It's Going to Come Down to Nitty Gritty for Campbell Hall Baseball Team

It looks like the Alpha League baseball race is going to come down to the end next week, and Campbell Hall High is very much in the thick of things.

The Vikings (14-6, 7-2) are one game behind first-place Paraclete (19-3, 8-1), and teams finish against each other with a two-game series beginning Tuesday at 4 p.m. at Paraclete in Lancaster. Montclair Prep (16-7, 8-3), which plays at Paraclete today, is also in the mix, so the last stretch should be exciting.

"Obviously, we still have to win today at Calvary Chapel (in Downey), and hopefully we will, so the games next week will count for everything,” Campbell Hall catcher Adam Ehrlich said. “If we win them both, we should take the league. We’re going to try.”

Campbell Hall defeated Paraclete 7-5 last month, while the Spirits have twice defeated Montclair Prep.

“Paraclete is a pretty good team. They’re fundamentally sound,” Ehrlich said. “They don’t make mistakes, so we’ll have to play our best game to beat them.”

In the Southern Section Division V poll, Montclair Prep is No. 3, Campbell Hall is No. 7, and Paraclete is No. 8 – not a big surprise considering Antelope Valley area teams routinely are snubbed in the rankings.

“The Paraclete series is a big series,” Campbell Hall coach Juan Velazquez said. “It’s probably going to be the league title depending on how everything works. Even if we all finish in a three-way tie with Montclair Prep and have to do a coin flip, we should all have a good playoff seed because I think the Alpha League will be rated the strongest league in Division V.”

Ehrlich and Brett Lake are enjoying exceptional seasons. Ehrlich is 8-of-13 over the past three games, raising his batting average to .562 with five home runs and 40 RBIs. Lake is hitting .528 with three home runs and 28 RBIs.

“I have Brett hitting right behind me, and he’s just as tough, so that’s been good for our team,” Ehrlich said. “It’s a really good combo.”

All five of Ehrlich’s home runs have come at Campbell Hall, a welcome venue for left-handed hitters because of the short right-field fence. However, Ehrlich has not hit one since March 19, a 12-game homerless drought.

“Maybe I’ll hit one soon, but I don’t really try to hit home runs because that’s not a good plan,” Ehrlich said. “When you go up there trying to hit a home run, you never hit one.”

ALL-STAR COACH

Campbell Hall basketball coach Steve Wachs coached the East to a 113-102 win in the 15th annual Battle of the Valley all-star basketball game April 23 at Cal State Northridge.

Campbell Hall’s Austin McBroom started at point guard, finishing with 18 points, six rebounds and three assists.

Proceeds benefited the Valley Sports Foundation.

“It was a very special experience to coach the best players in the area,” Wachs said. “It was an honor to be associated with that caliber of talent and to be included in the game.”

Wachs especially enjoyed having McBroom and game MVP Lonnie Jackson (27 points, four assists) of Valencia on the court at the same time, though it didn’t happen until the stretch because Wachs often subbed four or five players at a time.

“It was a 40-minute game, and we spent the first 32 minutes wondering what it would be like to have both of them out there together,” Wachs said.

H.W. STILL IN BASEBALL HUNT

Harvard-Westlake (18-7, 7-2), trying to win a league baseball title for the first time in at least 22 years and perhaps much longer, is a half-game behind Chaminade (16-6, 8-2) in the Mission League standings heading into a league game today against visiting Loyola of L.A.

The Wolverines have three league games remaining, finishing with a two-game series against Crespi next week, and coach Matt LaCour, never one to take chances, wants to win the last three.

“I think we have to, and it’s going to come down to our pitching,” said LaCour, who plans to start freshman Jack Flaherty today. “We’re a half-game back, and we know exactly what we need to do, which is to win all three games. That’s the mindset we need to have.”