Sports Briefs: La Cañada, Flintridge Prep baseball players lauded by leagues
Rebels grab league honors
Five members of the Flintridge Prep baseball team were bestowed with All-Prep League accolades after going 14-9, 6-6 in league for third place.
Senior outfielder/pitcher Aidan Schraeder and sophomore utility Ben Grable were named to the first team from the Rebels, who reached the first round of the CIF Southern Section Division V playoffs.
Schraeder batted .365 with five home runs, eight doubles and 25 runs batted in. He scored 26 runs and stole 12 bases.
On the mound, Schraeder went 3-5 with a 3.98 earned-run average. In 11 appearances, Schraeder struck out 38 in 44 innings.
“He did everything and we were always able to count on him,” Flintridge Prep coach Guillermo Gonzalez said. “Aidan did a great job of providing leadership for a pretty young team.”
Grable hit .368 with three home runs and 12 RBI. He collected 12 stolen bases and scored 21 runs.
“Ben came through and did a lot for us,” Gonzalez said. “He hit the ball well toward the end of the year and we’re glad we have him for two more years.”
Nick Davis, Thomas Kosakowski and Max Rosenfeld were selected to the second team.
Davis, a senior infielder/pitcher, batted .314 with 20 runs and 13 RBI. He went 2-2 with a 2.65 ERA in 10 appearances, striking out 44 in 37 innings.
Kosakowski, a junior utility/pitcher, batted .465 with 14 runs and 21 RBI. He finished 3-0 with a 3.76 ERA in nine outings, striking out 34 in 25 innings.
Rosenfeld, a junior, infielder/pitcher, batted .400 with 22 runs, 19 RBI and nine stolen bases. Rosenfeld went 2-1 with a 2.55 ERAin six appearances. He struck out 21 in 22 innings.
Spartans have three all-leaguers
Following a terrific 2017 season that included a Rio Hondo League title and a CIF Southern Section Division V run to the quarterfinals, La Cañada High’s baseball team fell on some hard times in 2018.
Battling through a Rio Hondo League that featured a pair of CIF finalists in Monrovia and Temple City, the Spartans went 12-14, 4-8 in league.
Still, there were some big individual seasons had, led by junior infielder Tai Walton, senior infielder Andrew Nomoto and senior middle infielder Jonathan Shaklan.
All three were honored with spots on the All-Rio Hondo League team, with Walton the lone first-teamer.
“Tai played big for us in the middle of the lineup,” Spartans coach Matt Whisenant said. “What makes him so successful is his patience at the plate and getting into hitters’ counts. On top of that, he ran the bases extremely well for us and was always a threat to steal bases. His offense was a major reason we had success when we did. On top of that, he works his tail off.”
Walton’s 31 hits equated to a .392 average as he built a .525 on-base percentage with 19 walks and tallied 23 runs, 10 runs batted in and 14 stolen bases.
Second-team selection Nomoto hit .321 (26 for 81) with 26 RBI, 13 runs, 13 walks, a .412 on-base percentage and eight stolen bases.
Shaklan was a .329 (26 for 79) hitter with 21 runs, seven RBI, 13 walks, a .433 on-base percentage and six stolen bases.
La Cañada Summer Smash returns
The La Cañada Baseball Softball Assn. is bringing back a summer baseball tournament that has been dormant for several years.
Roughly 500 boys representing 42 teams will be playing across fields in La Cañada from Friday through Sunday in the La Cañada Summer Smash. The age group of the boys is from 8-12 years old.
For more information on the tournament, check out www.lcsummersmash.com
Spartan Basketball Camp set
The annual Spartan Basketball Camp, conducted by La Cañada High boys’ basketball coach Tom Hofman, will be held in three sessions.
The camp will take place at La Cañada High’s auxiliary gymnasium, 4463 Oak Grove Drive, La Cañada.
The first session will run from 1:15 to 5 p.m. June 4-8. The second session will occur 1:15 to 5 p.m. June 11-15. A third series will occur from 1:15 to 5 p.m. June 18-22.
For more information, call (661) 252-1658 or visit the camp’s website at www.spartanbasketballcamp.com.
Youth football registration
The La Cañada Gladiators Youth Football program is accepting registration and payment online for the 2018 season.
Applications are available on the Gladiator webpage at www.lcgladiators.org. The program is open to girls and boys, ages 6-14. The Gladiators field one flag team and four tackle squads. Practice begins July 23 and the regular season starts in early September and ends the first weekend in November.
Early registration is encouraged, as spaces fill up quickly and team rosters are capped at 33 players for each tackle team and 20 players for the flag squad.