WSC South Power Pair, Santa Ana Righty Are SoCal Co-Players/Pitcher Of The Week #12
The Western State Conference South Division saw a pair of sluggers in Citrus College first baseman Cam Casado and Glendale catcher James Harrington along with Santa Ana's Andrew Phillips awarded CCCBCA SoCal Co-Players/Pitcher of the Week #12 (April 6-12).
Casado, a 6-foot-3, sophomore transfer lefty bomber (Bishop Amat High, from Jurupa Valley and played as a freshman at Chaffey), has been a big part of the rise this season of Citrus baseball as a now state #10-ranked team. Last week, he was Mr. Clutch as he batted 6-for-11 with four home runs, a double, three walks and six RBI in helping the Fighting Owls sweep a 3-game series over Antelope Valley. He had 19 total bases and a 1.727 slugging percentage.
In the opener, he completed a Citrus rally from down 7-2 by crushing his second HR of the game, a 2-run shot in the fifth inning for a 8-7 win. In game 2, his game-winning, round-tripper to center in the top of the ninth was the difference, 5-4, for the Owls. In the finale, down 6-5 in the fifth, Casado did it again, slugging a 2-run shot that propelled Citrus to an 11-7 victory. Casado is on a 12-game hit streak and is batting .425 overall with 10 HR and 44 RBI.
Harrington, a 6-1 sophomore catcher from Bishop Alemany High in Mission Hills, put on a laser show in #18-ranked Glendale's 3-game sweep over West LA. The Vaquero did all his damage in limited at bats as he went 5-for-7, blasting three home runs and nine RBI while scoring seven runs. In a 15-0 win in game 2, Harrington batted 3-for-3 with a grand slam, a solo homer and a RBI double for six knocked in.
Phillips, a 6-2 freshman righthander from Santa Ana's Foothill High, fired an 8-inning, 3-hitter, allowing just one run and striking out 10 in the #1 ranked Dons 11-1 win over Cypress on April 9. In moving his mound record to a perfect 4-0, Phillips pitched a tidy 69 pitches (49 for strikes) retired 15 straight during the effort.
Other SoCal Region Conference Players of the Week
Western State North--Player: Joshue Garcia, Allan Hancock (.533, 5 R, 2 2B, 1 HR, 5 RBI); Pitcher: Ricky Garcia, Oxnard (8 IP, Win, 2 H, 0 ER, 4 K)
Western State South--Player: Cam Casado, Citrus, James Harrington, Glendale; Pitcher: Jimmy Cafferty, Glendale (5 IP, Win, 2 H, 1 ER, 9 K)
Inland Empire Athletic--Player: Christian Wilkes, Cerro Coso (.538, 7 R, 2 2B, 3B, HR, 5 RBI); Pitcher: Rafael Echeverria, Cerro Coso (6.1 IP, Win, 6 H, 10 K)
South Coast--Player: Mahki Clark, East LA (.786 AVG, 4 R, 3 2B, 1 HR, 7 RBI); Pitcher: Cameron O'Neil, El Camino (7 IP, Win, 6 H, 2 ER, 8 K)
Orange Empire--Player: Evan Reiter, Santa Ana (.538, 5 R, 2B, 2 HR, 4 RBI); Pitcher: Andrew Phillips, Santa Ana
Pacific Coast Athletic--Player: Rain McMillon, Palomar ( .538, 7 R, 1 HR, 4 RBI); Pitcher: Elijah Stephens, Palomar (5 IP, Win, 1 H, 0 ER, 10 K)
