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Home My WebLink AboutPrsntatn - PDHS Baseball TeamWhereas, the Palm Desert High School Aztecs baseball team won the CIF Southern Section Division IV state championship on June 5, 2010, the first team from Palm Desert and the Coachella Valley to win a California state baseball title; and Whereas, the Aztecs have won seven of the last eight Desert Valley League titles, and only two Coachella Valley teams had previously played for a CIF title — in 1952 and 1978; and Whereas, the championship team featured a talented core of players who played together since middle school and who closed the regular season with 13 consecutive victories; and Whereas, the Aztecs reached the championship after shutting out Pioneer League champion El Segundo 6-0 in the final game on the Palm Desert High School baseball field and then pounded Torrance 9-0 in the Championship game; and Whereas, the Aztecs were subsequently named the Division III baseball team of the year by CalHiSports.com. The team continues to earn accolades for its historic season, including having six of its players named to the All-DVL baseball team, with three other players receiving honorable mention; and Whereas, Aztecs head coach Darol Salazar was named Coach of the Year, and Aztecs pitcher Nick Baker was named the All-DVL most valuable player. Now, Therefore, I, Cindy Finerty, Mayor of the City of Palm Desert, California, Do Hereby Proclaim the month of June, 2010, as Palm Desert Aztecs Baseball Team Month in the City of Palm Desert and urge all citizens to join with me in recognizing the incredible talent and efforts of the Palm Desert High School Aztecs baseball team. CITY COUNCIL ACTION APPROVED RECEIVED DENIED OTHER'',Uo MEETING DATE '1- R - ;RC/0 AYES: NOES: ABSENT: ABSTAIN: VERIFIED BY• Original on File with City Clerk's Office in Witness Whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and have caused the Official Seal of the City of Palm Desert, Califirnia, to be affixed this 24th day of June, 2010. Palm Desert wins CIF baseball title I mydesert.com I The Desert Sun Page 1 of 2 mydesertcom Palm Desert wins CIF baseball title Bill Byron • The Desert Sun • June 5, 2010 LAKE ELSINORE — For the first time in the history of the Coachella Valley a desert high school brought home a state baseball championship when Palm Desert dismantled Torrance 9-0 in the CIF Southern Section Division IV championship game Saturday. The Aztecs rolled through the postseason, barely breaking a sweat as they won all five rounds by six runs or more. Their playoff run capped a season that saw them go 26-5 and 15-0 in the Desert Valley League. They started out the year 1-4 against particularly strong competition that included a loss to Mater Dei, which was in the Division I championship game. The Aztecs finished the year on an 18-game winning streak. "After 24 years of having some really good teams and not getting there, this is really special," Palm Desert head coach Darol Salazar said. "I appreciate it more now, especially being closer to the end of my career." Apparently the 2010 Palm Desert team was the best team the desert has ever produced. Coachella Valley was the last team to make it to the championship game, which they lost — in 1978. Mychal Kabeary, one of the team's five seniors, was happy to end his high school career with the championship. "It's the best way to go out," he said. "You have to have confidence in the rest of our team, and clearly it's very exciting." Palm Desert ace pitcher Nick Baker had another commanding performance on the mound, recording the complete -game, shutout victory, allowing just four hits and striking out one along the way. "I was keeping the ball low and they hit ground balls and (shortstop) Scotty (Burcham) had plays that were amazing," Baker said. "I only struck out one; I just put the ball in play and let the defense do the work." While it may have been short on strikeouts, Baker's effort completely shut down Angelo Gumbs, who went 0 for 2 and grounded into a double play. The Tartan shortstop was batting .511 with four homers coming in to the championship game. Cleanup hitter Trent Gilbert — who came in batting .538 with 43 RBIs — went 0 for 2 with a strikeout. Burcham, who made two nice plays from shortstop, made one of highlight -reel caliber in the sixth, bare -handing a slow roller by leadoff hitter Tyrone Taylor, and throwing an off -balance strike to first base to get the speedster by a half step. Just the opposite was true for the Tartans, who couldn't get out of their own way all day, committing five errors and a passed ball, and really should have had a sixth when second baseman Trent Gilbert fell while trying to catch a routine pop fly to the infield. In all, the errors accounted for three unearned runs and certainly contributed to starting pitcher Josh Mingura's exit in the sixth inning. The Aztecs jumped out to another early lead in the first inning, scoring two unearned runs when leadoff hitter Scotty Burcham got aboard on an error by third baseman Miller Olsen, moved to third when Ryan Garvey doubled to right, and scored on the passed ball by Marvin Flores. Advertisement Print Powered By The new travel app for iPhone and iPod touch http://www.mydesert.com/article/20100605/SPORTS0601 /100605001 /Palm -Desert -wins-... 6/17/2010 Palm Desert wins CIF baseball title I mydesert.com I The Desert Sun Page 2 of 2 mydesert<om Garvey advanced to third on the passed ball and came around to score on a ground ball to the shortstop by Austin Sylvester. Mingura managed to hold the Aztecs in check until the sixth, when he appeared to tire and gave up a leadoff single to Mychal Kabeary, who swiped second for his 35th steal of the year and scored on another double by Garvey, who went 2 for 3, with the RBI and three runs scored. "Coach (011ie) Turner always says, 'If things collapse, and the domino effect happens, you've just got to throw strikes,- Mingura said. "And that's what I tried to do. - He acknowledged that the slew of errors was a source of consternation. "It was a little frustrating at first, but I'm a pitcher, so I have to let it go," he said. Turner replaced Mingura with Rafael Ramirez after Garvey's second double, but Ramirez couldn't keep G arvey from scoring on a single by Dave Schuknecht, who himself scored after stealing second and third, then came across when Flores threw the ball into left field. The Aztecs added four more in the seventh when Ramirez hit Cameron Curtis to begin the inning, then Burcham got aboard again on another error by the third baseman Olsen. The Tartans then gave Garvey a free pass to load the bases for Sylvester. The Aztecs' cleanup hitter whacked a single that scored Curtis and Burcham. Then two batters later, and off of Torrance's third pitcher — Freddy Jung — Aztec second baseman John Schuknecht hit another single that scored Garvey and Sylvester. Turner said the errors were particularly devastating. "We only had one error in all four playoff games — it was just one of those days," Turner said. "It's a shame we played as bad as we did on this stage — we kicked the ball in the first inning, we were making mistakes on pop ups, and offensively we got thrown out running the bases. "We're not as bad as we played today," he added. Advertisement Kaz Halcovich of Palm Desert High School baseball displays the CIF Southern Section Division IV championship trophy to the Palm Desert fans in the grandstands June 4, 2010 at Storm Stadium in Lake Elsinore. Palm Desert defeated Torrance High School 9-0. (Wade Byars, The Desert Sun) Mom Dilemma #36: Your daughter insists on wearing her princess costume to the grocery store. Allow it or not? ave dir►e'ru • 5 . Print Powered By Dynamics http://www.mydesert.com/article/20100605/SPORTS0601 /100605001 /Palm -Desert -wins-... 6/17/2010