The 2024 Padres’ High School All-Star Night is scheduled Wednesday, June 26, at Petco Park. It’s become annual rite of passage for local prep standouts on their journey to the next level. The event, which will start at approximately 5 p.m. upon the conclusion of the Padres’ regularly scheduled MLB contest against the Washington Nationals, will feature a pre-game home run derby and a nine-inning game.
The home run derby will feature eight players. The all-star game will once again feature an East-West format. Scripps Ranch coach Chris Lamb will coach the East squad while Oceanside coach Dave Barrett will coach the West team. Teams and home run derby contestants were chosen by the San Diego Section Baseball Advisory Committee.
The East squad is quite appropriately chock full of East County playing talent, including 10 players off Grossmont Conference rosters.
Grossmont High School will be represented by first baseman-designated hitter Cody Bigley and right-hand pitcher Cody White while Granite Hills will be represented by left-fielder Jordan Mansfield and catcher Owen Rodgers.
Also tabbed to participate in the high-profile prep event are Santana pitcher Adam Brabandt, Mt. Miguel senior Jeremiah Castillo, Monte Vista left-hand pitcher Gavin Daley, Christian catcher Xavier Farnum, El Capitan shortstop Brody McAuliffe, Helix Charter third baseman Antoin Simpson and Valhalla lefthand pitcher Colton Stinkeoway.
The Metro Conference has six player selections. They include Eastlake catcher Noah Betanco and outfielders Angel Laya and Jacob May, Olympian outfielder Jordan Bleisch, Bonita Vista’s Luis Sosa and Montgomery righthand pitcher Anthony Gonzalez. St. Augustine catcher, formally of Chula Vista American Little League, also will represent South County on the West team alongside Montgomery’s Gonzalez.
Also on the 2024 all-star game roster for the East squad are Poway pitcher Avery Anderson, Patrick Henry right-hand pitcher/ shortstop Cody Cappelletti, Rancho Bernardo left-hand pitcher Brady Dockan, Scripps Ranch right-hand pitcher/third baseman Jordan Green and shortstop Ryan Ham, San Pasqual outfielder Luke Nieblas, Calexico first baseman/ third baseman Andrew Ontiveros and Imperial right-hand pitcher/shortstop Carter Tucker.
The West team lineup features three players from Santa Fe Christian (centerfielder Jack Haferkamp, right-hand pitcher Will Marenghi and outfielder Connor Sawyer) and two each from Coronado (right-hand pitcher Max Murray and infielder Chance Pettit), Pt. Loma (left-hand pitcher Matt Garrison and right-hand pitcher Will Sanford), San Marcos (third baseman/shortstop J.J. Moran and outfielder Gavin Vanderpool) and Torrey Pines (shortstop Thomas Maher and right-hand pitcher/centerfielder Peyton Rodgers).
Other selections on the West squad include La Jolla Country Day shortstop Jack Circuit, University City outfielder Jack Clark, Carlsbad pitcher/third baseman Tyler Foster, Maranatha Christian centerfielder Levi Ham, Oceanside shortstop/second baseman Will Hostetter, Del Norte shortstop Addison Klepsch, El Camino catcher Darren Lopez, Mission Hills first baseman/third baseman Kyle Rogers, Sage Creek left-hand pitcher Porter Rovin and Cathedral Catholic catcher/outfielder Elijah Selga.
Batter up
Granite Hills won this year’s Grossmont Hills League championship with a 10-2 league record ahead of runner-up Grossmont (9-3 in league), third place Helix Charter (6-6 in league), fourth place Santana (5-7 in league) and fifth place Steele Canyon (0-12 in league).
Granite Hills (22-8) received the No. 3 seed in the Open Division playoffs and advanced as far as the division semifinals before being eliminated by eventual champion Torrey Pines. The Eagles did receive an entry bid to the ensuing Southern California regional playoffs but were eliminated in the opening round.
Grossmont (sixth seed), Santana (seventh seed), Christian (ninth seed) and Steele Canyon (12th seed) all received entry into the Division I playoff field. Grossmont (15-14), Christian (12-17) and Steele Canyon (4-23) all lost their play-in games while Santana (8-21) advanced to the double-elimination bracket with an opening-round win over seventh-seeded Mission Hills.
Helix (14-16) received the No. 6 seed in the Division II playoffs and won its opening two games, including a 3-2 win over third-seeded Bonita Vista in second-round play, en route to a 2-2 finish in post-season play.
Valhalla won this year’s Grossmont Valley League championship with a spotless 10-0 record.
Following the Norsemen in the league standings were the El Capitan Vaqueros, Monte Vista Monarchs and West Hills Wolf Pack, all with 6-4 league marks, the fifth place Mt. Miguel Matadors (2-8 in league) and sixth place El Cajon Valley Braves (0-10 in league).
Valhalla (25-7) and Mt. Miguel (16-17) both won division championships while advancing to the Southern California regional semifinals. The Norsemen claimed the Division III title as the No. 1 seed while the Matadors, seeded second, captured the Division V banner. Valhalla ended its season with a loss to eventual regional champion Pacifica.
Monte Vista (21-11-1) received the No. 2 seed in the Division IV bracket and advanced to the division semifinals before ending its run with a loss to eventual division runner-up Imperial.
El Cajon Valley (10-17) received the No. 7 seed among Division V teams and defeated 10th-seeded Guajome Park Academy in the first round before dropping contests to Mt. Miguel and Orange Glen in the elimination rounds.
El Capitan (17-12) received the No. 9 seed among Division III teams but failed to advance to the double-elimination rounds after a 2-1 loss to eighth-seeded La Jolla.
Daley blasted the cover off the ball with a 0.436 hitting average, 34 runs scored, 24 RBI and four home runs to key the Monarchs. He was also 8-4 on the hill with a 2.78 ERA and 99 strikeouts in 75.2 innings.
Stinkeoway was another two-way standout with a 0.378 hitting average and 18 RBI at the plate to go with an 8-0 record, 1.84 ERA and 96 strikeouts in 80 innings. He tossed a one-hitter in the Division III final.
Other two-way standouts included McAuliffe, who compiled a 7-2 record on the mound with a 1.65 ERA and 82 strikeouts in 59.1 innings and also batted 0.316 with 18 RBI for the Vaqueros.
Farnum posted a 0.393 hitting average with 22 RBI and five home runs.
Castillo hit 0.337 in 32 games with 44 runs scored, 17 RBI and six home runs for the CIF champion Matadors while Bigley batted 0.321 with 10 RBI and four home runs in 29 games for the Foothillers.
Mansfield hit 0.304 with 10 RBI and three home runs in 20 game appearances for the Eagles while Simpson hit 0.235 with 16 RBI while posting a 2.67 ERA and 27 strikeouts in 39 innings.
Among pitchers, White notched a 1.41 earned-run average with 52 strikeouts in 64.1 innings while Brabandt logged a 2.55 ERA with 47 in strikeouts in 64 innings.
