Two of this week’s players of the week are Savannah Lorenzini of Rocklin and Moises Escobedo from Bishop Amat. Photos: Twitter.com & James Escarcega / SGV Whittier Prep Sports Zone.
Now that basketball season has concluded, we can turn our full attention to softball and baseball, and this week we have some real solid talent consisting of two college-bound seniors and two underclass stars, one of each in baseball and softball. This week’s winners are from La Puente and Spring Valley in Southern California and Palo Alto and Rocklin in Northern California.
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Notes: For these honors, we consider CIF Central Section players for Northern California. To nominate anyone, email markjtennis@gmail.com.
Cal-Hi Sports Northern California
Softball Player of the Week
Savannah Lorenzini (Rocklin) Fr.
East of Sacramento along the I-80 corridor around 25 miles northeast of the state capitol is our destination in search of the Northern California Softball Player of the week, and it’s at Rocklin High where we find a freshman who’s already making a name for herself not only in the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section but now in the entire state with this statewide award.
It isn’t often that we choose a freshman for player of the week honors, and it’s not because we don’t want to, but not many first-year players turn in the kind of performance worthy of being awarded, particularly so early in their first season, but Lorenzini has made the grade.
Last week, in two solid performances at the plate, Lorenzini, who played on the Sorcerers last summer and who according to her Twitter handle is good friends with McKenna Woliczko, the Archbishop Mitty (San Jose) freshman basketball star who might be even better at softball, has earned the accolades.
In an 8-6 victory over host Sacramento St. Francis (a team that reached the Sac-Joaquin Section D1 final last season), the infielder and occasional catcher blasted two home runs and was 3-for-4 with four RBI and two runs scored. The next day at home and in a 15-9 win over neighboring Roseville, Savannah was at it again with another home run, three RBI and two runs scored.
So far this season for the 3-2 Thunder, before any games this week, Lorenzini was hitting an even .500 with four home runs, a double, nine RBI and five runs scored in only 18 at-bats.
Also out to a strong start for Rocklin is junior shortstop Sydney Barker, who has committed to Oklahoma. She’s gotten loads of deserved honors already in her career, so we don’t think she’ll mind that her freshman teammate has gotten this one.
Henry Harding of Palo Alto shut down state-ranked St. Francis of Mountain View in a big win for his team. Photo: Twitter.com.
Cal-Hi Sports Northern California
Baseball Player of the Week
Henry Harding (Palo Alto) Soph.
Our journey in search of the Northern California Baseball Player of the Week takes us just on the other side of the El Camino Real east of Stanford Stadium to Palo Alto High to find our honoree, and despite being just a sophomore, Harding is regarded as one of the top returners on a team that lost a lot of seniors from a 2022 season that saw the Vikings lose in extra innings to state No.1 St. Francis (Mountain View) in the CIF Central Coast Section Division I title game.
Harding has picked up right where he left off last season and last week he proved it.
Last week, in a 4-0 victory over St. Francis that exacted a little revenge on the Lancers and dropped them from No. 9 to No. 21 in the most recent state rankings, Harding, a 5-foot-9, 155-pound right-handed pitcher and batter, tossed a one-hit shutout with seven strikeouts and no walks. At the plate, he was 2-for-2 with a double and scored the only run he needed to get the win.
Later in the week, and in a 7-4 victory over Archbishop Mitty of San Jose that avenged the Vikings’ lone loss of the season, Harding was 2-for-3 with a run scored. Mitty also was state-ranked last week so the two big wins by Palo Alto and Harding had to push the Vikings back up into the State TOP 25 as well.
So far this season for a 4-2 Paly squad that was No. 14 in those rankings, Harding was second on the team with a .417 batting average. On the mound he was 1-1 in three appearances with a 2.80 ERA, 16 strikeouts with only one walk, and he’d given up no extra base hits in 15 innings pitched.
Cal-Hi Sports Southern California
Baseball Player of the Week
Moises Escobedo (Bishop Amat, La Puente) Sr.
To find our Southern California baseball Player of the Week we head east on the I-10 about 20 miles from downtown Los Angeles and land in La Puente.
It’s at Bishop Amat Memorial where we find Escobedo, a senior right-handed pitcher who’s off to a great start this season.
Last week, in a 6-3 victory over Pasadena La Salle that went 12 innings, Escobedo went seven of the innings and gave up no runs, he struck out 11 and only gave up two hits and a walk.
At this stage of the season we also look at a player’s overall body of work, and two weeks ago Escobedo was just as good after tossing a shutout in a 7-0 victory over St. Paul of Santa Fe Springs. In that outing, Moises gave up four hits, a walk and struck out six.
If that’s not enough, the start before that was even better. In a 2-0 shutout of Capistrano Valley Christian of San Juan Capistrano, Escobedo hurled a three-hitter with no walks and 15 strikeouts.
On what’s been reported, we’re not sure if Escobedo got credit for any of the wins but it really doesn’t matter. So far this season for the 7-2 Lancers and heading into a Wednesday game in Placentia at El Dorado, the Cal State Los Angeles-committed Escobedo had gone 23 innings and given up no runs with 10 hits, two bases on balls and 32 strikeouts. Opposing batters were hitting a paltry .123 and had a .145 on-base percentage against him.
Jasmin Williams & team from Steele Canyon are shown after San Diego Section playoff win from last year. Photo: East County Sports via Steele Canyon softball.
Cal-Hi Sports Southern California
Softball Player of the Week
Jazmin Williams (Steele Canyon, Spring Valley) Sr.
The search for the Southern California Softball Player of the Week takes us to the southern reaches of the state and the CIF San Diego Section where we head east on Highway 94 a little over 15-miles from downtown San Diego to Spring Valley. At Steele Canyon, we find our award winner and to say Jazmin was been pretty jazzy to start the season would be an understatement.
Last week was a perfect example.
In a 2-1 tournament win over Holtville, Williams had a home run, an RBI and a run scored. In the next game the Cougars lost a 5-4 heartbreaker to Point Loma, but Williams was still 2-for-2 with a double, two bases on balls and a run scored. In the final tournament game, an 11-0 win over Coronado, Jazmin was 2-for-2 with a triple, double, a base on balls, and two RBI and two runs scored.
Williams has already made her mark this week, which for us counts in our decision process. On Monday, and in a 3-2 tournament game win at home over San Diego Canyon Hills, Williams was 2-for-3 with a home run, a triple, three RBI and a run scored.
So far this season for the 6-2 Cougars and heading into a Wednesday game on the road at Chula Vista Bayfront Charter, the Cal State-Fullerton-bound Williams, who also carries a 4.2 GPA in the classroom, was hitting a whopping .789 with three home runs, two triples, six doubles, 14 RBI and 14 runs scored. Jazmin has only struck out once and walked six times, and with 11 extra base hits in 19 at-bats, she had an astronomical 1.789 slugging percentage and a 2.597 on base plus slugging percentage.
Harold Abend is the associate editor of CalHiSports.com and the vice president of the California Prep Sportswriters Association. He can be reached at marketingharoldabend@gmail.com. Don’t forget to follow him on Twitter: @HaroldAbend
