Choi, MacKinney represent Glendale baseball with all-state team selections
Growth, development and conference championships are the usual goals the Glendale Community College baseball program strives for each season.
Year after year, those ideologies are put to the test, and the Vaqueros teams rarely skip a beat.
This season, the Vaqueros secured another conference title and followed it up with a deep postseason run that came to a close in the California Community College Athletic Assn. Sectionals.
For their efforts, Glendale sophomore catcher Michael Choi and freshman outfielder Trent MacKinney were honored with Southern California-American Baseball Coaches Assn./Rawlings All-Region selections.
Choi was selected to the Pacific Assn. first team, while MacKinney was recognized on the second team.
Choi, who was also named the Western State Conference East Division Player of the Year, had a .381 batting average (48 for 126) with 36 runs batted in, 32 runs scored, nine doubles and four home runs. His batting average was second on the team behind MacKinney.
“For Michael to come in and do what he did this year for us, not just offensively, but behind the plate, was really awesome,” Glendale interim coach Alex Kocol said. “It didn’t start that way, but it finished that way for him.”
Along with his selection on the region’s first-team, Choi joined an elite class of Glendale players by earning All-America honors.
“He was key for us,” Kocol said. “He was also a leader. A great person. A great student. We’re going to miss him. Great family. We only had him for a year, but he was very adaptable.
“He grew a lot throughout the year; grew a lot and improved his game and I think the results speak for themselves on him.”
MacKinney, Glendale’s lead-off batter for most of the season, led the team with a .430 average (64 for 149), which was ranked No. 2 in the state. He also drove in 29 runs, scored 47 runs, collected 10 doubles, four home runs and three triples to go along with 12 stolen bases.
MacKinney, who was also selected on the WSC East Division first team, found a place for himself at Glendale. Though the Vaqueros were stacked in the infield, Kocol transitioned MacKinney to the outfield where he showcased his defensive talents.
The freshman didn’t stake his claim in the lineup until late February when Glendale faced Golden West College, as he blasted a home run as a designated hitter. The following game, MacKinney started at the top of the batting order.
“He literally didn’t come out of the lineup and led the state in hitting,” Kocol said. “That was an amazing story. Amazing kid. Got out on the field as an outfielder and did a great job for us there. Had some huge hits for us along the way with a huge walk-off against Barstow.
“He’s awesome. He’s everything you preach in working hard and staying with it. He did that. We’re extremely happy for him.”
Choi and MacKinney helped the Vaqueros win their second straight conference title and seventh WSC since 2011.
Glendale (30-17) faced El Camino College in the CCCAA Sectionals, where it lost the best-of-three series, 14-2 and 7-3.
Glendale got off on the wrong foot to start off its postseason journey with a 10-4 loss in its first of three games against Santa Barbara City College in the CCCAA Southern California Regional at home.
The Vaqueros then won two straight games to win the series, 2-1, with a resounding 16-2 victory in an elimination game and a 4-3 win in the deciding third game.
The Vaqueros followed up their comeback win with a sweep of San Diego Mesa in the CCCAA Super Regionals at home, registering an 8-7 win in 11 innings and a 12-3 victory to seal the series.