La Habra baseball team aims for one more win and a trip to CIF title game

La Habra High School’s baseball team is in the semifinal round of the CIF playoffs for the first time since 1999.

The Highlanders, coached by second-year coach Jack Brooks, travel to Barstow Wednesday morning at 9 a.m. for a CIF Division 6 semifinal against Barstow (8-6). The winner takes on the winner of the other semifinal between Aquinas and Elsinore in the CIF championship game this weekend.

The La Habra-Barstow game was originally scheduled for Tuesday, but postponed until Wednesday morning due to excessive heat in Barstow.

La Habra (18-10) is trying to reach its first CIF final in baseball, Brooks said.

“We have really been executing well on offense during the playoffs,” Brooks said. “We have to keep that going if we want to keep advancing.

“Our pitching and defense has been our staple all year and we will continue to lean on that as we get ready for Barstow.  What sets this group apart is the amount of fun this team has when they play with each other and when they are around each other on a daily basis.  It’s been exciting to watch them improve and get better on a weekly basis.”

La Habra is led by Matt Coats, the co-pitcher of the year in the Freeway League. He has a 7-2 record with six complete games and two complete game shutouts in 71 innings pitched.

The other league co-pitcher of the year is Josh Castillo, who in 67 1/3 innings has 75 strikeouts and a 10-4 record with one complete game and one shutout.

Offensively, La Habra is led by David Shackelford, who is batting .366 with 26 RBI and 22 stolen bases; Matt Flores, who is batting .333 with 22 runs scored and 21 stolen bases; and Jesse Lopez, who is batting .341 with 25 runs scored and 25 stolen bases.

The Highlanders advanced into the semifinals with a 11-1 victory over Linfield Christian Thursday.