The Irvine World News all-city team is, back row, from left: Northwood’s James Clothier, Northwood’s Austin Vonblasingame, Beckman’s Torin Goldstein, Beckman’s Dylan Stablein, Beckman’s Jake Hazard, University’s Jordan Scheftz; middle row, from left: Beckman’s Alex Shenasi, Northwood’s Matt Locklear, Northwood’s Jack Pabich, Woodbridge’s Chad Jacob, Irvine’s Nick Lockwood, Crean Lutheran’s Chris Cooper; front row, from left: Northwood’s Kevin Okuda, Tarbut V’ Torah’s Gabe Katz, and Irvine’s Tanner Moore.



DYLAN STABLEIN, BECKMAN, P: Stablein, a senior, was named the Pacific Coast League’s pitcher of the year after putting up impressive numbers. He threw 69 innings and went 11-1 with a 2.13 ERA. “Dylan really discovered himself this year,” Coach Kevin Lavalle said. “He dominated by making hitters hit the pitch he wanted. Our infielders loved when Dylan pitched because they were going to get a lot of action.”



JORDAN SCHEFTZ, UNIVERSITY, P: Scheftz, a senior pitcher, was named first team All-Pacific Coast League. He had a record of 5-7 with a 4.41 ERA. He had 56 strikeouts. “He holds the distinction of being the only Uni player that was All-CIF in baseball three times,” Coach Chris Conlin said. Scheftz was named All-CIF second team as a third baseman. He will continue his baseball career at UC Irvine. 
 
 

JACK PABICH, NORTHWOOD, P: Pabich had a stellar senior year on the mound. He was named first team All-Pacific Coast League after going 3-0 with six saves. In 32 innings, Pabich struck out 32 batters and had a 1.85 ERA. “Jack was the reason we won the league,” Coach Rob Stuart said. “He came in and closed the door. We knew that if we kept the games close or had a lead, that we had a chance to win. He had a great year.”



NICK LOCKWOOD, IRVINE, INF: Lockwood, a senior first baseman, was named first team All-Pacific Coast League after leading the Vaqueros to the CIF playoffs. He batted .403 with 16 runs and nine RBI this year. “Nick is one of the smoothest players I have had the privilege of coaching,” Coach Keith Szczudlak said. “He makes the game look effortless, and that is a result of his incredible discipline and work ethic.” 
 
 

JAMES CLOTHIER, NORTHWOOD, INF: Clothier, a senior, was a big reason why Northwood won the league title. The first-team all-league shortstop batted .375 with 34 hits, 17 runs 13 doubles and 18 RBI. “James was our captain and emotional leader,” Coach Rob Stuart said. “He played great defense, was a physical presence at the plate and came up with a lot of huge plays both at short and at bat.”



TORIN GOLDSTEIN, BECKMAN, INF: Goldstein, a senior third baseman, was named first team all-league after batting .431 with eight doubles, 20 RBI and eight stolen bases. “This kid is just a natural,” Coach Kevin Lavalle said. “He can hit, run, throw, and play any position on the field if we asked him to. Fresno State is getting a complete player that will never stop competing and will improve on a daily basis.”



TANNER MOORE, IRVINE, INF: Moore, a senior second baseman, led Irvine in batting with a .423 average and 18 runs scored. He also had four triples and seven RBI. Moore was a big part of Irvine making the postseason again this season. “Tanner played the game with such passion and heart,” Coach Keith Szczudlak said. “He was an inspiration to his teammates and coaches. He is only going to get better.”



GABE KATZ, TARBUT V’TORAH, INF: Katz, a senior shortstop and pitcher, was named first team all-league and second team All-CIF after batting .403 with 32 runs and 17 stolen bases. He was 4-2 on the mound with a 3.50 ERA. “He led our team to a 41 -15 record the last three years after we had been 16-58 in the previous seven years,” Coach Brent Dohling said. “He (is) … the best baseball player to ever play for our school.”



CHAD JACOB, WOODBRIDGE, INF: Jacob, a junior middle infielder, was named first team allleague after batting .393 with 17 runs, eight doubles and 11 RBI. He hit .463 in league games and didn’t make an error in league. “He made only one error all season,” Coach Tim Murray said. “He is a field rat. I have to kick him off the field each day after practice. He is always in the cages looking to get more work in. I look forward to seeing what he can do as a senior.”



CHRIS COOPER, CREAN LUTHERAN, INF: Cooper was named first team all-league after batting .455 with six doubles, four triples, two home runs, 28 RBI and 12 stolen bases for the Saints. The sophomore third baseman led Crean to the CIF playoff quarterfinals. “Chris is an impressive young man,” Coach Jake Haney said. “He is as fierce of a competitor as I have coached. Chris had a good last year as a freshman, but this year, he took it to another level.” 
 
 
 
AUSTIN VONBLASINGAME, NORTHWOOD, OF: Vonblasingame, a senior outfielder, helped Northwood to the league title and was named first team allleague after hitting .303 with 12 runs, six doubles, one home run and nine RBI. “Austin had a great year,” Coach Rob Stuart said. “He had a very slow start but did a great job in league and down the stretch. He played an outstanding center field, hit for power and was a real differencemaker for us.”


JAKE HAZARD, BECKMAN, OF: Hazard, a junior center fielder, was named first team All-Pacific Coast League after batting .420 with eight doubles, 23 runs and 14 stolen bases. “It’s rare when you have someone so talented, but at the same time so coachable and trusting,” Coach Kevin Lavalle said. “He patrolled every inch of the outfield. As a hitter, his speed gives him such an advantage. On top of that, he can hit any type of pitching, so there is no game plan to get him out.” 
 
 

MATT LOCKLEAR, NORTHWOOD, OF: Locklear, a junior pitcher and outfielder, was named second team all-league after batting .413 with 11 runs and 12 RBI. He also went 1-0 in 10 innings on the mound. “Matt gave us a lot of options in our lineup,” Coach Rob Stuart said. “He hit fourth and could produce in the clutch or lead-off innings and get on base. He also added to our depth on the mound. We are very excited to have him back next year.”



ALEX SHENASI, BECKMAN, C: Shenasi, a senior catcher, was named second team all-league after batting .372 with 13 RBI. He also threw out 50 percent of potential base stealers. “He is a very intelligent player that knew how to handle every pitcher differently,” Coach Kevin Lavalle said. “Trust is a big part of pitching. The pitchers have to trust the catcher. Catchers don’t get wins in the stat sheet, but Alex is responsible for pretty much every game we won.” 

HONORABLE MENTION 

A number of other players from city had standout seasons and deserve recognition as Irvine World News all-city baseball honorable mention selections.

They are Beckman junior first baseman Brennan Guinet, Beckman junior designated hitter Dallas Dey, Beckman junior pitcher Daniel Griese, Northwood sophomore pitcher Brandon Kim, Northwood junior third baseman Max Gleit and University senior pitcher Taketo Kai.

Also honored are Woodbridge senior outfielder Mbusi Hlatshwayo, Woodbridge senior infielder Max Mariahazy, Woodbridge junior pitcher and first baseman Kai Abe, Crean Lutheran senior center fielder Brenden Salt, Crean Lutheran sophomore pitcher and first baseman Matt Markus and Crean Lutheran pitcher and catcher Paul Sardo. Also honored are Irvine senior infielder A.B. Blanchet, Irvine senior pitcher Andrew Reynoso and Tarbut V'Torah sophomore shortstop and pitcher Ryan Maister.