Boys’ Player of the Week : Smedes’ Bat Establishes Winning Connection

Laguna Hills High School has won 13 straight baseball games, resulting in a Pacific Coast League championship.

Mike Smedes, a senior who pitches and plays infield, sees it as a team effort. “Everyone came together at the same time,” he said.

Coach Jack Hodges, however, can’t help but draw a different conclusion.

“About the time Smedes got into a groove, we started winning,” Hodges said.

Laguna Hills won just three of its first 11 games before the streak. During the next 13 games, Smedes raised his batting average from .260 to .428. And, as a pitcher, he won seven straight games.

Smedes, The Times’ player of the week, finished the regular season with a record-setting day against Laguna Beach. On Thursday, he set school records with three home runs and nine runs batted in. For the week, he was 5 for 8 with 3 home runs, 2 doubles and 10 RBIs.

He also improved to 7-2 as a pitcher. He struck out 11 in a 10-3 victory over Laguna Beach Tuesday.

“Potentially, I think pitching will be his strength, but I haven’t seen the best side of Mike Smedes as a hitter,” Hodges said. “Even when we were struggling, we knew that when he was ready, we would be a better ball club.”

Smedes, a senior, got a late start this baseball season because he was a member of the basketball team that advanced to the Southern Section 2-A playoffs. He had only five days to prepare for baseball.

He pitched in relief at first and didn’t make his first start until the eighth game of the season, losing, 2-1, to Santa Ana.

When league play began, Smedes was 0-2.

“It takes basketball guys about three weeks to get ready,” Hodges said. “They all start slowly. Mike pitched well in the Santa Ana game. I could tell he was ready.”

Smedes also struggled at the plate early in the season because he was trying a new batting stance.

During the Santa Ana Elks Tournament, he went back to his old style of hitting.

“The new stance just wasn’t working and I felt I needed to make a change again,” Smedes said. “I went back to a more upright stance with my hands laid back. The first game I tried it (Santa Ana) I got a double. The next game against Foothill I felt I could hit anything they pitched. And hit it hard.”

Smedes has continued hitting the ball hard. He finished with 5 home runs and 27 RBIs.

“We always expected him to get the big base hits,” Hodges said. “He has that capability. But, we’ve been surprised at the number of home runs he has hit this year.”

Said Smedes, “Yeah, I’ve done all right.”

And when Smedes does all right, so does Laguna Hills.

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Mike Smedes

Laguna Hills High School

Position: pitcher/infielder

Height, Weight, Class: 6-5, 205, Sr.

Last Week: Smedes went 5 for 8 with 3 home runs, 2 doubles and 10 runs batted in. One Tuesday against Laguna Beach he struck out 11 in getting his seventh straight victory. On Thursday, again against Laguna Beach, he set school records with 3 home runs and 9 RBIs.

Season: Smedes is hitting .428 with 5 home runs and 27 RBIs. As a pitcher, he is 7-2 with 1.28 earned-run average and has 75 strikeouts in 71 innings.