CdM Sea Kings after a league victory over Edison. (Photos courtesy CdM baseball).
Corona del Mar baseball players and coaches held out hope until the final week of the regular season that a CIF playoff at-large berth was a possibility.
The Sea Kings, after a strong finish in the Sunset League, earned that berth and will open the CIF Division 3 playoffs at home Friday at 3:15 p.m. vs. Bishop Amat.
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“We were excited when we got the news that we made the playoffs,” CdM Coach Kevin McCaffrey said Wednesday. “I was driving down to San Diego for a Mother’s Day weekend getaway, and the pairings came out a day early.
“I received a text that we got in and had my wife look it up to make sure it was true. Sure enough we got in, and I had my wife text the players to let them know the great news. Not only did we get in, but we also received a home game. Getting to coach this group in at least one more home game is pretty special.
“We went into the week knowing we were the fifth at-large team in Division 3. We needed some help if we were to get in. We practiced last week knowing there was a chance that we could get into the playoffs if a few things went our way. We had two of the best practices of the year last week. Our players could have given in knowing that the odds of making the playoffs were low.
“For them to come out and have two of the most spirited practices of the year is really rewarding as a coach. We always talk about playing hard and control the controllables. The way the players and coaches handled last week says a lot about the culture of our program, and I am so proud of them.”
In the final week of the league season, CdM dropped the first two games to Edison. But CdM kept its at-large playoff hopes alive with a 6-5 victory in the final league contest that made the Sea Kings overall record 14-13.
“We went into the last week of the season in a four-way tie for third place in the super competitive Sunset league,” McCaffrey said. “We dropped the first two games with Edison and thus missed out on a top four automatic qualifying spot in CIF. We had one more game left and if we were to win, it would push our record to over .500 and we would be able to apply for an at-large spot.
“The game started out rough as we found ourselves down 5-1 after the first inning. The players found a way to fight back and took a 6-5 lead after six innings.
“A line drive double play on pitch 109 allowed Stevie Jones to pitch to the next hitter that he was able to get out to record the complete game win. It was a very exciting game, and I was so proud of our players for fighting back. They could have given in after going down early and said our season is over. We regrouped the team after the first inning, and they chose to fight back.”
CdM has been led by three senior starting pitchers Ben Stone, Will Chavez and and Jones who McCaffrey said “were good for us all year and gave us chances to win. Ben finished the regular season with an ERA of 3.63, Will had and ERA of 1.91 and Stevie had a 1.80 {ERA}. Our senior catcher Charlie Kaster played a huge role in the success of our pitching staff. He has been our rock behind the plate the last two seasons, and he is always making our pitchers better.
“Stevie Jones will go down as the best pitcher in the history of CdM Baseball. He holds the career records for wins (26) and strikeouts (263). He should also break the career ERA mark. We are excited to get to watch him throw again on Friday at home.”
Jacob Olson (.361 average), JJ Haley (.345), Jones (.321), Chavez (.293), and Max Brengel (.293) led the Sea Kings offensively.
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