Irvine’s Filia PCL MVP; Ernt and Teel of Beckman also get top honors (photos of first team)

Marc “Bubba” Filia was MVP of the Pacific Coast League. (Photo: Tim Burt, OC Sports Zone)

Marc “Bubba” Filia, who led Irvine High through a memorable CIF playoff run, was named as the Pacific Coast League player of the year.

Irvine reached the quarterfinal round of the CIF playoffs for the first time since 2001.

To see the slide show, please click on the first photo

“Marc was critical in the success we had this year,” said Irvine Coach Gabriel Cota. “He was the ultimate leader both on and off the field. He was at the center of most plays being the catcher and that played great for us. He is one of those young men who will be impossible to replace, but his impact will continue in this program even after he is gone.”

Filia, a superb defensive catcher, batted .383 with one home run, 13 RBI, 10 doubles, four triples, two stolen bases and 10 runs scored and a .464 on base percentage. Filia also came to pitch out of the bullpen and had a 1-0 record with a 1.70 ERA.

Beckman’s Trevor Ernt was named the league’s pitcher of the year.

“Trevor finishes his career at Beckman as one of our most accomplished pitchers,” said Coach Kevin Lavalle. “He ranks second all-time in wins (19) and strikeouts (109)

Ernt has the lowest career ERA (0.769) and ranks fourth all-time in innings pitched (118 1/3) in Beckman history. This year he was 9-2 with an ERA of 0.746.

“But the thing that separates Trevor from everyone else is the fact that he is constantly striving to get better,” Lavalle said. “Not too many kids that make All CIF their junior year are willing to sit down and make changes that will make them better. His teammates just love playing behind him because he throws strikes and competes. He is such a unique athlete.”

Beckman senior outfielder Ricky Teel was named the offensive player of the year. He also had his share of spectactular catches.

“Ricky has always been a good baseball player, but in 2019 he put all the pieces together and became a complete player,” said Lavalle. “Defensively, he is one of the best center fielders that the league has ever seen, but the year he had at the plate is a big reason we are league champions.

“He hit in the second spot for us, and he really did it all. His 35 hits led our team, and he was a threat to do everything from bunting for a hit to hitting a home run. I don’t think there was a tougher out in the PCL this year, because he would take a walk if he needed to.”

Teel batted .417 with five doubles, one home run, 14 RBI and 28 runs scored.

FIRST TEAM

Connor McGuire, Beckman, senior, infielder: McGuire batted third in the order for the Patriots.

McGuire batted .375 with 16 RBI, nine doubles and 23 runs scored.

“Connor was the one in control of our team,” said Lavalle. “He hit third in our lineup and made sure we were in the right defensive alignment in key situations. The kid just understands the game of baseball in a way that very few high school players do. He can hit, run, throw, play defense. In 2019 he was the complete package. Connor is fifth all-time in Beckman history with 62 runs scored, and fourth all-time in triples.”

Sean McLain, Beckman, senior, infielder: McLain batted .329 with seven doubles, one triple and seven RBI.

“Sean is the definition of toughness,” said Lavalle. “Over the past four years he has battled injuries, but there was just no way anything was ever going to stop him. In the end, he is one of the greatest players I’ve ever coached.

“Super easy to coach because he listens and absorbs and then you just sit back and watch him go.” Lavalle said. “He treats every practice and every game like it is a personal challenge. From the lead off spot, our team really fed off his enthusiasm. He ranks seventh all-time in stolen bases, and third all-time in hit by pitch.”

Alec Gomez, Beckman, junior, infielder: Gomez batted .356 with three doubles, two triples, two home runs, 15 RBI and 21 runs scored.

“Alec had a junior year to remember,” said Lavalle. “He led our team in home runs, and continued to improve defensively. Defensively, he was the best third baseman in the league as well. Alec is a quiet kid, but his bat and his arm and his legs are loud when he plays. He is just a natural baseball player in a lot of areas, and then you combine the fact that he loves to play and loves to work, and you have something really special. “

Logan Jackson, Beckman, senior, outfielder: Jackson batted .429 with two doubles, three triples, 15 RBI and 17 runs scored.

“I don’t know if I have ever been more proud of a player than I am of Logan Jackson.” Lavalle said. “He might be the best athlete on our team, and in the past two years he just had a hard time getting hits. But, his season turned around when Logan decided to start having a little more fun when he played. He was always so intense and just couldn’t catch a break, but he kept at it and then the hits just started coming. He settled in right field, and then took a deep breath and just let his ability take over.”

Ryan Barlow, Irvine, junior, pitcher: Barlow was 4-0 with three complete game shutouts. He had a 1.04 ERA and in 47 innings struck out 36.

“Ryan is one of the best stories of the year, as far as I am concerned,” said Coach Gabriel Cota. “He had to battle through so many personal issues that could have easily been an excuse to not work as hard as he did or perform to the level that he was able to. He never used any type of excuse and was an absolute bulldog on the mound for us. His impact was felt on days he was not pitching as well, as he was somewhat of our motivational leader.”

Grant Lockwood, Irvine, senior: infielder: Lockwood batted .400 with a .500 on base perentage and had four doubles, seven RBI, one triple, 11 stolen bases and 16 runs scored.

“Grant is a young man that I am so proud of,” Cota said. “He worked tirelessly to make himself into such a great player. He was always right in the middle of anything we had going and he is one of the key factors in the way the rest of the team was receptive to the new way of doing things.

“I will always remember Grant for how he was able to rally not only our team, but the entire campus to really root for one another. He is another guy that we cannot replace, but he left the jersey better than how he found it.”

Arthur Liu, Northwood, junior, pitcher-infielder: “Arthur had a great year for us both on the mound and at the plate,” said Northwood Coach Rob Stuart. “He gave us a chance to win when he pitched and offensively was our best hitter. He really developed in the off-season by working hard in the weight room and making adjustments like all good players do. We knew he had talent but he exceeded our expectations. Arthur hit. 300 on the year and led the team in several categories, most important being RBI. He pitched a team high 46 innings and had a record of 3-3 on the year. We are very excited to see what he can do next season.”

Jamison King, Portola, junior, pitcher: “Our first ever varsity season was a learning experience for our young guys, with a lot of inconsistency game to game, but what wasn’t inconsistent was Jamison’s presence and domination on the mound,” said Portola Coach Michael Nagamatsu. “Outing after outing, he gave us a chance and kept us in games with his poise and Bulldog mentality. Some game highlights for him was having 16 strikeout in a league game against University and 10 strikeouts in a league game against Irvine. His goal is 100 strikeouts his senior season.”

In 54 2/3 innings, King had 85 strikeouts and a 2.80 ERA.

Brad Hodges, University, senior, pitcher: Hodges committed before the season to Cal State Dominguez Hills and had a number of strong performances for the Trojans this past season, capping it with a complete game against Woodbridge. He struck out 13 in the Trojans 2-1 victory over Woodbridge.

“Brad is an extremely hard worker who has a desire to play baseball at the professional level,” University Coach Michael Thompson said.

Grant Martine, Woodbridge: junior, outfielder: “Grant had an outstanding year for Woodbridge,” said Coach Ryan Brucker. “He is an extremely athletic and patient hitter with superior knowledge of the strike zone. On defense he can run the ball down as well as anyone and he has a plus arm. The Warriors are proud to have him represent us as a first team-All Pacific Coast League player.”

Martine, who is off to San Jose State to play baseball, batted .417 with five doubles, one triple, one home run, 13 RBI and 14 runs scored. He had 14 walks and struck out only eight times.

SECOND TEAM

Nick McLain, Beckman, sophomore, infielder

Leonard Memon, Irvine, outfielder-pitcher

Casey Kudell, Irvine, senior, infielder

Patrick Hackworth, Irvine, sophomore, infielder

Andrew Kotin, Northwood, junior, infielder

Jackson LoBianco, University, junior, infielder

Adam Axtell, University, junior, pitcher-outfielder

Lucas Budgell, Woodbridge, senior, infielder

Noah Reid, Woodbridge, senior, outfielder

Matt Spear, Woodbridge, junior, catcher-pitcher

RELATED: Photo slide show of Tuesday’s OC all-star baseball game

-Tim Burt, OC Sports Zone; timburt@ocsportszone.com