El Camino Holds On For SCC Baseball Title, Leads 4 Into Playoffs
For the sixth time and first since 2019, El Camino College captured the South Coast Conference baseball championship, clinching the '23 outright title with a 9-3 victory over Mt. San Antonio on the final day of the regular season on April 28.
The Warriors (28-12 overall) won with an 18-6 conference record in upping its total to six all-time SCC crowns, but only their second solo title, the other in 2010. Pasadena City (25-15), the lone team to win its conference series v. ECC (2-games-to-1), took second place at 17-7, setting its most victories ever in South Coast play.
El Camino swept Compton, Cerritos and LA Harbor in its 3-game series v. each. The Warriors won two of three v. both of last year's SCC Co-Champions in Long Beach City and Mt. San Antonio. LBCC (20-20) placed third in conference this season at 16-8, followed by a tie for fourth place between Rio Hondo (22-18) and East Los Angeles (18-22), each 15-9.
SOCAL PLAYOFFS
The Warriors earned the #11 seed for the upcoming SoCal Regional Playoffs and host #14 Mt. San Jacinto in the opening round May 5-6. Also making it in were #18 Pasadena (at #7 Glendale) while Long Beach (#23) and East LA (#24, won tiebreaker over Rio Hondo), who both grabbed the last two seeds in the 24-team field.
ELAC is at #1 Palomar while the Vikings face #2 Saddleback.
El Camino is making its sixth consecutive trip to the postseason and PCC its fifth in a row. The Warriors were state runner-up in 2019 as the South Coast is searching for its first state champion since Long Beach won the California championship in 2006.
SOCAL REGIONAL PLAYOFF BRACKET
PCC's GUARDADO IS MVP, THREE PITCHERS SHARE PITCHER OF THE YEAR ON 2023 ALL-SCC TEAM
COMPLETE ALL-SCC TEAM, click here
Pasadena pitcher-rightfielder Jakob Guardado is this year's Most Valuable Player and Long Beach's Evan Vazquez, ECC lefthander David Case, and East LA's Fernando Dominguez are Tri-PItchers of the Year in highlighting the 2023 All-South Coast Conference Team. El Camino head coach Nate Fernley was selected Coach of the Year at the postseason coach's meeting held Monday night at LBCC.
Based on the 24-game conference statistics, the left-handed batting Guardado stood out by hitting .324 with two homers and 25 RBI while among the top SCC hurlers as a righthanded thrower with a 5-2 record, three complete games, and just seven walks with 34 strikeouts in 48 innings, posting a 3.38 ERA.
Vazquez was 5-0 in conference with two CGs in 56 innings and also a 3.38 ERA, Dominguez led the conference in innings (66.1) and CGs (six) with a 2.44 ERA while Case came on strong later in the season with a 2-0 record, striking out 35 batters in 32 innings and a sparkling 1.41 ERA.
El Camino placed 11 players on the 37-player, First and Second Teams.
SCC MVP Jakob Guardado
Release by Robert Lewis, SCC SID