Bay League Notebook: Peninsula, Palos Verdes Players Honored

Despite finishing as co-champs of the Bay League with Mira Costa, Peninsula placed only three players on the all-league team.

In addition to Peninsula senior third baseman Allison Blackman earning co-MVP honors, sophomore pitcher Andie Siegel was a first-team selection. Siegel compiled a 10-9-1 mark.

On the second team, junior outfielder Ashley Gonzalez and freshman outfielder Cassie Lajeunesse were selected.

Three Palos Verdes players were picked to the first team. They included senior third baseman Andrea Del Conte, senior shortstop Haley Schenasi and senior pitcher Alex Whittemore.

Del Conte batted .531 with three home runs and a team-high 38 runs. She accounted for 11 of the team’s 18 triples. Schenasi led the Sea Kings in homers with five and 37 RBIs. She hit .421. Despite a 10-12 mark, Whittemore, who hit .450, compiled a 1.99 ERA and limited opponents to a .192 hitting average. She recorded 113 strikeouts in 137.1 innings pitched.

Palos Verdes junior outfielder Sammi Gyerman was a second-team pick.

Bay League co-MVPs

Mira Costa junior catcher Katie Saunders and Blackman were picked as co-MVPs of the Bay League in softball this week.

“It’s great, but I was surprised,” said Saunders, who hit five home runs, drove in 36 and batted .480 this season. “It’s a big honor. I guess you never think of yourself as getting that award, at least I didn’t, since it’s such a big deal. It’s just a great and wonderful honor.”

Blackman also had an outstanding season, leading the Panthers to a co- championship in league with Mira Costa. Blackman hit .425 with four home runs and 30 RBIs. She helped guide Peninsula to the second round of the CIF playoffs. She also anchored the Peninsula defense, recording a .925 fielding percentage and committing only six errors in 27 games.

“Allison had an awesome year,” Peninsula coach Tim Hall said.

Mira Costa’s Stefanni Lajeunesse captured the league’s Most Outstanding Player award. Lajeunesse, a junior, led Mira Costa with 11 home runs, 41 RBIs and a .525 batting average. She tied for team-high honors in triples with seven with Taylor Glover. Like her teammate, Lajeunesse wasn’t expecting the high praise.

“I was very surprised. I never even think about becoming Most Outstanding Player of the league,” Lajeunesse said. “I just play the game I love to the fullest and work very hard. I was very proud of my teammates this season. They deserve credit. We really bonded this year and played as one. Everyone had each other’s back.

“If someone made a mistake or struck out, we picked each other up. We trusted each other so much that the game was so much fun and we didn’t even think about losing. We took a loss as fixing our mistakes and moving on to the next game. I think that had a great deal to do with our success.”

Junior pitcher Breanna Kelly, who finished 16-5 overall, and sophomore centerfielder Taylor Glover were first-team selections. Glover was a team catalyst, hitting a team-high .561 with three homers and 29 RBIs. She also led the team in steals (22), runs (43) and hits (60).

Second-team picks included seniors Chloe Krasnoff and Kamyle Glover. Krasnoff batted .448 with four home runs and 36 RBI, while Kamyle Glover had two homers, 19 RBIs and a .372 batting average.

All six players were pivotal in Mira Costa’s run in the league, finishing as co-champs with Peninsula.

“We had a tremendous year,” Mira Costa coach Dick Amberik said. “We scored 258 runs, which is incredible. And the team batting average was .414. It was a wonderful year and the kids did as well as they possibly could.”

Mira Costa, which finished 22-7-1 overall and 8-2 in league, earned a 8-7 victory in eight innings over Santa Maria Righetti in a wild-card game of the CIF playoffs in May before being eliminated in the first round a day later in a 7-6 decision by Lake Elsinore Lakeside.

Still, the loss didn’t dim the Mustangs’ run or their prospects for next year. The team will lose five players to graduation, but many of its top performers will return.

“I’ve never had a team that hit this well,” Amberik said. “This is the best one ever in my 18 years. And most of them are coming back.”

Junior shortstop Meghan von Behren, who finished with a .422 batting average and 38 RBIs, will be among them.

Von Behren was one of five players to share the team’s Most Outstanding Player award, which was given at a banquet Tuesday night. Saunders, Lajeunesse, Taylor Glover and Krasnoff were the others.

“We had such a great year, we had such a difficult time picking one,” Amberik said. “All five of them drove in 30 runs in only 30 games. If they were Major League baseball players, they would be making $40 million for that kind of effort.”

Other Mustangs awarded team honors: Shannon Savino (Freshman Player of the Year), Kelly (MVP), Kamyle Glover (Coaches’ Award) and von Behren (Most Improved).

All-league baseball team has significant local flavor

Peninsula, which finished as co-champs of the Bay League with West Torrance, had four selections, the most by any, to the all-league baseball team.

The Panthers also received another top honor with senior pitcher Sammy Moore being picked, along with West’s Daniel Timmerman, as the league’s top pitchers.

West outfielder John Palmer and catcher Austin Watters were named co-MVPs. Palos Verdes senior Bobby Stahel was chosen as the league’s Most Outstanding Player.

Peninsula senior first baseman Ted Dilts, senior infielders Tony Poncia and Mark Okuma and senior pitcher Cristian Torres all made the first team.

Redondo junior first baseman Dylan Hatch and senior pitcher Grant Wessel were the picks from Redondo. Mira Costa senior pitcher Sean Isaac and Palos Verdes senior outfielder Chris Markulis also made the first team.