as a two-way player – pitching and playing third base.

Davidson, who has been clocked in the high 80s, has been selected to participate in the Aflac All-American High School Baseball Classic at Dodger Stadium in August.

MORE BASEBALL: Saintly southpaw is heavenly

Jordan McLaughlin of St. Augustine was named the MVP for the 4A Division of the San Diego 59th annual Lions Tournament after helping drive the Saints past Otay Ranch 8-0 in the finals. McLaughlin was 8-for-14 with a home run and five RBI in the five tournament games. The junior left-hander also pitched five shutout innings to gain the victory in the finale.

ADD BASEBALL: Torrey Pines’ Reading railroads foes

Torrey Pines senior second baseman J.J. Reading went 3-for-3 with two home runs and four RBI as the Falcons outslugged 14-10 a Cathedral Catholic outfit that features seven Division I college-bound athletes in a San Diego Lions Tournament contest. A day later Reading broke up a no-hitter with a single against El Capitan. 

SOFTBALL: Stanford-bound pitcher leads Norco to Carew crown

Although best known for her pitching prowess, Norco’s Teagan Gerhart is actually a double threat. She proved that in the championship game of the Michelle Carew Classic in Anaheim. Gerhart drilled an RBI single in the bottom of the ninth inning, giving Norco (15-2) a 3-2 victory over Vista Murrieta (13-4). She also pitched a complete game, striking out 12.  In the semifinals, Gerhart homered and fired a shutout against Oceanside El Camino.

MORE SOFTBALL: Carlsbad pitcher serving up strikeouts

Carlsbad pitcher Monica Villarreal logged 26 strikeouts in victories over Torrance and Granada Hills Kennedy in the Rancho Buena Vista Longhorn Softball Tournament.  She allowed only one earned run in 16 innings.

Other Top Performances                             

– Poway junior Evan Thomas clubbed three home runs and finished 4-for-4 with four RBI in the Titans’ 7-3 victory over Valhalla in a San Diego Lions Club Tournament game.

– Chino Hills batted around in each of the first three innings to take a 14-1 lead and eventually claimed a 16-8 victory over La Verne Damien in a nonleague baseball game.

– St. Augustine’s Matt Brown, a senior left fielder-designated hitter, batted .615 with two home runs, four doubles, six runs and nine RBI as the Saints went 5-0 in the San Diego Lions Tournament.

– Collin Jarvis of Rancho Buena Vista won the 3,200-meter run in a nation-leading time of 8:58.15 at the Arcadia Invitational. That is the 12th-fastest time in SDSCIF history.

– Harvard-bound Sammy Silva of Our Lady of Peace (SDSCIF) ran the fastest girls mile in the nation this season, finishing in 4:54.08 at the Arcadia Invitational.

– Isaiah Turner of Bakersfield Stockdale was 4-for-4 with three home runs and five RBI as the Mustangs toppled Torrey Pines 14-3.

­– Santa Margarita’s Trayce (CQ) Thompson hit four of his Orange County-leading seven home runs against Anaheim Servite.

– Senior right-hander Bryan Crabb of Coronado blanked Pacific Palisades 1-0 on a 3-hitter, while striking out 14. He was also 2 for 2 with a walk.

– Sophomore third baseman Antonio Duenas of Kaiser went 6-for-8 with six RBI to lead the Cats to a doubleheader sweep over Fontana.  

– Chula Vista softball freshman Kaela Williams went 8-for-11 with six extra-base hits, nine RBI and three stolen bases in three games.

Coming Attractions

The Scripps Ranch Boys Volleyball Tournament will be held April 17-18 in the Falcons lair. This event is one of the premier regular season tournaments in the SDSCIF.

Dickens Dealings

Shifts in population often lead to new schools and league realignments. This usually tests the winds of change. To be sure, pleasing all involved won’t happen.

At least two SDSCIF conferences plan to shuffle their affiliations – one in the East and another in the North.

For the first time since 1994, the East San Diego County Grossmont Conference will have a new look. The 11 Grossmont district schools have agreed to rearrange their present alignment effective for the 2009-2010 seasons.

This guideline covers all sports except football, which will remain in its current structure for one more season.

The setup sends Grossmont and West Hills into the larger schools Grossmont South League, while the Spring Valley schools, Mount Miguel and Monte Vista, jump to the Grossmont North League. These moves are based on enrollment as much as number of championships won, depending on who you talk to.

Those in favor and those against the changes argued until the ink dried.

Bottom line, here is the new arrangement:  

Grossmont South:  Helix, Granite Hills, Valhalla, Steele Canyon, West Hills and Grossmont.

Grossmont North: El Capitan, Santana, El Cajon Valley, Mount Miguel and Monte Vista.

There also is talk of Christian High, a private Division IV school in East County, joining the Grossmont North. But that too, has been met with opposition.

Fear of the Patriots coaches recruiting in the area has some of the long-time administrators lobbying against allowing Christian entrance. That in itself is ludicrous. If Christian wanted to lure athletes away from neighborhood schools it could be done without membership in the Grossmont Conference.

Admission of Christian would balance the conference with six teams in each league. The Patriots have proven they can compete in the majority of sports.

Intense growth in the North County Conference, which currently consists of 19 schools divided into the Avocado, Palomar and Valley leagues, has initiated discussion of developing a fourth league. That has been prompted by the fact that three new schools are opening in the area.

Any changes in the North, however, will not occur until the 2010-2011 school year. Plenty of banter will be bounced off the walls between now and then.

In the North, there are more private schools attempting to gain acceptance including powerhouse Cathedral Catholic.