High School Baseball: Sage Hill earns top seed
In one week, the Sage Hill School baseball team went from No. 2 to No. 1.
Closing out the regular season with 13 straight wins earned Sage Hill the top seed in the CIF Southern Section Division 6 playoffs on Monday. The postseason designation is the highest Sage Hill (18-6) has received in the program’s history.
The top two seeds feature the Academy League’s finest, Sage Hill and Crean Lutheran. They met twice in league, Sage Hill sweeping the series to help it finish perfect in league for the first time.
If Sage Hill and Crean Lutheran play again this year, it will be in the section finals at UC Riverside on June 6. Neither team has played for a section championship, only going as far as the semifinals.
Another local team with section championship aspirations is Corona del Mar. The Sea Kings (17-9) return to the postseason appearance after missing it the past two years.
The Sea Kings are the first of the two locals programs in the playoffs to open first-round play. They play at home against Rancho Alamitos (19-6) in a Division 3 game on Thursday at 3:15 p.m. The Sea Kings placed second in the Pacific Coast League, while Rancho Alamitos shared the Garden Grove League title with Garden Grove.
Sage Hill plays host to Ojai Villanova Prep (11-8) on Friday at 3:15 p.m. Villanova Prep, an at-large entry from the Frontier League, must make the 125-mile trip to the private school in Newport Coast and then face one of the premier pitchers in the division.
Sage Hill Coach Dominic Campeau said he plans to start ace Brett Super (8-0), who has thrown a perfect game and a no-hitter this year. The sophomore has a 0.83 earned-run average and 85 strikeouts.
Super is no stranger to the playoffs. He won a first-round game at Sherman Oaks Buckley, 4-2, last year, lifting the Lightning to the second round for the first time since 2010.
“I think we have a legitimate shot at it,” Super said of making a run at a section title, knowing the program made its only semifinals appearance five years ago.
The Sea Kings last reached the semifinals six years ago under Coach John Emme. He has a No. 1 pitcher in junior Evan Larsen (9-3, 0.83 ERA) to attempt to lead CdM to its first section crown in 11 years.