Stephen Vogt ’07 Named Manager of Cleveland Guardians

This article was originally published on apu.edu.

Today will go down as one of the most significant moments in the history of Azusa Pacific athletics. Stephen Vogt ’07 was named the new manager of the Cleveland Guardians—the first APU alumnus to become a head coach of a major league team. Vogt has big shoes to fill, replacing future Hall of Fame manager Terry Francona who led the Guardians for the past 11 seasons. Chris Antonetti, Cleveland’s president of baseball operations, is certain he’s the right man for the job.

“Stephen earned a reputation as one of the best teammates in the game across his 16-year career as a player, and we’ve greatly enjoyed the opportunity to get to know him over the past several weeks,” Antonetti said in a statement. “Stephen has thought critically about the type of leader and manager he wants to be. His deep care for others, his ability to build meaningful relationships with those around him, and his open-mindedness and curiosity make him an ideal fit to lead our club moving forward. We couldn’t be more excited to partner with Stephen.”

A two-time All Star, Vogt played 10 seasons in the MLB, primarily with the Oakland A’s. Across that span, he batted . 239 with a .301 on-base-percentage and 82 career home runs. While he had many big moments in his career, including hitting a walk-off single in the 2013 American League Division Series and winning a World Series as a member of the Atlanta Braves, Vogt’s most memorable moment was his final game in 2022 when he homered in his last at bat. Vogt is one of only three players in MLB history to hit a home run for his first and final career hits. After Vogt retired from playing, he spent the last year as the bullpen and quality control coach for the Seattle Mariners.

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During his time with the A’s, Vogt was a consistent leader in the clubhouse and a four-time winner of the Catfish Hunter Award, which is given to the A's player whose play on the field and conduct in the clubhouse best exemplifies the competitive, inspirational, and courageous spirit of Hall of Fame pitcher Catfish Hunter. He also earned the A’s Dave Stewart Community Service Award three times for his efforts in the community. Vogt was one of the most beloved A’s of the last decade, a hero on and off the field. The chant, “I Believe in Stephen Vogt,” often rang out whenever he would step to the plate, and it can be found on t-shirts, bumper stickers, and many other places. The Guardians even mimicked it in their announcement, saying “We believe in Stephen Vogt.”

Before Vogt broke out in the MLB, he had a historic career at APU, which included:

• Three-time NAIA All-American (2005-07)

• Four-time All-Golden State Athletic Conference (GSAC) honoree (2004-07)

• Two-time GSAC Player of the Year (2005, 2007)

• Setting nine APU records, including highest career batting average (.451), career hits (294), career doubles (74), career RBIs (199), career walks (158), single season hits (108), and single season doubles (26)

• Leading the Cougars to their best record in program history (51-10) and an NAIA World Series appearance in 2007

• 30-game hit streak

• 84-game streak reaching base

• Inducted into the Cougar Athletics Hall of Fame in 2019.

Athletic director Gary Pine reflected on Vogt’s APU days after hearing the Guardians announcement. “Anyone who knows Stephen well is not surprised that he has risen to this level of leadership so quickly in his career,” Pine said. “He was an outstanding leader even as a young player at Azusa Pacific, and his ability to relate to all types of people was clearly evident even then. He is a terrific man of God, and will represent his family name, his alma mater, and the Guardians with the highest level of integrity and honor.”

When Vogt announced his retirement as a player in 2022, he declared that his next dream was to become a big league manager one day. Today, that dream came true.

Best of the decade: The 2010s

This article originally appeared in ZU News.

While some may accuse me of recency bias for saying the 2010s held some of the greatest sports moments ever, the 2010s truly did house a number of the best spectacles American sports fans have ever seen.

It is incredibly hard to pick just one moment from the big four leagues, and since we already wrote about the best NBA Finals and World Series ever, I’m going to choose two other moments for the NBA and MLB.

Here are the best sports moments of the 2010s:

MLB: MadBum is not human (2014)

As a die hard San Francisco Giants fan, this is a biased selection (though I also could have chosen when the Los Angeles Dodgers lost the World Series in 2017, or 2018). However, any baseball enthusiast could tell you that Madison Bumgarner’s postseason performance in 2014 was unparalleled. He did what Barry Bonds could not do in the 2002 World Series — carry his team to victory.

Let’s start off by looking at the stats. During the 2014 postseason, Bumgarner pitched a record-breaking 52.2 innings with a 1.03 ERA. This included a complete game shutout in the wild card round over the Pittsburgh Pirates and three quality starts where he only allowed five earned runs and struck out 18 batters in the NLDS and NLCS. But it was his performance during the 2014 fall classic against the Kansas City Royals that truly made Bumgarner “Mr. October.”

Bumgarner started Game 1, tossing seven innings and allowing just one run on three hits and a walk while fanning five. The Giants claimed victory 7-1 and held a 1-0 series lead. Then the Giants dropped Game 2, 7-2, and Game 3, 3-2, before drawing the series even at 2-2 with a 11-4 win in Game 4. Bumgarner started his second contest in Game 5, dominating the Royals with a complete game shutout, allowing just four hits while striking out eight. The Giants grabbed a 3-2 series lead, but the Royals crushed San Francisco 11-0 in Game 6, bringing it to a winner-take-all Game 7.

Both starters struggled early, as Tim Hudson only made it 1.2 innings after allowing two runs for the Giants, and Jeremy Guthrie was pulled after allowing three runs in 3.1 innings for the Royals. Jeremey Affeldt pitched 2.1 innings of shutout ball for the Giants, and that’s when the world’s eyes turned to the 6’4” southpaw coming out of the bullpen. 

On just three days of rest after already pitching 16 innings in the series, Bumgarner was coming in. 

It didn’t start out well, as he allowed a single and a sacrifice bunt, leaving a runner-in-scoring-position with no outs. But Bumgarner rallied, getting 13 straight outs before allowing a single which turned into a triple thanks to an error by Giants outfielder Gregor Blanco. With two outs and a man on third, Bumgarner went to work trying to get the final out of the World Series against Salvador Perez. Perez popped up a pitch in foul territory and Giants third baseman Pablo Sandoval caught it, ending the series. 

No pitcher has ever had a postseason performance like Bumgarner did in 2014. The Chicago Cubs World Series victory in 2016 was perhaps the biggest moment of the decade, but MadBum’s heroics were more memorable.

NFL: Malcom Butler says goodnight to the Seahawks (2015)

It seems like the New England Patriots own so many of the best moments in the NFL over the 2010s, and while their victory over the Falcons in Super Bowl LI was the better game, Malcolm Butler’s interception to beat the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl XLIX was the better moment.

To give some context, the Seahawks were the best team in the NFL at the time. They had dominated the past two seasons, going a combined 25-7 in the regular season, and destroyed the Denver Broncos 43-8 in the previous Super Bowl. Seattle’s “legion of boom” was perhaps the best defense in the history of the NFL, allowing just 14.25 points and 239.6 yards per game. Led by the NFL’s best cornerback (at the time) Richard Sherman and Pro Bowl safety Earl Thomas III, the Seahawks held one of the strongest secondary groups in league history.

However, down 28-22 with less than a minute remaining, the Seahawks were counting on their offense to win the game. Though he’s surely a Hall of Famer now, quarterback Russell Wilson was still young and inexperienced then. But Wilson had ice in his veins, as he completed three passes for 75 yards to get the Seahawks to New England’s five-yard-line with just over a minute remaining. Star running back Marshawn Lynch, also known as “Beast Mode,” charged up the middle on the next play to the one-yard-line. 

The whole world expected Lynch to finish the job on the next play, but head coach Pete Caroll decided to throw the ball (resulting in countless memes), and Wilson was picked off by Butler in the end zone, sealing the victory for New England. It was their first Super Bowl victory in a decade, and they would add two more titles in the next five years, while the Seahawks haven’t even been back to the NFC Championship since then.

NBA: Ray Allen saves Heat on last second three (2013)

Steph Curry’s dominance over the past five years from beyond the arc may make fans forget that he wasn’t always the three-point king. Ray Allen was the original, and still holds a fair amount of records (that Curry will likely break), but none of his triples were more significant than his game saving three-pointer against the San Antonio Spurs in 2013. 

It was Game 6 of the NBA Finals and the Miami Heat were down 3-2 against the Spurs. The Spurs held onto a 10-point lead, 75-65, entering the fourth quarter and did everything they could to shut down the best player in the game, LeBron James. The Spurs were somewhat successful in this, holding James to 30 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds, but even they could not contain him forever. 

James rallied the Heat and their defict was at three with under 20 seconds remaining. However, James’ three point attempt in the closing seconds was too strong, but Chris Bosch grabbed the rebound and slung it to Allen in the corner who drilled the three with five seconds remaining, tying the game at 95-95. The Heat would go on to win it in overtime, 103-100, and win the Finals in Game 7 by a score of 95-88, and giving Miami their second consecutive championship.

NHL: Patrick Kane ends Blackhawks title drought (2010)

So what if this happened in the opening year of the decade? It was still a part of the 2010s. I was tempted to go with the Las Vegas Knights’ spectacular inaugural season, or with the St. Louis Blues’ first title in 2019, but this was the best moment of the decade. 

The Chicago Blackhawks hadn’t won the Stanley Cup since 1961, a drought only trumped by the Cubs 108-year stretch between winning the World Series, at least in Chicago fans’ eyes. The Blackhawks put together a strong 2009-10 season, going 52-22-8 during the regular season, winning the Central Division and securing the second seed in the Western Conference. Then Chicago took out the Nashville Predators in the quarterfinals (4-2), then the Vancouver Canucks in the semifinals (4-2), and swept the San Jose Sharks (4-0) in the Western Conference Finals.

The Blackhawks squared off against the Philadelphia Flyers in the Stanley Cup Final. The Flyers weren’t as strong of a squad, but they still had a respectable 41-35-6 regular season record, before taking out the New Jersey Devils (4-1) in the quarterfinals, the Boston Bruins (4-3) in the semifinals—in which the Flyers came back from a 0-3 series deficit making them the third team in NHL history to do so—, and the Montreal Canadiens (4-1) in the Conference Finals. 

The Blackhawks claimed Game 1 (6-5) and Game 2 (2-1), but dropped Game 3 (4-3) and Game 4 (5-3). Chicago rallied for a 7-4 victory in Game 5, setting the stage to end the 49-year-drought in Game 6. The Blackhawks struck first, scoring on a goal from Dustin Byfuglien, but Philadelphia tied it up. 

In the second period, the Flyers grabbed the lead on a goal by Daniel Briere, but the Blackhawks tied it up and then grabbed the lead again on goals by Patrick Sharp and Andrew Ladd. The Flyers tied it up once more before the end of regulation. 

Then, in overtime, winger Patrick Kane took a short angle shot and started celebrating. Kane was the only one cheering at first, since the puck got lost and no one knew if it was a goal, but then the entire team joined him when it was confirmed. Kane brought Chicago it’s first Stanley Cup in nearly half a century, and helped them win it again just two years later and again in 2015 making the Blackhawks the NHL dynasty of the 2010s.

Best of the decade: The 1980s

This article originally appeared in ZU News.

As we continue to wait for sports to come back, hopefully soon, we are continuing our series of looking into the past and analyzing the best sports moments of every decade. After sharing the best moments across the MLB, NBA, NFL and NHL in the 1970s last week, here are the best moments of the 1980s.

MLB: Kirk Gibson’s home run

As a die hard San Francisco Giants fan, it’s hard for me to admit that the best moment in professional baseball of the 80s belongs to the Los Angeles Dodgers, but it’s true. This pain is eased by the fact that the Dodgers haven’t won the World Series since 1988. It was during that very same fall classic that outfielder Kirk Gibson made history with an infamous walk-off home run.

Gibson had just signed with the Dodgers earlier that year after nearly a decade with the Detroit Tigers. He was always a good player and had even helped the Tigers win the World Series in 1984. However, it wasn’t until he came to LA that Gibson reached his peak. During 1988, Gibson had his best season ever, hitting .290 with 25 home runs and 76 RBIs, while stealing 31 bases and scoring 106 times. These numbers netted Gibson his first and only MVP award. 

However, even with his tremendous year, the Dodgers were still heavy underdogs against the Oakland A’s. The A’s won 104 games that year and swept the Boston Red Sox in the ALCS. Led by the Bash Brothers, José Canseco and Mark McGwire, the A’s had better than 2-1 odds to win the series. Canseco was the AL MVP that year, after slugging 42 home runs and  124 RBIs along with 40 stolen bases. McGwire wasn’t far behind with 32 homers and 99 RBIs. The A’s also had three top tier starting pitchers and the game’s best closer in Dennis Eckersley, who had notched 45 saves that year.

Fittingly, Eckersley was the man on the mound when Gibson came up to the plate in the bottom of the ninth inning of Game 1. Eckersley had gotten two outs, with one man on first when Gibson came up to bat. It was all down to him. 

Oh yeah, there’s one more thing, Gibson was injured. He had suffered a severely pulled hamstring in Game 5 of the NLCS against the Mets. Gibson wasn’t even supposed to play at all that night. But with just one out remaining, Gibson went in and prayed for a miracle. 

After a couple foul balls and a few taken pitches, Gibson was staring at a full count from the game’s best closer with all of Dodger Stadium on their feet. Eckersley made a mistake down the middle and Gibson used all the power he had in his arms to crush the ball over the left field wall. As the crowd roared and his dugout emptied, Gibson jogged, limping the whole way, around the bases. He was the hero of the game and the Dodgers would go on to win their first World Series since 1981.

NBA: Magic Johnson comes in clutch 

The greatest franchise in the history of the NBA is, without a doubt, the Los Angeles Lakers. The greatest dynasty of the NBA is, arguably, the Lakers during the 80s (Bulls fans will fight you on this since they had six championships in the 90s, but the Lakers won five championships and had two more finals appearances). The greatest moment of the Lakers dynasty came in the opening year of the decade. 

The Lakers had established a 3-2 lead in the 1980 NBA Finals over the Philadelphia 76ers. However, in Game 5, Lakers superstar and reigning MVP Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who averaged 33.4 points and 13.6 rebounds per game in the finals, had sprained his ankle and was out for Game 6. This put all the pressure in the world on rookie sensation Earvin “Magic” Johnson. 

Johnson came in clutch with the performance of a lifetime. During Game 6, Johnson scored a series high 42 points while snatching 15 rebounds, dishing out 7 assists, thieving 3 steals and even notching one block, while playing all five positions on the court. The Lakers beat the 76ers 123-107 and took the series 4-2. It established the Lakers dynasty and Magic Johnson as a legend.

NFL: The catch

I’m a bit biased here since I’m also a San Francisco 49ers fan, but any football fan would tell you that the 80s belonged to the Niners. San Francisco took home the Lombardi Trophy four times during the decade, once in the beginning, once in the middle and twice to close it out. Led by Joe Montanta, the best moment of the 80s for the Niners actually came in the NFC Championship, not the Super Bowl.

The 49ers were down 21-27 against the Dallas Cowboys with less than a minute left on the clock. The ball was snapped and Montana rolled right, scrambling for what seemed like forever as Cowboys defenders swarmed him. With legendary defensive end Ed “Too Tall” Jones in his face, Montana threw a ball to the back of the end zone that everyone thought he was just throwing away, except he wasn’t. 

San Francisco’s 6’4’ wide receiver Dwight Clark snatched the ball out of the air for the game winning touchdown. The reception became known as “the catch” and was recently named as the second greatest football play of all time. Clark became a legend and the 49ers went on to win the Super Bowl against the Bengals, and three more before the decade ended.

NHL: The “Miracle on Ice”

First of all, I don’t watch hockey at all. I’ve seen a couple games in my life and was more confused than I was after the Seahawks passed on the goal line in Super Bowl XLIX. But even I have heard of “the miracle on ice.” Disney made a movie about it after all. 

Second, technically this shouldn’t be on the list since it wasn’t an NHL game; it was in the Olympics. However, if anyone tells you there was a bigger moment in hockey in the 1980s than the miracle on ice, they are a liar. Okay, the Wayne Gretzky trade was a distant second place, but it still didn’t come close. So we’re making an exception.

Now that we’re through with all of that, let’s dive into what happened. 

In the 1980 Winter Olympics, the Soviet hockey squad was heavily favored to win the gold medal. They had won the previous four gold medals, dating back to 1964 and hadn’t even dropped a single Olympic hockey game since 1968. Meanwhile the U.S. team was a joke, seeded seventh and comprised of college players. The average age on the team was just 22-years-old.

While they lacked experience, the team made up for it with determination and perseverance. They went undefeated with four victories and one tie in the opening round, advancing to the medal round. Then on Feb. 22, 1980, the Americans took on the Soviets in front of a sold-out crowd.

The U.S.S.R struck first with a goal by Valery Krotov. American Buzz Schneider answered with a goal for the U.S. midway through the first period. Sergei Makarov responded with another goal for the Soviets, but the Americans tied it again at 2-2 off a goal from Mark Johnson with just one second remaining in the period. 

In the second period, Russia outshot the U.S. 12-2, but American goalie Jim Craig saved all but one goal, as Russia took a 3-2 lead. The Soviets held that lead until nine minutes into the final period as Johnson scored again after a Soviet penalty.  Then just a minute and a half later, Mike Eruzione smacked a 25-foot shot into the back of the net and the U.S. took a 4-3 lead. They spent the final 10 minutes doing everything they could to keep the Soviets from scoring again. 

As the final seconds ticked off the clock, the crowd chanted “five, four, three, two, one,” and Al Michaels gave what is probably his most renowned sports call ever as he yelled “Do you believe in miracles? Yes!” resulting in the name, the “Miracle on Ice.” The U.S. won the game and went on to defeat Finland in the finals to win the gold medal.

***

The best of the decade series continues next week with the 1990s.

Amaris Harrison is Changing the Baseball Culture at Muir

This article was originally published in the Pasadena Independent.

There’s something magical about the number 37 for Amaris Harrison. The senior second baseman for Muir’s varsity baseball squad led the team with 37 hits, 37 runs and 37 stolen bases last season.

Harrison led Muir to an 18-8 record last year and helped the school end a 30 year playoff drought. Muir played three games in the postseason, including a wild card berth, losing in the second round.

“It was a tough season. There were a lot of ups and downs. It was like a roller coaster almost,” Harrison said. “There were a lot of family problems throughout the whole team, but we rebounded from that and finished off strong. We needed a lot of luck to get into the playoffs, but we made it and that’s all we care about.”

Harrison said he and his fellow seniors worked hard to change the baseball culture at Muir, from a struggling program to a winning one.

“It’s been good, just a little different, being the under dog. I’ve played for a lot of winning teams so coming into Muir my freshman year was different,” Harrison said. “The team is going to be young this year, but with the few seniors we have, we plan on teaching them how we played over the past few years. We want them to get that same mentality and we’re hoping to make the playoffs again this year.”

A big incentive to succeed on the field looms in the hallways of Muir in the form of Jackie Robinson, one of the most famous baseball players and athletes of all time, the man who broke the color barrier in professional baseball and changed sports culture forever.

“He inspires me a lot,” Harrison said. “It’s a really good feeling to go to his school. He’s up in the hallways and we have his number up on our scoreboard. It’s good because it gives us something to prove everyday. It’s a lot on our back, but we’ve learned to play with it and it’s a nice feeling.”

While his team goal is to get Muir back to the playoffs and hopefully grab a title, Harrison has some lofty personal goals as well.

“Last year I had 37 hits, 37 runs and 37 stolen bases. This year I want to have 50 hits, 50 runs and 50 stolen bases,” Harrison said. “I want to be better each year than I was the year before.”

While 37 hits might not sound like much to the average baseball fan, it is important to remember that the high school schedule is about one-seventh of the professional schedule. Harrison’s 37 hits translated to a .457 BA, a .564 OBP and a 1.083 OPS, all team highs and seriously high stats.

Harrison has grown into the player he is today after 13 years of practice through little league, club, and now his fourth year on varsity. He plans to continue to play ball in college, although he isn’t sure where at yet. He does know he wants to stay in Southern California to keep close to family.

After college, Harrison aims to play professional baseball, maybe for the Atlanta Braves, his favorite team. He compared his play to Ozzie Albies, the Braves’ second baseman who has a similar stature at 5-foot-8. However, after some reflection, Harrison changed his answer.

“My all time favorite player from the past that I see in myself is Adonis Harrison. He was a very flashy infielder that hits left-handed and throws right-handed just like me and displayed excitement to the crowd,” Harrison said. “I’m hoping to be like him one day.”

Dustin Allen Leads On and Off the Field

This article was originally published in the Arcadia Weekly.

Senior outfielder Dustin Allen is a leader on and off the field for the Arcadia Apaches varsity baseball team. Allen leads by example with his play where he led the team with a .410 batting average last year.

“Last season went really well for me, although it started out rough. I struggled at the plate. I had trouble finding myself for the first few games of the season,” Allen said. “Coming out of that was a great learning experience, having to work my way out of that rough patch.”

Allen rebounded in a big way, collecting 34 hits, scoring 28 runs, drawing 13 walks and stealing 13 bases, all team highs. These numbers led to a .495 OBP, second on the team, and a 1.122 OPS, highest on the team.

Allen spends most of his time in the outfield, although he is a strong left-handed reliever as well. Although he struggled his sophomore year on the mound, he found his stride and tossed 33.2 innings without allowing an earned run last year. Allen allowed 14 hits and 10 walks, which combined are less than the 32 batters he struck out.

Allen said the best moment of the season came when the team won league.

“I was on the team the past couple years and it was heartbreaking to lose league in such dramatic fashions,” Allen said. “To win league finally and share the joy with my teammates was pretty awesome.”

In his mind, there was one factor that led to Arcadia grabbing their first league title in more than five years.

“The whole team was really close last year. We had a really good bond with each other that showed on and off the field,” Allen said. “We had each other’s backs and picked each other up.”

Although Arcadia captured league and had a nearly perfect 25-2 record, they fell in the second round of the CIF-SS Division II postseason tournament.

“The ball just didn’t bounce our way that day,” Allen said. “That’s definitely a goal for this season, to correct that, play harder and win the CIF final.”

As far as personal goals go, Allen is mainly focused on getting stronger, bulking up.

“I’m about 175 [pounds] now, but I want to get up to 190,” Allen said.

The added muscle mass would help Allen increase his power behind the plate where he notched six doubles, three triples and two home runs last year.

Allen plans on playing baseball in college, but is not closed to the possibility of going pro out of high school.

“It depends on the spot I’m in draft-wise,” Allen said. “I’m definitely aiming on going to college, but we’ll never know until the time comes.”

Allen plans on studying criminal justice or sports management in college, both careers he could see himself going into and both careers his family has gone into. His grandfather was involved in criminal justice and his father played minor league baseball in the St. Louis Cardinals organization.

Allen aims to play professional baseball like his father, although he would rather play for his favorite team, the Los Angeles Dodgers.

“That would be a dream come true,” he said.

Player Profile: Mikey Easter

This article was originally published in the Arcadia Weekly.

Mikey Easter wants to play professional baseball one day for his favorite club, the New York Yankees. For now, he’s content tearing it up at the high school level for Arcadia. 

Easter started playing when he was five years old. His whole family, from his grandparents to his parents, are all huge baseball fans. Easter recalls getting baseball toys when he was little.

“I would practice swinging in the living room with my dad when I was two,” Easter said.

Easter started out playing tee ball, then little league and travel ball. He still plays club baseball for CBA Marucci. Easter plays first base and catcher.

“I like both, but I prefer catcher,” Easter said. “I feel like I’m in every play and I have my pitcher’s back at all times. I feel like I’m more of a leader behind the plate than I am at first.”

Easter said he has a decent arm, but his best strengths as a catcher are framing and calming his pitcher down in tough situations.

This year Easter was one of Arcadia’s top hitters, as a sophomore. His batting average of .389 was the third highest on the team and he had the highest on base percentage at .516. Easter had 32 RBIs, 8 doubles, 3 triples and scored 18 runs. 

Although Arcadia fell short in the playoffs, Easter said the season as a whole still went really well. 

“We got one of our goals done, winning the Pacific League. We hadn’t won that since 2011. Bringing the Pacific League title back to Arcadia was a big deal for us,” Easter said. “I’ll always remember dogpiling on the field after clinching the league title.”

Easter is already in contact with a couple NCAA Division I schools, but he has not committed to one yet. He plans to stay on the West Coast for college, but isn’t tied to Southern California. Easter said he wants to major in business or sports management in college, although his ultimate goal is to go pro.

“It’s pretty far away, but I want to play pro ball. That’s been my goal ever since I was little,” Easter said. “Hopefully for the Yankees. My grandpa is a huge Yankees fan and I used to watch a lot of games with him when I was little and my parents were at work. That’s why they’re my team.”

When he’s not playing baseball, Easter enjoys hanging out with his friends or squeezing in a round of golf.

Although the season is still several months away, Easter is already preparing for it.

“This summer I’ve been going to the gym a lot, hitting the weights, hopefully hit more doubles and home runs next season,” Easter said. “I want to help the team win any way we can.”

Preston Howey is Arcadia's Newest Ace

This article originally appeared in the Arcadia Weekly.

Preston Howey has video game numbers. The staff ace of Arcadia High School’s baseball team won 13 games last year and lost just one.

Howey began playing baseball when he was just 4 years old. After 13 years, he has developed elite pitching skills that culminated last season in a 0.75 ERA, a 0.91 WHIP and a 4.78/1 K/BB ratio. Howey ended the season with 65 innings pitched, 86 strikeouts, and allowed just seven earned runs.

“This year, I kind of just took off. It was crazy how it happened,” Howey said. “I put in a lot more work because I knew I had to step up my game. There were a lot of good returning pitchers coming back. I knew I had to step up to try to be the best I could. I put in the work and I guess it worked out this year.”

Howey started off the season with a bang, tossing a complete game shutout with 12 strikeouts.

“That was probably one of my favorite games I’ve ever pitched,” Howey said.

Howey would go on to toss one more complete game during the season, leading the Apaches to an overall 25-2 record.

During the offseason, Howey is working on improving his strength. He currently hits around 85-87 MPH with his fastball, but he topped out at 89 MPH.

“I want to consistently hit 88-89, maybe higher,” Howey said.

While his fastball isn’t quite where he wants it to be, Howey relies more on the off-speed pitches to get hitters. He said his favorite strikeout pitch is his slider.

When asked about a pro comparison, Howey named Houston Astros’ ace Justin Verlander.

“We have a pretty similar windup,” he said.

Although Howey wants to pitch in the MLB someday, ideally for his favorite team, the Los Angeles Dodgers, he is currently focused on college. He has been in contact with different universities, but has not committed to a school yet.

When he is not playing baseball, Howey enjoys relaxing by going to the beach, hanging out with friends or listening to country music.

APU Summer Sports Camps Build Community

This article was originally published on APU.edu.

Azusa Pacific University’s campus is quiet over the summer—for all of three weeks. Then, at the beginning of each June, hundreds of excited kids and talented high school athletes flood campus to participate in six summer sports camps—baseball, basketball, football, softball, soccer, and volleyball.

APU football head coach Victor Santa Cruz leads an annual camp where more than 375 high school athletes attend each sold out session. “We draw athletes from all around California, Colorado, Texas, and even Hawaii. Parents will put their kids on a plane to travel here because they don’t want to miss our camp,” he said. “We limit the camp size to ensure the best experience possible. We provide personal attention to each student athlete.”

Santa Cruz said he recruits many of these high-caliber players. “Camp gives us a good opportunity to find students with strong character, academic skills, and athleticism. We’re looking for visionary young people who want to do something bigger with their lives,” he said. “We share who we are spiritually and academically. These athletes are really hungry for that. We often hear, ‘You guys are different. How can I be a part of this place?’”

APU’s other sports camps focus on a younger crowd (grades K-8). Cougar baseball head coach Paul Svagdis has led a summer camp for 10 years. The program has grown from about 25 kids in 2009 to 100 children per session today. An average day at camp is jam packed, beginning at 8 a.m. with warm ups, throwing, and stretching. Campers then split into two groups to practice offense on the Cougar Baseball Field with stations, including base-running and hitting, and defensive fundamentals at the Dillon Recreational Complex. After an hour, the groups switch, then they take a lunch break before afternoon games. “We play games on different parts of the field. They always want to play in center field because they can hit home runs there,” Svagdis said. “While home runs are great, we reward kids for demonstrating good character and sportsmanship. That’s where the big bucket of candy comes in.”

A Glendora resident, Svagdis said he often sees kids across town wearing their Cougar baseball gear from summer camp. “I’ll be in a grocery store and a little guy will come up to me and say, ‘Hi Coach Paul, do you remember me?’ They’ll tell me how excited they are for camp next year and how they asked for a week of baseball camp for Christmas,” he said. “Their parents will even tell me how they did extra chores all year so they could attend a second week of camp.”

Svagdis said APU’s camp is truly special because of the student athlete volunteers. “APU students are first class,” he said. “Just a couple weeks ago, I had four players travel to a little league game to support one of the kids who came through our camp. That’s not uncommon with our players. We build relationships within the community and it opens up opportunities for people to connect with the university.”

APU women’s soccer head coach Brooke Lincoln seconded this. “It’s pretty special to see these kids interacting with my college players. It gives our players an opportunity to give back. It wasn’t that long ago that they were one of those little campers. Now, it’s come full circle for them,” she said. “Some of them want to coach in the future, so this is an opportunity for them to get their feet wet. For other players, it gives them a different perspective on the game, not just as a player, but as a teacher. They can be a bright light, an encouragement, an inspiration, and a role model for these children.”

Lincoln said the best part of summer camp came months after camp ended last year. “We had a lot of these kids come to our games,” she said. “We invest in them for a week or two, help them develop their skills, and they come out to support us at our home games. They’ll never know how much that means to us.”

To learn more about APU summer sports camps, click here.

Cougars crush UCSD in first game of West Super Regional

This article originally appeared on ZU News.

On Thursday, Azusa Pacific routed UC San Diego 13-2 in the first game of a best-of-three West Super Regional series at home. Five cougars clobbered six home runs to back pitcher A.J. Woodall’s knockout performance.

APU got on the board early with a solo homer from third-baseman Osvaldo Tovalin in the bottom of the first. The Cougars added three more runs in the second inning off of back-to-back home runs from center-fielder Casey Dykstra and right-fielder Cole Kleszcz. With the homer today, Kleszcz increased his NCAA leading home run total to 26 on the season.

UCSD struck back with a two-run homer from shortstop Shay Whitcomb in the top of the third, cutting the Cougars lead to 4-2. However, these were the only runs UCSD would score during the game after APU ace Woodall regained his control.

Woodall tossed eight innings, allowing two earned runs on five hits and two walks, while striking out six. He probably would have gone the distance for a complete game if it had not been for two UCSD hitters who chewed up 21 pitches in the top of the eighth inning. Woodall ended the day with a workhorse 114 pitches, lowering his ERA to 3.30 on the season.

Although Woodall pitched dominantly, it proved to be unnecessary as APU poured on the offense. The Cougars failed to score in the third and fourth innings, but scored four more in the bottom of the fifth inning off a double from Tovalin, an RBI single from left-fielder Griffen Herrera, a two-run homer from catcher Justin Gomez and a solo bomb from designated-hitter Joseph Kim.

The Cougars continued their offensive dominance in the bottom of the sixth, scoring four more runs and going through the entire lineup. Dykstra was hit by a pitch to open the inning, then he stole second and scored off an RBI single from Kleszcz. Herrera walked, setting up a three-run homer from Gomez, his second long ball of the day. Four more Cougars reached base in the inning, but APU left the bases loaded with a two-out strikeout.

APU scored one more run in the bottom of the seventh off a double from Tovalin, who was knocked in off an RBI groundout from second-baseman Joe Quire Jr. This would be the final run of the game. Reliever Hayden Jorgenson closed out the game for the Cougars, fanning the final two batters he faced.

The Cougars claimed the first game in the best-of-three West Super Regional by a score of 13-2, improving to 40-13 on the season. APU notched 14 hits on the day, paced by Tovalin with three knocks and Gomez with five RBIs and two home runs. UCSD ended the game with five hits and one error.

APU will face UCSD again tomorrow at 12 p.m. at home and again at 3:30 p.m. if game three is necessary. If APU claims victory again tomorrow, they will head to the NCAA World Series in Cary, North Carolina from June 1-8.