ALL-COUNTY BASEBALL TEAM 2024
El Modena’s Nick Santivanez is the Orange County Register baseball player of the year for 2024. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register/SCNG)
PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Nick Santivanez, El Modena, Senior
One player cannot carry a team in baseball.
El Modena senior Nick Santivanez came close, though, this season.
A pitcher and third baseman, Santivanez was the Crestview League MVP and was selected to the All-CIF Southern Section Division 3 team.
Santivanez (6-2, 185) was 7-1 with a 0.70 ERA. He struck out 58 in 50 innings, and allowed only five earned runs.
He batted .352 with 19 RBIs, 17 runs scored, six doubles and two triples. He also stole seven bases.
The Vanguards tied Foothill and Villa Park for first place in the Crestview League, again one of the better leagues in Orange County baseball. They finished 21-9 overall, including a win over Dana Hills in the first round of the CIF-SS Division 3 playoffs.
El Modena was in must-win mode on the final day of the regular season with a share of the league championship on the line. The Vanguards were at home against Foothill two days after a 9-5 loss to Foothill.
“We weren’t really worried,” El Modena coach Josh Kliner said. “We knew we had (Santivanez) going for us.”
Santivanez delivered, pitching a one-hitter in El Modena’s 4-0 win that gave them their piece of the league title. He struck out five and gave up one walk.
He allowed no earned runs over six innings of El Modena’s 9-3 playoff win over Dana Hills.
In El Modena’s 5-0 win over Villa Park in a league opener Santivanez struck out nine while allowing only two hits and one walk over five innings.
Kliner said Santivanez was at his best in the toughest situations.
“He loves the big moment,” Kliner said. “While most kids get a little too amped up in a big spot, Nick seems to find that calmness and confidence that allows him to thrive in those moments.”
Santivanez, who signed with Cal State Northridge, has a variety of dependable pitches in his repertoire.
“Whatever’s working that day,” he said. “Maybe it’s the slider, maybe it’s the changeup, but mostly it’s my fastball. I always believe I’m better than whoever I’m facing.”
Santivanez said the Vanguards believed they had the ingredients for a successful season.
“We had high hopes that we would do well,” he said. “We impressed ourselves making it into the CIF playoffs and especially by winning a share of the league championship.”
Santa Margarita’s Cade Townsend pitches, holding Tesoro scoreless, during a 7-0 win in a first round CIF-SS Division 1 game between the two teams on Friday, May 3, 2024. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer)
PITCHER OF THE YEAR
Cade Townsend, Santa Margarita, Senior
Cade Townsend played one season of high school baseball.
What a season it was.
Townsend had been home-schooled until this school year when he enrolled at Santa Margarita as a senior. He played on the travel ball circuit, like a lot of good high school players do, but had not worn a high school baseball uniform before this season.
He finished with 96 strikeouts in 63 innings with a 6-0 record. Townsend, a right-hander, had a 1.56 ERA. The batting average against him was .165.
JSerra coach Brett Kay said Townsend, who was chosen as one of the Trinity League pitchers of the year, impressed him when JSerra lost to Santa Margarita 6-0 in a league game.
“It’s the best I’ve seen from another team’s pitcher in my 18 years (as JSerra coach),” Kay said. “He was throwing 91 to 95 (miles per hour) and a four-pitch mix and doing whatever he wanted whenever he wanted. We had no chance against him that day.”
Townsend (6-1, 185) got the Eagles off to a good start in the CIF Southern Section Division 1 playoffs. He pitched a three-hitter with 11 strikeouts and one walk in their 7-0 win over Tesoro in a first-round game at Tesoro High.
His fastball that day was, as it often was, consistently at 94 and 95 mph with an occasional blazer clocked at 96. Townsend also has a wicked slider, a biting curve and effective changeup.
Townsend signed with Ole Miss, having been recruited based upon his travel ball play. He is projected to be an early-round choice in the MLB Draft in July.
He said he is not leaning toward college or turning pro.
As he put it … “I have two plans.”
He selected Ole Miss from a large number of college offers.
“The coaching staff and players all want to win,” Townsend said. “And I want a winning environment and an environment that feels like home.”
Townsend said he found a home at Santa Margarita after being home-schooled for a long time.
“The people there are very special and very unique,” he said. “This group on our team, they all wanted to win and we all trusted each other.”
Townsend said he does not regret his late arrival at Santa Margarita.
“Having now been with these guys and having been in this environment, I know I would have gotten a lot out of it,” he said. “But of course I can’t look back that way. I’m so blessed with what I’ve got and what I’ve done.”
Kevin Lavalle of Beckman is the Orange County baseball coach of the year for the 2024 season. (Courtesy of Beckman baseball)
COACH OF THE YEAR
Kevin Lavalle, Beckman
The high school baseball season is a long one, starting in mid-February and crossing March and April into May … late May if a team is fortunate enough to get that far in the postseason.
Coach Kevin Lavalle took the Patriots through some good times and some bad times during the season, with the best of times coming in late May when they won the CIF Southern Section Division 3 championship.
This season was the 17th for Lavalle, 51, as the Beckman coach.
The Patriots finished 25-6-1. They beat St. John Bosco in the Division 3 championship game on Jagger Snitko’s walk-off hit that drove in Isaiah Kapur for the winning run in a 2-1 win.
Beckman players and coaches celebrate their win over St. John Bosco in the championship game of the CIF-SS Division 3 baseball playoffs in Lake Elsinore on Saturday, May 18, 2024. Beckman won the game 2-1. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
It was Beckman’s second CIF-SS baseball title, having also won in 2011.
“Everyone says you’ve got to be lucky to win a CIF championship,” said Lavalle who is 352-115-4 at Beckman. “You’ve got to be good, too. We were 25-6-1 so we were pretty good.”
Lavalle said this season’s players were easy to coach for him and the Patriots coaching staff.
“We had maybe six bad games,” he said. “When we were bad, they knew it. We didn’t need to tell them.”
There were far more good times than bad times, especially in May.
ALL-COUNTY FIRST TEAM
P Nathan Aceves, Huntington Beach, Sr.
Aceves, who signed with UC Santa Barbara, was All-Surf League after posting a 1.21 ERA with 62 strikeouts in 58 innings, and has signed.
P Ross Clark, Huntington Beach, Sr
Clark, a Trinity League pitcher of the year, was 9-0 with a 1.10 ERA, and signed with Grand Canyon University.
Mater Dei starting pitcher Wylan Moss delivers a pitch against Servite in a Trinity League baseball game in Anaheim on Wednesday, March 13, 2024. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer)
P Wylan Moss, Mater Dei, Sr.
A UCLA signee, Moss struck out 82 in 60 innings and had a 0.93 ERA.
P Cade Townsend, Santa Margarita, Sr.
The Orange County pitcher of the year.
C Nick Montgomery, Cypress, Sr.
Montgomery, an Empire League MVP and Arizona State signee, batted .302 with four home runs 21 RBIs, walked 31 times and stole 21 bases.
1B Garrett Davidson, Foothill, Sr.
He was the Crestview League offensive player of the year after batting .314 with a team-high 16 RBIs, and signed with UC San Diego.
INF Gabe Fraser, Orange Lutheran, Sr.
Fraser, who signed with Arkansas, was a Trinity League MVP and batted .338.
INF Jake Evans, Los Alamitos, Sr.
Evans, who hit .354 with 31 RBIs and a .476 slugging percentage, was All-Surf League and signed with Long Beach State.
INF Brody Schumaker, Santa Margarita, So.
A Trinity League MVP, Schumaker batted .383 for the Eagles.
Trevor Banning #1 of Santa Margarita missed the tag on Derek Curiel #4 of Orange Lutheran in the fifth inning. Santa Margarita played Orange Lutheran in the Division I semifinals of the CIF Southern California Regional baseball playoffs on May. 30, 2024 in Orange, CA. (Photo by John McCoy, Contributing Photographer)
OF Derek Curiel, Orange Lutheran, Sr.
Curiel, who signed with LSU and is projected to be an early-round MLB draftee in July, had a team-high 33 hits for the CIF SoCal Regional champion Lancers and was an outstanding defensive center fielder.
OF Ben Finnegan, Santa Margarita, Jr.
An All-Trinity League selection, Finnegan batted .360 with 21 RBIs and a slugging percentage of .449.
OF Ethan Porter, Huntington Beach, Jr.
Porter, who committed to Oregon State, drove in 21 runs and had 30 hits and was Surf League MVP.
Huntington Beach’s Trevor Goldenetz, left, lets out a yell after hitting a double against Maranatha in the second round of the Boras Classic baseball tournament in Santa Ana on Wednesday, April 3, 2024. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer)
DH Trevor Goldenetz, Huntington Beach, Jr.
An All-Surf League outfielder who committed to Texas Christian University, Goldenetz had team highs of 37 hits and 21 runs scored.
Utility Nick Santivanez, El Modena, Sr.
The Orange County player of the year.
ALL-COUNTY SECOND TEAM
P Cayden Bonura, Fountain Valley, Sr.
P Josh Hollis, JSerra, Jr.
P Drew Nelson, San Juan Hills, Jr.
P Aaron Sambath, Villa Park, Sr.
C Brady Murrietta, Orange Lutheran, So.
1B Keenan Anzai, Mission Viejo, Sr.
INF Tyler Dunning, JSerra, Jr.
INF Owen Faust, Tesoro, Sr.
INF Aidan Marquez, Pacifica, Sr.
OF Logan de Groot, Santa Margarita, Sr.
OF Zachary Doyle, San Juan Hills, Sr.
OF Justin Tillar, Cypress, Sr.
DH Jarett Sabol, Aliso Niguel, Jr.
Utility Justin Tims, Villa Park, Sr.
Beckman’s Zach Ireland (7) avoids being tagged by Los Alamitos’ Damon Valdez (16) during their CIF-SS Division 3 playoff game in Los Alamitos, CA, on Tuesday, May 14, 2024. Beckman defeated Los Alamitos, 3 to 0. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
THIRD TEAM
P Matthew Futami, Pacifica, Sr,
P Brian Harbour, Foothill, Sr.
P Zach Ireland, Beckman, Sr.
P Stevie Jones, Corona del Mar, So.
C Trent Grindlinger, Huntington Beach, Jr.
1B: Josiah Hartshorn, Orange Lutheran, Jr.
INF Malachi Meni, Fullerton, Jr.
INF Gavin Lauridsen, Foothill, Jr.
INF John Short, Cypress, Jr.
OF Austin Duarte, Canyon, Jr.
OF Andrew Gandara, La Habra, Jr.
OF Avery Jones, Servite, Jr.
DH Warren Gravely, Santa Margarita, So.
Utility Brandon Tatch, Aliso Niguel, Sr.
Mason Souter (28) of Foothill greets Gavin Lauridsen (10) at the plate after Lauridsen scores on a double by Brian Harbour (25) in a Crestview League baseball game against Villa Park at Foothill High School in Santa Ana on Friday, April 19, 2024. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)
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