Redondo wins its first CIF baseball title in a century
It began with a new logo and retro uniforms similar to those the Sea Hawks wore in 1915. It culminated with a storybook ending.
Redondo’s patient – yet strong – offense and the arm of a junior pitcher helped write the final chapter of a season by capturing its first CIF championship in 100-year history of Sea Hawk baseball.
Redondo (29-7) jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the top of the first inning and added another five runs in the fifth inning in a 10-0 rout of Walnut to capture the CIF Southern Section Division 3 title held Saturday at San Manuel Stadium in San Bernardino.
The offensive barrage was more than Cooper Gallion needed. The star pitcher tossed a complete-game two-hitter with four strikeouts and two walks in 79 pitches.
“I was really relaxed, it felt really good that my team jumped on them for some runs, and basically I was just trying to throw strikes and keep them off-balance,” said Gallion, who finished the season with an 8-1 record and a 1.37 ERA.
Gallion also was a phenom at the plate this season batting .420 with a .752 slugging percentage. His 46 RBI was tops among players in CIF-SS Divisions 1-6 according to MaxPreps and he had a team-high 21 doubles.
The junior led a Redondo squad that had a team batting of .334 and a pitching staff that posted a 2.04 ERA.
“You score five runs in the first inning, that’s exactly the way you want to start a CIF championship game,” Redondo coach Jeff Baumback said. “I thought our guys did a great job first by not going out of the strike zone, and forcing their pitcher to come to us. It’s hard to pitch deep into counts and behind, and he was pitching behind and deep into counts, and we were able to put good swings on the ball at that point. Then Cooper going out and no-hitting for a few innings, you’ve got a really confident feeling at that point.”
“[Redondo’s] discipline at the plate is stellar,” Walnut head coach Paul Acosta said. “They took advantage of some first-inning walks, had some timely hits and that’s tough to recover from.”
Acosta admitted he had been concerned about an emotional letdown after his squad had eliminated top-seeded San Dimas, USA Today’s top-ranked team, in a 4-1 semifinal win.
“We took an extra day to enjoy that but the boys were ready to play,” Acosta said. “We prepared well and were ready to play. I give credit to [Redondo]. Their reputation is that they hit the ball well and we saw that with our own eyes.”
After reaching the semifinals last season, expectations were high for Redondo’s squad this season.
“The run we made last year was a little unexpected,” Baumback said. “The guys came into this year believing we could win this. This has been a great ride and I will never forget it, that’s for sure.”
“We just kind of had the right mix of guys this year to make it happen. All of the guys who played for me the last five years are a big part of what happened today. They did what I asked them to do, they worked their tails off, and they kind of set the tone for what guys coming after them would do.”
While Redondo was ranked among the top Division 3 teams for much of the season, there were some bumps in the road. During the first three weeks of the season, the Sea Hawks dropped two games in the El Segundo Tournament and lost the second game of a double-header to El Segundo.
After two losses in the highly-competitive Ryan Lemmon Invitational tournament during spring break, the Sea Hawks reeled off 13-game winning streak that included winning their own Redondo Tournament for the first time in its 46-year existence.
With a two-game lead in the Bay League going into the final week of the regular season, Redondo faced rival Mira Costa in a home-and-away series. The Mustangs won both games to claim a share of the league title, yet the Sea Hawks did not seem concerned.
Redondo took advantage of three straight playoff home games defeating Charter Oak 6-1 and El Segundo 5-0 before eliminating second-seeded Palm Desert with a 6-3 come-from-behind victory.
In a rematch of last year’s semifinals, Redondo avenged its 2014 loss at Bishop Amat with a 6-2 road win to advance to the finals for the first time in school history.
“Losing to Costa was a wake-up call,” said Redondo catcher Marco Valenzuela who went 2 for 4 with 3 RBI and two doubles in the CIF championship game. “It showed us that nothing was going to come easy and that we hadn’t reached our full potential. We looked at it as a clean start going into the playoffs and worked very hard in practice.
The two losses were particularly difficult for senior outfielder Jason Clebowicz, who had transferred from Mira Costa prior to his junior season.
“My high school career had a rocky start,” Clebowicz said. “But the last two years, playing for the best two teams Redondo has had and winning Bay League, tournament and CIF championships proved that all those games in my first two years were not in vain. When we lost only one or two games out of 30 during fall ball, we knew from the beginning that this was going to be the year for Redondo baseball.”
Clebowicz, who will be playing baseball for Kenyon College in Ohio while majoring in English, finished the season with a .307 batting average, 24 RBI, 29 runs scored, 13 doubles and 11 stolen bases.
Duncan McKinnon was another player who transferred before his junior year. Saturday’s CIF championship was the second for the Purdue-bound shortstop, who won a title as a sophomore with Serra.
“The second one is a lot better than the first, especially with this group of guys,” McKinnon said. “We’re really close. It’s just a great team.”
McKinnon offered pre-game advice to his Redondo teammates.
“I talked to the players individually and just told them to relax and take in the moment,” said McKinnon who batted .379 with 24 RBI, scored a team-high 44 runs and added six doubles, three triples and three home runs during his senior season.
McKinnon join senior second baseman Cole Henderson to form a strong double-play combination this year. Henderson went 1 for 1 with one RBI and one run scored against Walnut and finished the season with a .286 batting average, four doubles and 22 runs scored.
Four-year starter Brady Dorn has been a mainstay in Redondo’s program and drove in Redondo’s first run in the CIF title game. He also recorded four putouts from his third-base position.
“I’m so excited. This year we knew we had some talent, we’ve just been working really hard,” Dorn said. “All of us are really close. It’s one thing we can all share together forever.”
A clutch hitter throughout the season, Dorn batted .344 with 35 RBI, 40 runs scored, 11 doubles, three triples and two home runs this season. He also had 14 stolen bases.
First baseman Jacob Springman had a strong second half of the season finishing with a .357 batting average and four doubles. The junior went 2 for 4 with an RBI in the championship game and is looking forward to the strong nucleus that will be returning for the Sea Hawks.
“It was fun this year because everyone contributed,” Springman said. “I think we might be even better next year with an experienced pitching staff, catcher and great defense coming back. We had a little slow start this season but knew we had the talent going in. We weren’t concerned after the Costa games. Things just didn’t go our way so we just buckled down and focused going into the playoffs.”
Valenzuela said it would take time for the reality of winning the CIF championship to sink in.
“Winning CIF was surreal,” Valenzuela said. “After first inning, the mood changed. I don‘t even remember the whole game. The next thing I knew everyone was in a dogpile.”
The junior catcher is looking forward to having the core of Redondo’s pitching staff return next season. He stresses the importance of bullpen sessions and considers himself part instructor, part psychologist.
“Working with the pitcher, I learn their tendencies and make connections with each one so during a game, I know exactly how to approach them,” Valenzuela said. “We are a fastball-throwing program and although we didn’t have a lot of strikeouts, we got the job done and had a great defense behind us.”
Along with Gallion, Redondo’s pitching staff featured junior Jason Dicochea and sophomore Danny Zimmerman.
Dicochea posted a record of 8-1 with a 2.88 ERA while Zimmerman (8-2, 1.36 ERA) had a strong second half of the season that included two playoff victories.
“I felt a lot more confident this season. I had more command of my fastball and kept it low all year,” Zimmerman said Sunday afternoon. “(Pitching coach) Jeff Stimpson calls all the pitches and helps me make adjustments. This is a great team and we really bonded. Winning CIF hasn’t really sunk in yet. It probably will when I go back to school on Monday.”
The big right-hander also hit a team-high six home runs along with seven doubles and 30 RBI while batting .302.
Other team members included Matt Carroll, Nick Dipaola, Matt Hanniff, Andrew Joseph, Mike Petryshyn, Sean Reynolds, Connor Riley, Vance St. John, Billy Stickland and Neal Sullivan.
The players weren’t the only ones with their heads held high Saturday afternoon. So were many of the fathers who have been involved with their son’s baseball careers since an early age. Approximately half of Redondo’s team grew up playing in South Redondo Little League.
Scott St. John, whose son Vance is a relief pitcher for the Sea Hawks, was one of many fathers who served on the board at South Redondo LL.
“Like most Little League dads, you coach these kids from the age of five, and you volunteer to create the best little league possible,” St. John said. “The people you meet along the way become your friends, and in many cases, a part of your family. So to see these little guys grown and so successful and happy, you can’t help but feel a rewarding sense of pride. Hopefully, we taught these kids a lesson they can use with their kids.”
The CIF championship was particularly fulfilling for Redondo Athletic Director Andy Saltsman, who has watched Redondo win CIF titles in girls volleyball and girls basketball along with an LA County tile in girls lacrosse during the school year.
“Jeff got here five years ago and was my first hire,” Saltsman said. “When your first hire gets that first title it’s pretty awesome. The kids have been knocking on the door for league titles that last few years and broke through the door with a co-title this year, but the run they’ve had in the playoffs the last two years and now to win it all in the 100th anniversary of Redondo baseball is very special.”
Baumback concurred.
“This is huge. I’ve only been here for five years but knew this school had a rich tradition in baseball,” Baumback said. “I didn’t grow up in the South Bay but when I got here, I realized how proud they were of their baseball program. They went through a few years of struggling but I knew the community talented baseball players. I just wanted to get our team to reach its potential.”
