Josh Bradbury

Steve Virgen

When Josh Bradbury steps to the plate, a hush comes over the crowd.

There’s a sense of urgency, mixed with anxiety and a feeling of

what will he do next. Bradbury, the Corona del Mar High baseball

team’s designated hitter, usually hasn’t disappointed this season.

And when he finds his pitch, the ball most likely goes over the

fence.

Bradbury, the Daily Pilot Athlete of the Week, has smacked 11 home

runs this season, including two in the CIF Southern Section Division

IV playoffs. His 3-for-4 effort, including a three-run blast, helped

lead the Sea Kings to a 13-8 win over Cabrillo of Lompoc in the CIF

Division IV first round Friday at Corona del Mar.

“It’s fun when he’s at the plate,” Corona del Mar Coach John Emme

said. “He gets the oohs and ahhs whether he swings or misses. People

have talked about when Mark McGwire would come to the plate and

everything would get quiet. I think Josh has gotten to that point.”

In the sixth inning against Cabrillo, Conquistadores Coach Jon

Osborne sensed trouble for his team, as Bradbury came to the plate

with Todd Macklin on third and Parker Ferguson on first. Osborne

called timeout and met on the mound with his pitcher.

That didn’t seem to do any good. Bradbury sent the first pitch

deep over the fence in center field.

“It was a fastball coming at the plate and I just got my hands

extended on it,” Bradbury said. “I’ve hit it farther than that. One

of the farthest I ever hit, was when we were playing Northwood at CdM

[May 10].”

Heading into Friday’s CIF Division IV quarterfinal matchup with

San Dimas, Bradbury is one home run away from the school’s

single-season record. Bradbury, who will play for UNLV next year, has

21 varsity homers, three short of Ty Harper’s school career record.

While Bradbury seems to be peaking as the season ends, the year

didn’t start out as he would have liked. Bradbury said he had

shoulder tendinitis, which resulted in his role as solely the team’s

designated hitter. Last year, he pitched and played third base.

Early on this season, he felt out of sync because he wasn’t able

to contribute on defense.

“I started off a bit slow,” Bradbury said. “Going to the plate and

not playing in the field was a bit rough for me. But I’ve gotten used

to it. It was a weird transition. It took awhile to be there

mentally.”

Bradbury recently got the OK to throw, but he was advised to take

it lightly. Emme has been pleased with Bradbury’s effort this season.

The senior designated hitter is batting .379 with 23 RBIs. His 11

home runs leads the team, as does his 18 walks.

The reason for Bradbury’s success is his bat speed, Emme said.

Bradbury has power, but it’s his bat speed that separates him from

other hitters.

“There’s nobody I’ve seen this year that has bat speed like he

does,” Emme said. “It’s incredible.”

While Bradbury was disappointed with the injury before the season,

he has taken his new role in stride. He is thankful he is able to

play in some form, especially because this is his senior year. He is

also grateful, simply because he loves baseball.

“I would like to play pro ball,” Bradbury said of his long-term

goal. “I’ve always loved baseball. It’s just a part of me. Baseball

Tonight has always been my favorite TV show. There’s always baseball

on in my house.”

For Bradbury, baseball has been particularly fun this season

because the Sea Kings went undefeated in the Pacific Coast League.

Bradbury, who went to Mater Dei as a freshman, but has been at CdM

since his sophomore year, has enjoyed spending time with his

teammates, the majority of which he has known from his days as a

Little League ball player.

“This year has been the greatest,” Bradbury said. “Our whole group

of seniors have been together since Little League. We all get along

great. There is good chemistry in the dugout.”