Sorgi Has Gifts for More Than Game

It’s hard to believe that Adam Sorgi isn’t the most special sibling in his family. He played in the Little League World Series, played in the Southern Section Division I championship game at Dodger Stadium, is one of the top fielding shortstops in Southern California and has a scholarship waiting for him at Stanford.

Then there’s his oldest sister, Erica, who was the young diver in the 1996 hit movie, “Jerry Maguire,” where Tom Cruise says in a voice-over, “Erica Sorgi ... You’ll see her in the next Olympics.” She’s attending Stanford on a diving scholarship.

But the one who has the most influence on Adam Sorgi and his family is his youngest sister, 17-year-old Tori, who was born with Down syndrome. After each game, whether Adam has gone five for five or hitless, he comes home and is greeted by Tori’s hug and smile.

“I never take anything for granted,” he said. “It’s a gift to walk on the baseball field every day. I don’t think we would have reached so high in our athletic success without her blessing. When I think of my little sister, all the pressure goes away. She’s always there, and it’s always good to have a person like that in my life.”

Sorgi, a senior at Mission Viejo Capistrano Valley, plays baseball with a fun-loving spirit that comes from self-confidence and fearlessness. You see it in his aggressiveness running the bases. You see it in how he reaches supposedly unreachable ground balls and gets off throws from angles usually reserved for major leaguers.

“When he’s on the top of his game,” Coach Bob Zamora said, “nobody’s better.”

Capistrano Valley was 17-0 with Sorgi at shortstop this season. But a right shoulder injury that occurred when he was sliding has kept him out of shortstop and left the Cougars 2-3 since then. He did, however, return to the lineup last week as a first baseman, then as a designated hitter, and responded with four hits in eight at-bats. He’s batting .439 with seven home runs.

“Even half a Sorgi is better than none,” Zamora said.

There’s much to appreciate about the 6-foot-1, 170-pounder. He grew up as a multiple-sport standout in Mission Viejo. His parents didn’t fall into the trend of having their children focus year-round on only one sport. He played soccer, basketball, baseball and lacrosse. He was a swimmer and diver too. And he loved it.

“[My parents] wanted me to figure out what I liked,” he said. “I think everybody should do that. You’re not thinking scholarship or professional sports [as a kid]. Just go out and have fun.”

Baseball won out as his favorite sport because it tested him intellectually.

“I enjoy the thinking part of the game,” he said. “A lot of other sports were reaction. I love the way no two baseball games are alike. Something radical can happen on a given day. I love the challenge. You’re never going to get the same result.”

As a 12-year-old in 1997, he played on the South Mission Viejo team that lost to Mexico in the championship game of the Little League World Series. It was a devastating defeat for Sorgi, who was shown crying on national TV and in a front-page photo that appeared in The Times. Sorgi came away with a better understanding of what athletic competition is about.

“To think back and realize we were one of those teams, it’s absolutely something that can’t be taken away and will probably be the most amazing thing in my life,” he said. “I had the greatest defeat I’ll have and realized, despite losing such a big game, life goes on. You realize there’s always another game.”

Four years later, in the Division I final at Dodger Stadium, Sorgi won his championship.

“I love playing in big games,” he said.

With a 3.8 grade-point average and terrific instincts at shortstop, Sorgi was good enough to receive a scholarship to Stanford. He’ll be able to join his sister, Erica, in Palo Alto this fall.

“It’s going to be a lot of fun,” he said. “We have one of the best brother-sister relationships of anybody I know. I look at her as one of my best friends. It’s awesome to go to the same school.”

Sorgi is already taking advantage of his sister’s Stanford connections. His date to the Capistrano Valley prom was his sister’s college roommate.

“A lot of people gave me jokes about that,” he said.

Meanwhile, he’s in rehabilitation, trying to get his shoulder sound so he can return to shortstop and lead the Cougars to another title. Stanford Coach Mark Marquess can’t wait for Sorgi’s arrival this fall.

“We’re really excited because we think he has special ability,” he said.

But the most special skills among the Sorgis belong to Tori, who continues to offer daily lessons to her siblings.

“We all wish Tori was born with the capabilities of everyone else,” Adam said. “But we believe she was a gift for the family.”

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Eric Sondheimer can be reached at eric.sondheimer@latimes.com.