Two of this week’s featured stat stars are Brian Marquez of San Diego Rancho Bernardo and Vallery Wong from Sacramento Grant. Photos: Twitter.com & Courtesy Family.
Port of L.A.’s Analise De La Rocca resumes her record-breaking with an eight-RBI game and a 15-for-15 strikeout perfect game while another of softball’s best this week is Tulare Mission Oak’s Mariah Mazon, who hits her 30th career homer. In baseball, Jack Williams of Bakersfield Christian goes 6-for-6 in one game with six runs scored while Khoury Bethley of Chino Don Lugo shows he’s more than a D1 recruited football running back.
Note: We will collect totals from MaxPreps, newspapers, tweets and from those sent in to us. We also will compile single-game highs from this post throughout the season and of course we use our weekly State Stat Stars collection as an aid for the Cal-Hi Sports State Record Book. That is the only state record book anyone has ever done and we have published it seven times with full copyright protection. To report totals to us for this feature and for the record book, email markjtennis@gmail.com or call 209-608-1317. You can also text to 209-608-1317.
For details on the three straight no-hitters thrown by Sage Hill of Newport Beach baseball player Ashwin Chona, CLICK HERE.
For this week’s NorCal/SoCal State Players of the Week, CLICK HERE.
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(All players listed in alphabetical order)
(Writeups by Cal-Hi Sports editor Mark Tennis, contributing editor Paul Muyskens & CIF Central Section historian Bob Barnett)
(For games played through Saturday, April 1 with some games from this week)
BASEBALL
Logan Barrick (Kelseyville)
Pitching-hitting standout from the Redwood Empire pitched a two-hitter with seven strikeouts in a 2-0 win last week vs. Lower Lake. That also gave him 51 strikeouts on the season in 41 innings. Then already this week in a 9-1 win against Clear Lake of Lakeport, Barrick went 2-for-4 with a homer and four RBI.
Khoury Bethley (Don Lugo, Chino)
A junior running back from last season in football who is getting D1 offers, Bethley also is starring this spring in baseball. He has helped Don Lugo to a 14-1-1 record as of the beginning of this week. In the Don Lugo Spring Break tourney, Bethley went 8-for-11 and reached base in 12 of 15 at-bats. He also scored seven runs, ripped a pair of doubles and didn’t make an error in the outfield.
San Jose Leland catcher Albert Hsiao hits with power and also for a high average. Photo: Prep2Prep.com.
Blake Burzell (Laguna Beach)
Getting the start against Estancia of Costa Mesa, in Orange Coast League play, he allowed just two hits and struck out 10 during a 2-0 win.
Zach Busalacchi (Orange Lutheran)
Named by OC Varsity as its player of the week, this Oregon commit had a big tournament at the NHSI in North Carolina as he hit .500 with two doubles and three runs batted in while also pitching 4 2/3 innings in the championship game win over Dana Hills (which matched two Orange County clubs).
Eric Casillas (Sacred Heart Cathedral, San Francisco)
While he didn’t pick up the win, he did pitch seven shutout innings against Archbishop Mitty of San Jose before the bullpen took over to earn a 1-0 win. The Irish began this week at 13-3 and could be a threat in the WCAL this season.
Albert Hsiao (Leland, San Jose)
A 5-foot-11, 205-pound catcher, Hsiao is stinging the ball all over the place. In one game last week, he homered, doubled and went 3-for-4 with four RBI in a 14-2 win vs. Branham of San Jose. In another, he went 3-for-3 with two doubles and a homer in a 6-2 triumph over Wilcox of Santa Clara. And already this week, Hsaio has stayed hot with four runs scored plus a 2-for-2 batting line in a 13-5 win vs. Lincoln of San Jose.
Brian Marquez (Rancho Bernardo, San Diego)
Former State Freshman of the Year Joey Magrisi isn’t the only ace that Broncos’ head coach Sam Blalock can put on the mound. Marquez hurled his second no-hitter of the season last week when RB blanked Poway 4-0 in the title game of the North County tourney. He also lowered his ERA to 0.59.
Max Owens (University City, San Jose)
Mad Max has been hitting with fury in recent weeks for the Centurions. He had six RBI on the strength of a home run and double in a 11-6 victory vs. San Ysidro last week. In the previous week, Owens hit two homers and went 3-for-4 with five RBI in a 7-6 loss to Clairemont of San Diego.
Jordan Perkins (Arroyo, San Lorenzo)
The senior outfielder led the Dons to a pair of wins last week over Alameda in WACC-Foothill League action. He first went 2-for-3 with a double, grand slam and five RBI. In his other game, Perkins had triple and a double.
Micah Pietila-Wiggs (Eastlake, Chula Vista)
The long blonde hair from his Little League World Series appearances is gone as Pietila-Wiggs is one of several former Chula Vista LL standouts now leading the Titans. In a 5-4 win vs. Granite Hills of El Cajon last week in the title game of the Grossmont/Mesa City tourney, Pietila-Wiggs came through with two-run single and a two-run homer to account for four of Eastlake’s five runs.
Charlie Rocca (Verdugo Hills, Tujunga)
The hills were alive with hitting as Rocca led Verdugo to three wins. The onslaught began with two doubles and 2-for-3 in a 6-1 win vs. Arleta, continued with four hits (4-for-7) with a double and a triple in a 9-7 win vs. Arleta and kept going with four more hits (4-for-4) and a home run in a 6-5 win vs. Sylmar.
Ryan Tucker (Tulare Western, Tulare)
In helping Tulare Western extend its East Yosemite League win streak to 28 games, Tucker pitched a four-hitter with nine strikeouts in a 6-0 shutout win over Monache of Porterville.
Cesar Valencia (Garden Grove)
Helping his team move into a tie for first place in Garden Grove League play, he pitched a two-hit shutout with six strikeouts during a 4-0 win over La Quinta of Westminster. Valencia had a 3-1 record with a 1.05 ERA this week and also was batting .485.
Jack Williams (Bakersfield Christian)
The senior standout had a career day at the plate by going 6-for-6 with six runs scored, five stolen bases and four RBI in a wild-and-wacky game against Shafter that the Eagles held on to win 17-16.
Trey Zahursky (Capuchino, San Bruno)
Hailing from the same school as 1979 National League Co-MVP Keith Hernandez, Zahursky was valuable in two wins over Woodside. First, he went 4-for-5 with four runs scored in a 9-7 Cap win. The junior shortstop then went 5-for-5 with five runs scored (including two triples and one double) in a 17-5 victory.
SOFTBALL
Krystyna Allman (Castro Valley)
With a spot in the HASA Invitational semifinals on the line, she had 10 strikeouts and allowed just two hits during a 11-0 win over Antioch. Allman and Castro Valley began the week with just one loss on the season, which was to nationally ranked Amador Valley.
Hanah Bowen (Ramona)
One of the San Diego Union-Tribune’s athletes of the week, Bowen was mowen’ them down in the circle during the Gold Division final of the Jaguar Classic. She tossed a no-hitter for the Bulldogs in a 10-0 win vs. Valley Center. For the season heading into this week, Bowen had an 11-0 record and a 0.70 ERA. As a batter, she also was hitting .467.
Amelia Wiercioch of Fullerton Rosary has come back strong from an injury. Photo: rosaryacademy.org.
Kayla Bowen (Edison, Fresno)
She was perfect at the plate, going 5-for-5 with four RBI to lead the Tigers past Tulare 25-5. In the same game, teammate Infinity Chacon was also perfect, going 4-for-4 with five RBI.
Prya Burns (Redwood, Visalia)
Burns was smoking hot at the plate in leading the Rangers to a 9-0 triumph against El Diamante of Visalia. In the game, she went 4-for-4 with a home run, two doubles and five RBI.
Analise De La Roca (Port of L.A., San Pedro)
A frequent stat star from last season, Analise gets her first mention for 2017 after a pair of monster outings last week. First, using her bat, she blasted two homers and had eight RBI and also went 4-for-4 in a 20-0 romp by the Polar Bears vs. Fremont of Los Angeles. In the next game, De La Roca was a pitching phenom with 15 strikeouts against 15 batters in a 15-0 victory vs. View Park. Her team faced much strong competition to end the week against Bonita of La Verne, but won 3-2. De La Rosa had a four-hitter in that one with 13 strikeouts and pushed her career strikeout total past the 700 mark to 705.
Arianna Fernandez (Mt. Eden, Hayward)
It’s hard for someone hitting nearly .700 to maintain a batting average but Fernandez did when she went 3-for-3 with five RBI, four runs scored and a triple in a victory vs. Hayward. After her first nine games, Fernandez was batting. .680.
Allison Gardiner (Yorba Linda)
Pitching all 12 innings of her team’s 4-2 win over Villa Park she finished with 16 strikeouts. Both teams have been in the Orange County top 10 this season so it was a quality outing against a quality opponent.
Sydney Hornbuckle (Stockdale, Bakersfield)
Earlier this week, she was one hit away from her second straight no-hitter. Last week, the freshman pitched her first no-hitter last with five no-hit innings during a 10-0 win over Garces Memorial of Bakersfield. Against the Rams, she allowed just one walk with six strikeouts.
Haile Landrum (Independence, San Jose)
She led the 76ers to victories against San Jose High, Overfelt of San Jose and Anrew Hill of San Jose. In the games, she Went 10 for 11 with nine RBI, four doubles, one homer and eight runs scored.
Mariah Mazon (Mission Oak, Tulare)
According to CIF Central Section historian Bob Barnett, Mariah became the fifth player in section history to join the 30 club for career home runs as she hit her second home run of the season and pitched seven innings of 11-strikeout ball in a 3-2 loss against Segerstrom of Santa Ana in the first day of the Washington Union Invitational. In her second game of the day against Syracuse (Utah) in a 3-3 tie, Mazon pitched seven inninings with 18 strikeouts. On the second day, Mariah hit number 30 in a 5-0 over Righetti of Santa Rosa and in the same game pitched a no-hitter with 11 strikeouts. She also had a seven-inning one-hitter with 11 Ks and went 2-for-4 in a 4-0 shutout of Kingbsurg. To close out the week in a 3-2 loss to Monache of Porterville, Mazon struck out nine.
Terra McGowan (Mission Viejo)
Committed to Arizona State, this junior masher was 3-for-5 with a double, home run and five runs batted in to lead the state No. 5 Diablos past Capistrano Valley of Mission Viejo 11-2.
Katie Simonsgaard (Oaks Christian, Westlake Village)
There was no sign of fatigue as Simonsgaard was collecting hits during seven games played by the Lions in two league games and then five games at the Washington Union Invitational in Fresno. Her best outing of the week came against Thousand Oaks in a Marmonte League game as she ripped a pair of two-run homers. Including the tourney games, Simonsgaard went 15-for-25 over the seven games and bumped up her batting average to .600
Amelia Wiercioch (Rosary, Fullerton)
Sidelined with an arm injury and forced to miss five starts, she returned in a big way as she earned two wins and a save last week and struck out 14 over 16 innings. Wierioch also went 11 for 17 at the plate with a home run and RBI, showing why she is committed to Duke.
Danielle Williams (Amador Valley, Pleasanton)
No doubt warming up for this week’s Michelle Carew Classic, Williams pitched her second no-hitter of the season when the Dons blanked Dublin 6-0. Williams faced the minimum and struck out 11 in the win.
Vallery Wong (Grant, Sacramento)
Yes, there are top players from teams that have a tough time winning games and Vallery is one of them. Grant historically also has had difficulty even being competitive in the leagues the girls are placed in because those placements generally are made in relation to the school’s powerhouse football program. In Grant’s first nine games, Wong reached base safely in 28 of 30 plate appearances. In her first four Delta League games, she was officially 7-for-9 with seven runs scored, including three doubles and a two-run homer. Just a sophomore, Wong began this week among the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section leaders in batting average and on-base percentage.
Gabriella Zagone (College Park, Pleasant Hill)
Her batting average for the season actually dropped last week to .697 after she went 6-for-11 with six runs scored and three RBI in triumphs against Antioch (two of them) and then a win against CIF Sac-Joaqin Section opponent Armijo of Fairfield.
Mark Tennis is the co-founder and publisher of CalHiSports.com. He can be reached at markjtennis@gmail.com. Don’t forget to follow Mark on the Cal-Hi Sports Twitter handle: @CalHiSports
