It was another action-packed year of high school baseball this spring, once again featuring fierce rivalry battles amongst the three local Channel League squads.
While Dos Pueblos and San Marcos ended the year as co-Channel League champions, the matchups between the Chargers, Royals and Santa Barbara High Dons never failed to raise the stakes and showcase the impressive talent in the 805.
Much of that local talent was rewarded for their impressive individual seasons, and the local schools were well represented on the All-Channel League baseball squads.
However, it was the Chargers who led the local contingency, pulling in two of the four All-Channel League individual honors.
Dos Pueblos head coach George Hedricks was honored as the Channel League Coach of the Year after leading his team to a 10-4 league record and a share of the league title. The Chargers also reached the CIF-SS D3 Quarterfinals.
At the forefront of the Dos Pueblos success was freshman phenom Matti Di Maggio, who was crowned the Channel League MVP. Di Maggio made his presence known immediately, setting a program record for home runs with 11 to go along with 36 hits, 37 runs scored and 22 RBIs in 31 games.
Meanwhile, Rio Mesa seniors Daniel Puebla and Rob Rodriguez were named Co-Channel League Pitchers of the Year.
Dos Pueblos
Di Maggio was joined on the All-Channel League First team by senior Evan Bean, senior Liam Shea and junior Taylor Young, showcasing the strong depth of this year’s Charger team.
Senior Spencer Holtz and junior Marcus Carbajal provided clutch offense throughout the year for Dos Pueblos on their way to earning All-Channel League Second Team selections.
The pairing of senior Esteban Garcia and junior Jameson Barth rounded out the team’s honorees as All-League Honorable Mentions.
San Marcos
The Royals’ senior trio of Mason Crang, Miles Herbert and Levi Monson capped off their high school careers with All-League First Team honors, while sophomore Quinn Melton gave SM fans plenty to look forward to with an All-League First Team season of his own.
Senior Landon Johnson and junior Patrick Foster were key members of the San Marcos lineup from start to finish to help the team to a share of the league title, picking up spots on the All-League Second Team.
Senior Grant Hoover and junior David Burkholder excelled at the plate and on the mound, respectively, to garner All-Channel League Honorable mention nods.
Santa Barbara High
The Dons reached the CIF-SS Division 5 playoffs this season after battling their way through the regular season, and much of their success can be attributed to All-League First Team selection and senior Jetner Welch.
Meanwhile, senior Emiliano Ramirez and sophomore Jack Paskin handled the bulk of the pitching duties and were honored as All-League Second Team members.
The senior duo of Max Weddle and Milo Winckler played key roles near the top of the Dons’ lineup en route to being named All-League Honorable Mentions.