Alexis Osorio from M.L. King of Riverside and Alex Jackson from Rancho Bernardo of San Diego both gain mention in this week’s state honor roll. Photos: Courtesy Student Sports.
Big-time MLB prospect Alex Jackson is heating up his home run bat while pitcher Layne Henderson already has two no-hitters and three one-hitters this season. For softball, several freshmen such as Cerritos Gahr’s Malia Quarles and Martinez Alhambra’s Karlee Sparacino are already smashing successes.
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As has been customary for many years, we collect the state stat stars in support of the Cal-Hi Sports State Record Book & Almanac. The book has been published seven times (the most recent, though, was 2009) and is as official as a state record book can be since no other exists. To report a State Stat Star of the Week of your own, please email details to markjtennis@gmail.com.
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(Mostly for games played April 1-April 5 but including some from this week; thanks to CIF Central Section historian Bob Barnett for continued contributions to this feature and to the state record book.)
BASEBALL
Alex Jackson (Rancho Bernardo, San Diego)
One of the top draft prospects in the nation, Jackson has been heating up with his bat in the last two weeks. Already this week, he has smashed a pair of homers in a win by the Broncos over Torrey Pines, which came after he homered earlier this week against the Falcons. The power surge heading into this weekend has seen him homer in four of five games and get to seven on the season. Jackson also has raised his batting average to .436.
Layne Henderson (Lutheran, La Verne)
It may be small school, but Henderson’s pitching so far this season has been hard to believe. He tossed his second no-hitter of the season already this week in a 6-0 victory against Academy for Academic Excellence with 10 strikeouts. His other three outings were all one-hitters with double-digit strikeout totals. In his first five starts, Henderson has allowed just three hits with a 0.00 ERA and 68 strikeouts. The only minor blemish is that he’s walked 11.
Nathan Hadley (Loyola, Los Angeles)
Striking out eight in a row at one point, the UCLA-bound Hadley finished with 12 strikeouts and didn’t allow a hit for a no-hitter during the Cubs’ 15-0 win over St. Francis. We’ll see if touted teammate Quinn Brodey can get a no-hitter this year, too. There may not be a better 1-2 pitching combo in the nation.
Chase Bashor (Santa Fe Christian, Solana Beach)
Pitching last week in a game at PETCO Park, Bashor got the thrill of a lifetime by throwing a no-hitter with 13 strikeouts to lead Santa Fe Christian past Bishop’s of La Jolla 8-0. The last no-hitter at the park was tossed last September by Tim Lincecum of the San Francisco Giants. The San Diego Padres have not only never had a no-hitter at PETCO, but have never had one period, dating back to their days at what is now called Qualcomm Stadium.
Matt Torretto & Matt Majors (Trabuco Hills, Mission Viejo)
Sharing the same first name, they combined to pitch a no hitter during a 2-1 win over Paramount. Torretto pitched the first four innings before Majors pitched the final three innings while striking out five.
Eric Little (Saugus)
His performance on the mound was big as he struck out 11 and shut down the offense of Newhall Hart in a 6-1 win. Coming into the game, Hart was 10-0-1 and was in the FAB 50 national rankings.
Willie Aguilar (Fountain Valley)
Named an Athlete of the Week by OCVarsity, he was 7-for-11 with two home runs in a pair of wins. The biggest of those efforts came in a 14-1 win against Marina of Huntington Beach as he drove in five runs and homered twice.
Isaac Yoshinaga (University, Los Angeles)
Through his first 18 games, Yoshinaga was swatting away for a .577 average with six homers and 24 RBI. It hasn’t always helped University win games, however. In last week’s 5-2 loss to Verdugo Hills, for example, both runs came on solo homers by Yoshinaga.
Connor Brown (Estancia, Costa Mesa)
During a 26-9 win over Saddleback of Santa Ana, Brown had seven runs batted in while teammate Jackson Letterman scored six runs.
Wes Malik (Willow Glen, San Jose)
Moving to 5-1 on the season, he pitched a complete game shutout while striking out 10 batters during a 5-0 win over Westmont of Campbell in BVAL Mount Hamilton Division play.
Tyler Ross (Estancia, Costa Mesa)
Just a freshman, he allowed two hits and struck out nine as the Eagles defeated Brethren Christian of Huntington Beach 12-0.
Brett Berghammer (Half Moon Bay)
Bringing the hammer down on El Camino of South San Francisco, he pitched a complete-game shutout while striking out six during a 1-0 win. The diminutive Berghammer, who is only 5-foot-7, 150 pounds, also is hitting .488 through his first 15 games.
SOFTBALL
Alexis Osorio (M.L. King, Riverside)
Our softball side of the state stat stars is filled with big time Division I-bound standouts and she is one of them. The Alabama-commit had 18 strikeouts during a 1-0 win in eight innings over North Torrance in the semifinals of the Woodbridge Softball Classic. She also had five strikeouts in a 9-0 win in five innings over La Mirada in the tourney final.
Amanda Lynch (Santiago, Corona)
Going 3-for-3, this junior hit two home runs and drove in eight runs as the Sharks’ defeated Carson 11-0 in five innings in their own Spring Fling tourney. Also last week, Lynch drove in five runs during a 27-1 win over West Ranch of Valencia. In that 27-1 win, teammate Randel Leahy homered twice and drove in six runs while freshman Justene Molina also drove in six runs.
Melissa Lalisan (Yerba Buena, San Jose)
She’s been piling up some huge totals against the weaker teams in her area, but they’re still noteworthy. Already this week, Lalisan has gone 4-for-4 with three triples and seven RBI in a 26-3 win against James Lick. Earlier this season, she hit for the cycle and had seven RBI vs. Andrew Hill and she also had two homers, two doubles and eight RBI vs. Overfelt.
Jaqueline Mercado (Rosamond)
She had one of her finest days of the season by going 5-for-6 hits with two home runs, five runs scored and eight RBI in a 31-0 romp past over California City. Teammate McKenzie Drapier also had a fine game with four hits, two home runs and four RBI.
Jamie Sugimoto (Soquel)
While this performance actually came two weeks ago, we saw it and wanted to mention it as she homered and had four doubles during a 5-for-5 performance with eight RBI in a 11-0 win over Harbor of Santa Cruz. Sugimoto’s four doubles will her a mention in the state record files.
Paige von Sprecken (Yorba Linda)
During a 5-0 win over Santa Monica at the Michelle Carew Classic, the University of San Diego-bound standout allowed just one hit while striking out 14.
Malia Quarles (Gahr, Cerritos)
A freshman who is making some major noise with her bat is Quarles. In a 22-0 win last week over Lynwood, she ripped a pair of homers, which marked the fourth straight game in which she had at least one homer. Quarles, who also has 10 homers for the season, has shown she can hit against quality teams as well. One of her homers came against Los Alamitos, which played in this year’s Michelle Carew Classic finals.
Hayley Copeland (Esperanza, Anaheim)
Showing why she is headed to South Carolina, she allowed just one hit and struck out 12 as the Aztecs defeated national power Pacifica 2-0 in the quarterfinals of the Michelle Carew Classic. She did not pitch when Esperanza lost 16-6 in a consolation round game of that tourney to Alhambra of Martinez.
Jazmyn Jackson (Archbishop Mitty, San Jose)
Before she heads to Cal, this talented shortstop has a lot to do for Mitty. Last week, she helped the Monarchs capture the Livermore Stampede championship by going 3-for-3 with three doubles and three runs scored during their 6-0 win over Pleasant Grove of Elk Grove.
Johanna Grauer (Amador Valley, Pleasanton)
At the Michelle Carew Classic, she allowed just one hit and struck out 12 during a 5-0 win over Piedra Vista of New Mexico and she then pitched a no-hitter while striking out 12 once again during a 1-0 win in eight innings over Murrieta Valley. During a 1-0 win over Great Oak of Temecula, she had 11 strikeouts and allowed just one hit.
Samantha Glantz (Oaks Christian, Westlake Village)
Going a perfect 4-for-4 at the plate, Glantz drove in five runs during the Lions’ 13-0 win last week over La Reina of Thousand Oaks.
Kristen Heffley (Hanford West, Hanford)
She smacked three doubles, scored four times and had three RBI in a 14-0 win over Mt. Whitney of Visalia.
Tannon Snow (Chino Hills)
It was a snow day during their 12-3 win over Agoura as she doubled and homered while driving in four runs. The junior has committed to Washington. We’ll also have more about her and younger sister Taylon coming soon.
Karlee Sparacino (Alhambra, Martinez)
Another freshman to watch, Sparachino went 6-for-6 to start the season and during last week’s Michelle Carew Classic she had two hits against Esperanza, Chaparral of Temecula and Vista Murrieta. She was hitting .711 on the season as of the middle of this week.
Sabrina Moreno (Bishop’s, La Jolla)
With runs coming in bunches, Moreno had a double and two triples while driving in five runs during a 21-3 win over El Cajon Valley and then she had a double and a home run while driving in four runs during a 7-6 win over Montgomery of San Diego.
Kylee Fahy (Liberty, Bakersfield)
Fahy was feeling it when she went 4-for-6 at the plate, which included three doubles and four RBI, when the Patriots rolled over Bakersfield 18-5.
Paul Muyskens is the Stockton office assistant editor for Cal-Hi Sports and can be seen around town also working for the Stockton Ports and University of the Pacific. Mark Tennis is the co-founder and publisher of CalHiSports.com. He can be reached at markjtennis@gmail.com. Don’t forget to follow Paul and Mark on Twitter: @CalHiSports
