Seefried Named 2-A Player of Year

Tate Seefried, the talented transfer who helped El Segundo High reach the Southern Section 2-A Division baseball final for the second consecutive season, has been named All-CIF 2-A Division Player of the Year.

Seefried headed of group of nine South Bay players, including four from El Segundo, chosen to the team by the First Interstate Bank-Amateur Athletic Foundation board of sportswriters.

A first baseman-pitcher, Seefried set El Segundo season records for most home runs (13), runs batted in (50), hits (55) and runs scored (44) to lead the Eagles (27-4) to the Camino Real League title. On the mound, the right-hander was 7-2 with a 1.95 earned-run average.

The 6-4, 180-pound senior, who transferred from Central Valley High in Spokane, Wash., after spending his freshman and sophomore years at Rolling Hills High, was drafted in the third round by the New York Yankees and signed for a six-figure bonus. He will report to the club’s rookie league team in Tampa, Fla., today.

Seefried doubled, tripled and scored two runs in the Eagles’ 5-4 loss to San Marino in the 2-A championship game. He hit .478 for the season.

Other El Segundo players selected to the 2-A first team were pitcher Rob Croxall, shortstop Mark Lewis and catcher Garret Quaintance. Croxall was 10-1 with an area-leading 1.02 ERA, Lewis hit .425 and committed only three errors in 31 games, and Quaintance hit .442 with 15 doubles and 42 RBI.

St. Bernard third baseman Jeff Richardson and Mary Star outfielder Steve Papadakis completed the area’s first-team selections.

Richardson, drafted by the Philadelphia Phillies, led St. Bernard with a .468 batting average and 38 RBI. Two of his seven home runs came against Seefried. Mary Star’s Papadakis hit .486 with 36 RBI and seven home runs, including two in a second-round playoff loss to Santa Ynez.

Second-team honors went to pitcher Jason Mavar and shortstop Mike Ryan, both of Miraleste, and St. Bernard outfielder John Coleman.

Mavar, a senior right-hander, led Miraleste to a share of the Santa Fe League title with Mary Star with an 12-3 record and 1.09 ERA. He also played in the outfield and hit .392 with 26 RBI. Ryan, a junior, paced the Marauders with a .511 batting average (44 for 86) and had eight home runs, eight doubles and 41 RBI. The speedy Coleman set a St. Bernard season mark with 43 stolen bases, and hit .370 with 17 RBI in the lead-off spot.