The San Diego Padres honored the top high school baseball players in the CIF-San Diego Section during the Padres High School All-Star Night on Sunday at Petco Park.
The game showcased the section’s best players in an East-West format. Some of the top young talent in the country enjoyed this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to suit up and play in Petco Park, which is considered one of America’s top MLB stadiums.
The prep all-star game began with a pregame home run hitting derby that featured eight players — four from each team. The two teams took the field immediately after the home run derby finished up.
Each geographic team included 24 players.
The East team was buttressed by 10 East County hard-ballers, including three from Grossmont Hills League co-champion Granite Hills (seniors Camden Sos, Jacob Embleton and Nico Tomasello), two each from Grossmont Hills League co-champion Santana (seniors Landen Bailey and Destin Allen-Fox) and City Eastern League champion Christian (juniors Xavier Farnum and Ashton McCurty) and one each from Helix Charter (senior Anthony Matthiesen) Grossmont (senior River Diaz De Leon) from Steele Canyon (senior Tommy Molina).
Christian’s Mike Mitchell coached the East squad to a 9-2 victory over the West squad, which was coached by Cathedral Catholic’s Gary Remiker.
The all-star teams and home run derby contestants were chosen by the section’s baseball advisory committee on May 13.
“It’s definitely surreal to be in the ballpark you’ve grown up watching the big leaguers play in,” Bailey said. “To come to play on this field and win is awesome.”
“It’s awesome,” said Tomasello, who earned honors as Granite Hills’ Athlete of the Year for 2022-23. “You get to play with your brothers who you’ve known since you were 5 years old. It’s a great feeling. Hopefully, I’ll be here as a professional one day.”
All-star cast
Sos led the Eagles (16-9 overall, 8-4 in league) with a 0.378 hitting average, 16 RBI and five doubles while Embleton hit 0.320 with 15 RBI and a team-high four home runs. Tomasello excelled on the mound with a 1.67 earned-run average and 51 strikeouts in 58.2 innings.
Tomasello, who is bound for SDSU next season, pitched a scoreless bottom of the fourth inning in Sunday’s all-star tilt while Embleton dove in a run in the first inning and later stole a base and scored on a base hit by Diaz De Leon.
Tomasello, a three-sport athlete at GHHS in football, basketball and baseball, improved to 2-0 in two all-star game appearances, the first as a junior last year. He passed for 1,107 yards with 11 touchdowns as the Eagles won the Grossmont Hills League, San Diego Section Division II and Division 2A state football championships this past fall.
“It was a good year for pitchers,” he said of his spring exploits that took the Eagles three rounds deep into the Open Division playoffs (losing twice to eventual division runner-up Eastlake).
Bailey topped Santana (21-11, 8-4 in league) with a 0.290 hitting average to go with 15 RBI and four doubles while Allen-Fox exceled with an 11-1 pitching record, one save, 0.60 ERA and 27 strikeouts in 29 innings as the Grossmont Hills League pitcher of the year.
Bailey and Allen-Fox opened as battery mates in the bottom of the first inning for the East, with Bailey catching and Allen-Fox pitching one shutout frame.
Bailey later scored on a base hit by Poway senior Ryan Kropeel to increase the East lead to 5-2 in the top of the fourth inning. Farnum batted 0.337 with 27 RBI, nine doubles and three home runs while McCurty was 7-1 on the hill with a 1.02 ERA and 61 strikeouts in 62 innings for the Patriots (20-11 overall, 10-2 in league).
McCurty, who pitched a scoreless bottom of the seventh inning, rocked a ground-rule double in the top of the eighth inning and later scored on a base hit by Eastlake senior Isaiah Lane. McCurty later drove in the East’s final run in the top of the ninth.
Diaz De Leon hit 0.293 with 18 RBI, seven doubles and three home runs for the Foothillers (10-17, 6-6 in league). He made the best defensive play in the game with a diving catch in the outfield in the bottom of the second inning.
Molina batted 0.253 with 21 RBI and five home runs for the Cougars (12-16, 3-9 in league). He served back-up duty behind the plate in Sunday’s game.
Matthiesen made another great catch while running into the wall in foul territotory in left field.
Kroepel scored one run and drove in another while Rancho Bernardo senior Kevin Takeuchi and Otay Ranch senior Allan Camarillo each scored one run in the opening frame.
Lane earned game MVP honors with three runs scored and one RBI.
“I’m just so grateful, it’s so blessed by God to be here to show off the talent. I’ll remember it for the rest of my life,” said Lane, who is bound for the University of Oklahoma to continue his baseball career after helping lead the Titans to a runner-up finish in the Open Division championship game with a 0.291 hitting average, 30 runs scored and team high 33 RBI.
Eastlake head coach Dave Gallegos, who attended Sunday’s game, called Lane’s performance “awesome.”
“He was able to showcase how good a player he really is,” Gallegos said. “His last high school game being MVP at Petco Park is awesome.”
The West scored both of its runs in the bottom of the third inning to make it a 4-2 contest when La Jolla Country Day senior Van Coughlin plated two runners.
Going the distance
Santana emerged as this year’s Division I team champion with an 8-0 finals win over Patrick Henry.
The Sultans later advanced to the Southern California regional championship, finishing second to Calabasas by a tenuous 1-0 score in eight innings.
Allen-Fox notched a five-hit shutout in the CIF final and tossed a three-hitter with seven strikeouts in a 3-1 regional semifinal win over Crespi.
Bailey drove in two runs in a regional opening 11-8 victory over Aquinas.
Overall, the Sultans finished 6-1 in seven postseason games.
“It was awesome,” Bailey said. “Everyone doubted us but we kept pushing. Hard work paid off and it showed.”
Going, going … gone
Sos was among the early leaders in the pregame home run derby before being overtaken by Madison senior Jake Jackson and St. Augustine senior M.J. Sweeney.
Sweeney and Jackson advanced to the two-man final where Sweeney won with six home runs to four for Jackson.
Other home run derby contestants included Brawley senior Tanner Carranza, Coughlin, La Costa Canyon senior Gabe Camacho, Takeuchi and Molina.
Padres 2023 High School Baseball All-Star Night
Sunday, June 18, at Petco Park
East Squad
Trent Abel Rancho Bernardo 12 (SS)
Destin Allen-Fox Santana 12 (IB)
Tyler Arnold Rancho Bernardo 11 (P)
Landen Bailey, Santana 12 (C)
Allan Camarillo Otay Ranch 12 (SS)
Jacob Campagna Classical Academy 12 (SS/C)
Tanner Carranza Brawley 12 (OF/C)
Coco Castaneda Bonita Vista 12 (OF/INF)
River Diaz De Leon Grossmont 12 (OF/P)
Brady Dockan Rancho Bernardo 11 (P)
Jacob Embleton Granite Hills 12 (1B)
Xavier Farnum, Christian 11 (C)
John Folkl Scripps Ranch 12 (P)
Talin Gardini Patrick Henry 11 (P/1B)
Ryan Kroepel Poway 12 (P/INF)
Isaiah Lane Eastlake 12 (SS)
Anthony Matthiesen Helix Charter 12 (OF)
Ashton McCurty Christian 11 (P/SS)
Tommy Molina Steele Canyon 12 (SS/C)
Liam Myers San Pasqual 12 (P)
Camden Sos Granite Hills 12 (INF)
Kevin Takeuchi Rancho Bernardo 12 (3B)
Nico Tomasello Granite Hills 12 (P)
Leo Veliz Calexico 12 (OF/3B)
West Squad
Flynn Barnes Mission Bay 12 (C)
Max Bayles Cathedral Catholic 12 (P)
Grayson Bonano Torrey Pines 12 (P)
Camden Burdick Carlsbad 12 (OF/P)
Gabe Camacho La Costa Canyon 12 (1B)
Van Coughlin La Jolla Country Day 12 (C)
Christopher DiPrima Del Norte 12 (SS/2B/P)
Nolan Farley La Costa Canyon 12 (SS/2B)
Jack Haferkamp Santa Fe Christian 12 (OF)
Jake Jackson Madison 12 (OF/P)
Brett Lawton La Jolla Country Day 12 (P/1B)
Alex Leyva Morse 11 (SS/2B)
Jose Mendoza Montgomery 12 (P/1B)
Jake Molinar Bishop’s 12 (P/1B)
Nico Newhan Maranatha Christian 12 (INF)
Jorden Otjen Point Loma 12 (OF/P)
Caden Pearlman La Costa Canyon 12 (P)
Khalyl Perez Montgomery 11 (C)
Carson Reese Del Norte 12 (P)
Peyton Rodgers Torrey Pines 11 (P/OF)
M.J. Sweeney St. Augustine 12 (1B)
James Theodore La Costa Canyon 12 (OF)
Zyan Watson Madison 12 (3B)
Joey Wittig Maranatha Christian 12 (P/OF)
San Diego Section 2023 Baseball Champions
Open Division: (1) La Costa Canyon 5, (3) Eastlake 2
Division I: (1) Santana 8, (2) Patrick Henry 0
Division II: (12) Sage Creek 6, (2) Cathedral Catholic 0
Division III: (2) Fallbrook 2, (1) Maranatha Christian 1
Division IV: (2) Calexico 12, (1) Bishop’s 4
Division V: (3) Lincoln 7, (4) St. Joseph Academy 2
San Diego Section 2023 Softball Champions
Open Division: (1) Poway 3, (2) Rancho Bernardo 2
Division I: (1) Otay Ranch 4, (2) Mater Dei Catholic 3
Division II: (3) Hotlville 7, (1) Santana 1
Division III: (1) Imperial 3, (6) Christian 2
Division IV: (1) Madison 4, (7) Palo Verde Valley 1
Division V: (3) Coastal Academy 12, (1) Liberty Charter 2
