Corona Santiago Pitcher has Cancer

Corona Santiago left-handed pitcher Nick Hurtado, who signed with Cal State Fullerton, has found out he has cancer in his knee and won't be able to pitch this season, Coach Ty De Trinidad said Thursday. Hurtado will need to undergo chemotherapy and possible surgery, but De Trinidad said Hurtado addressed the team this week and displayed optimism and courage.

Hurtado was complaining about soreness in his knee in December and January, and it got worse. He went to a doctor, was given an X-ray, then an MRI, and a tumor was discovered. He was supposed to be the No. 1 pitcher for the Sharks. His teammates will now be supporting him as he undergoes treatment.

LB Poly Answers the Call For Help

When Long Beach Jordan put out a plea for help earlier this month, requesting donations for baseball equipment and money to replace old uniforms, Moore League member Long Beach Poly stepped up to the plate.

Thursday, at D & D Sporting Goods, a check for $4,720, as well as equipment, will be handed over to the Jordan program as a result of a two-week fundraising drive that was organized by the Long Beach Poly Baseball Booster Club, with support from former Poly pitcher James McDonald III of the Dodgers and Sluggers Sports.

Poly Coach Toby Hess and the entire Jackrabbits program deserve kudos for showing what true sportsmanship is in these tough economic times, helping a rival school. Now that's Pursuing Victory With Honor if I've ever seen it.

Josh Frye To Become a Dirtbag

Millikan had the season to remember last year, and it had a lot to do with the pitching of junior Josh Frye. Before he starts his senior season in about a week, Frye officially signed his letter of intent yesterday to attend Long Beach State and become the next Moore League Dirtbag pitcher. Junior Jake Thompson from Wilson will be an every-weekend starter this year.

"I committed because I grew up a Long Beach State fan," said Frye. "I basically lived across the street and they have had so many great players and pitchers coming out of there."

Frye signed before coach Troy Buckley officially returned to the Dirtbags, but Frye says, "Coach Buckley coming back has made it so much more of a bonus."

UCLA Plays USC At Dodger Stadium

The Los Angeles Dodgers and the Dodgers Dream Foundation will celebrate the return of baseball to Dodger Stadium by hosting the inaugural Dodgertown Classic on Sunday, February 28. The Vanderbilt and Oklahoma State baseball teams will play at Dodger Stadium at 10:00 a.m., followed by USC and UCLA at 2:00 p.m.

All four teams are annually recognized as some of the best in college baseball and both games will count towards NCAA baseball standings. All proceeds from the event will benefit the Dodgers Dream Foundation to help build Dodgers Dreamfields for children. The Dodgers Dream Foundation will also extend invitations to the Dodgertown Classic to local children and families and provide an interactive forum for children and tournament participants.

Tickets for the event will cost $5 and can be purchased in advance at www.dodgers.com/classic and in person at USC and UCLA campus box offices. Day of game tickets can be purchased at Dodger Stadium for $10. Each ticket will permit access to both of the day’s games. There will be no charge for parking at Dodger Stadium for the event. Fans are reminded that tailgating will not be permitted in any of the parking lots.

Fans that purchase tickets for the Dodgertown Classic at www.dodgers.com/classic have the option to purchase ticket packages that include a USC-themed Night on April 29 or a UCLA-themed Night on April 30. The first 20,000 fans at those games will receive LA-logo hats in USC or UCLA colors, respectively.

Last season, the Dodgers hosted USC and UCLA-themed nights in their My Town section. Dodgertown, USC Night on September 14 sold out last season and the evening’s highlights included The Spirit of Troy USC Marching Band performing the National Anthem and God Bless America and band director Dr. Arthur Bartner throwing out a ceremonial first pitch.

USD, SDSU Staffs To Host Baseball Coaching Clinic

San Diego State head coach Tony Gwynn has teamed up with University of San Diego head coach Rich Hill to host a coaching clinic on Sunday, February 14, at both campuses.

Baseball coaching staffs (Varsity, JV, and Frosh) are invited for a marathon day of coaching inistruction and expertise. Participating coaches will be part of interactive practices at nationally acclaimed SDSU and USD where they will learn hitting drills from Tony Gwynn, and learn practice drills and organization from Rich Hill.

The morning session with Coach Hill covering practice preparation and drills will begin at 9:00 a.m. at the University of San Diego's Cunningham Stadium and run until 1:00 p.m. Following a break for lunch, the scene shifts to San Diego State where Coach Gwynn and his staff will cover the hitting portion of the day's activities.

The cost of the camp is $110.00 per coach, with checks being made payable to USD baseball. Every coach in your group after the third one is free. In order to register, download the clinic brochure below, fill out the registration form and mail it back to USD at the address on the form.

For more information, contact Ramon Orozco at ramono@sandiego.edu or (619) 260-7486.

Legendary coach John Stevenson Dies

John Stevenson, the winningest coach in California high school baseball history who recently completed his 50th season at El Segundo, has died from an apparent heart attack, while driving Monday night in the Marina del Rey area. Longtime assistant coach Craig Cousins will take over the coaching duties on an interim basis. A memorial will be held for Stevenson on Jan. 23 in the El Segundo High auditorium.
He was 76.

Stevenson coached George Brett and a handful of other major leaguers. His wife, Gail, died in September at age 68 after a 4 1/2-year battle with ovarian cancer. Our thoughts and prayers go out to family and friends at this most difficult time.

Gillespie in ABCA Hall of Fame

UC Irvine head coach Mike Gillespie was inducted into the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) Hall of Fame Friday. Gillespie was honored at the ABCA’s annual convention in Dallas, Texas

Gillespie, who took over the reins of the UC Irvine Baseball program in the fall of 2007, has had a storied career. Ranked 24th in victories among active coaches at the Division I level, Gillespie holds an 850-504-2 record with a .627 winning percentage.

In 2009 Gillespie was named the Big West Coach of the Year after leading UCI to its first-ever conference title with a 22-2 mark to boast the second-best winning percentage in conference history at .917. The team was ranked No. 1 during the regular season for the first time, holding the spot for six straight weeks. The program also played host to an NCAA regional for the first time in school history.

In his first season with the Anteaters, Gillespie led UC Irvine to its third consecutive NCAA postseason appearance, as the team recorded the second-highest number of wins in the school’s Division I history with 42. UCI went undefeated in regional action prior to falling in three games in super regional play.

Gillespie’s coaching fame includes a 20-year career at USC, where he recorded a 763-471-2 (.618) mark and guided the Trojans to 15 postseason appearances, four College World Series appearances (1995, 1998, 2000 and 2001) and a national title in 1998 for which Gillespie was named National Coach of the Year by Collegiate Baseball and the American Baseball Coaches Association.

Congratulations!

Crossing The Line

Wining isn't everything....

Mike Leach, Texas Tech head coach, was suspended on Monday then fired on Wednesday after wide receiver Adam James and his family filed a complaint about Leach's treatment of the athlete following an injury, by ordering Adam James to stand in a dark shed at the Texas Tech football practice facility because he thought James was faking a concussion.

Texas Tech is the second Big 12 school to recently conduct an investigation into allegations of mistreatment of football players. Mark Mangino resigned as head coach at Kansas. That was related to player concerns about verbal and physical abuse, though Mangino repeatedly denied any wrongdoing regarding the allegations against him. Mangino is due to receive a $3 million settlement from the school's athletics program.

A very strong message has been sent by University of Texas Tech, that there are more important values than winning. The "Old School" days of discipline are gone. Coaches are learning there are things that just will not be tolerated by parents and administrations in this day and age - especially when it comes to physical, verbal or emotional abuse.

Treatment of players is an issue that has become very sensitive in athletics today. Administrators and athletic directors will be keeping very close watch on how coaches are handling their teams. Therefore, Keep yourself free from any possible allegations by using common sense. Treat all players with respect and dignity any human being deserves - not like a caged animal.

Local Players Make Top 100 Prospect List

Basebal America magazine has come out with its top 100 high school prospects for 2010and there are a number of OC players who made the list, led by top 10 selections pitcher Dylan Coveyl of Pasdena Maranatha (No. 6) and outfielder Austin Wilson of North Hollywood Harvard-Westlake (No. 9).

Others on the list are No. 12 catcher Stefan Sabol, Aliso Niguel; No. 16 outfielder Michael Lorenzen, Fullerton; No. 24 pitcher Peter Tago, Dana Hills; No. 31 third baseman Chad Lewis, Huntington Beach Marina, and No. 46 infielder Dominic Ficociello, Fullerton.

Others are No. 49 first baseman Christian Yelich, Westlake; No. 53 pitcher Gabriel Encinas, St. Paul; No. 57 outfielder Angelo Gumbs, Torrance; No. 58 pitcher Adam Plutko, Glendora; No. 59 pitcher Jesus Valdez, Hueneme; No. 61 pitcher Cody Buckel, Simi Valley Royal; No. 68 outfielder Corey Hahn, Mater Dei; No. 88 shortstop Lonnie Kaupilla, Burbank; No. 89 pitcher Tyler Shreve, Redlands East Valley and No. 94 pitcher Scott Frazier, Upland.

The No. 1 prospect is 6-foot-7 pitcher Jameson Taillon from The Woodlands (Texas).

Baseball: National Classic Reveals Ambitious Teams

It doesn't take much guessing to figure out which high school baseball teams this spring have ambitions of winning a championship. All you have to do is see which schools decided to enter the National Classic in Orange County.

Those are the schools that think they have enough quality pitching to make it through a brutal stretch of games against top competition.

So here they are: Encino Crespi, Huntington Beach Edison, Valencia West Ranch, West Covina South Hills, La Puente Bishop Amat, Orange Lutheran, Anaheim Esperanza, Palm Desert, Peninsula, Santa Ana Mater Dei and Placentia El Dorado.

Many of the schools figure to be top 25 material. The tournament is April 3-8.

Chance Veazey Will Always Remember That Pitch.

Fastball. Low and inside. He'll always remember what it felt like, too, when his bat connected with the ball. "The best feeling in the world," he said. Veazey looked up to see the ball soaring high over the right-field fence, slamming off the top of the scoreboard with a most satisfying thud. It was only a practice game at the University of Georgia, the chance to get in some fall swings before the season began in the spring, but the rush of hitting one out of the park still surged through his body. "That's the way you want to go out," Veazey said, his face revealing both sadness and satisfaction.

Two days later, he was paralyzed from the waist down when his scooter slammed into the side of a car. In all likelihood, he'll never walk again, much less return to the sport that was such a big part of his life. Here was a scrappy 19-year-old who seemingly had it all. A scholarship to Georgia, one of the country's top college baseball programs. A starting job waiting for him at second base in his freshman season. The dream of someday making it to the big leagues. It was snatched away before he got a chance to play his first college game.

After recovering from surgery to stabilize his shattered vertebrae, Veazey was transferred to the Shepherd Center to prepare for this new, unexpected phase of his life. Despite losing more than 20 pounds, he took on rehab with the same determination he showed on the baseball field. He learned everything from dressing himself, to driving with only his hands, to maneuvering his wheelchair over curbs.

Take nothing for granted. Our lives could change in a moment.