High School Male Athlete of the Week: Caden Aoki performing for Edison baseball

Edison High sophomore Caden Aoki is a baseball player, and that tends to be a superstitious group.

Aoki can talk about how he had good command of his pitches on Feb. 28, when the right-handed pitcher threw a one-hit shutout in a 3-0 nonleague win over Mater Dei. Aoki faced the minimum 21 batters and struck out seven.

Aoki can talk about how his defense helped him out, as second baseman Tyler Weaver and shortstop Ted Burton turned a double play immediately after he surrendered a single to the second batter of the game. He can talk about how catcher Hunter Baclig played a great game defensively, and first baseman Blake Morton picked a throw in the dirt in the middle innings to help the Chargers keep the Monarchs off the bases. Center fielder Caden Kendle ran down a couple of balls as well.

“The defense just kept making plays for me,” Aoki said. “I didn’t have to do a lot of work.”

Aoki, though, also wanted to make sure he talked about the “rally boot” – a boot duct-taped to the end of a lacrosse stick – that teammate Garrett Runyan brought to the game.

“It got us all fired up for the game, especially against a great opponent in Mater Dei,” Aoki said. “We were all just feeling it. I could tell by the way that our dugout was just talking to each other, just the chemistry that we have right now. We just came out there and played a great game. That’s how we were able to beat them, because they were a really great team.”

The Chargers (8-4) dealt the Monarchs their first loss of the season. The following day, they won 7-2 at Corona del Mar in a Sunset Conference crossover game, the Sea Kings’ first loss as well.

“Against CdM, we brought a basketball hoop and we were dunking if we got a run,” Aoki said. “These fun things that we’re doing right now are the reason we’re playing so well. We’re allowed to have fun right now, and that’s just why we’re playing so good.”

Aoki, who also plays third base, certainly is playing well for coach Cameron Chinn’s Chargers. He improved to 2-0 in Friday’s 6-3 win at Newport Harbor in another crossover game, allowing a run in 4 2/3 innings.

For the season, Aoki has a 0.70 earned-run average. He has struck out 19 and allowed just two walks in 20 innings pitched.

At the plate, where Aoki typically hits in the No. 3 or 4 spot for the Chargers, he is batting .278 with a home run, four doubles and seven runs batted in.

Chinn had Aoki as his closer as a freshman, and it appears he has only gained confidence as a sophomore. His fastball is not overpowering, but he also has an effective changeup and curveball.

“What stood out last year for him as a freshman, being able to put him in for the sixth or seventh inning of a close game, was his poise,” Chinn said. “He doesn’t get fazed by the moment. He lives for the moment, and guys like that, you want to have the ball in their hands at the end of games. He’s just gotten better as far as that’s concerned this year. We’ve transitioned him into a starter this year, to get the ball in his hands for more innings, and so far he’s flourished in that role.”

Aoki has been playing baseball since age 4. His older brother Connor, who played at catcher for Edison baseball before graduating last year, was an obvious influence. Connor now plays for Binghamton College in New York.

“I just wanted to be as good as him,” Caden Aoki said. “I would go to his practices and just try to compete with the kids that are three years older than me. That really helped me out.”

Aoki is now helping the Chargers, who have had seniors Matt Swartz and Andrew Ballas as effective arms out of the bullpen. Edison plays at Laguna Beach in a crossover game on Wednesday. The Surf League opener is Friday at Los Alamitos.

Aoki hopes the “rally boot” will make another appearance.

“The boot’s like holy in our dugout right now,” he said. “It’s like, ‘Praise the boot.’ People were dancing in the dugout with the boot.”

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Caden Aoki

Born: Aug. 21, 2002

Hometown: Huntington Beach

Height: 5 feet 10

Weight: 165 pounds

Sport: Baseball

Year: Sophomore

Coach: Cameron Chinn

Favorite food: Sushi

Favorite movie: “The Other Guys”

Favorite athletic moment: Pitching a one-hitter to beat Mater Dei.

Week in review: Aoki pitched a complete game one-hitter in Edison’s 3-0 nonleague win over Mater Dei on Feb. 28, striking out seven and also adding a run-scoring double.

matthew.szabo@latimes.com

Twitter: @mjszabo