Jeritt Thayer

Steve Virgen

In the fall, Jeritt Thayer will attend New York University, where he

plans to major in journalism and creative writing.

Before he left Corona del Mar High, Thayer got a head start, so to

speak. He wrote his own legacy. It has mostly to do with his

defensive prowess on the baseball diamond, but one cannot overlook

what he did with the bat, as well.

Thayer, the standout shortstop for the Corona del Mar baseball

team, went 4 for 4 with an RBI and a run scored to help lead the Sea

Kings to an emotional, come-from-behind, 6-5 victory over Northwood

in the CIF Southern Section Division IV semifinals June 1 on the

Timberwolves’ diamond.

He also went 2 for 2, with an RBI, and was hit by a pitch in the

Sea Kings’ 3-1 championship win over Tesoro at Dodger Stadium

Saturday. For all of his defensive notoriety, the CdM senior finished

with a .463 batting average, which was second on the team. He led the

squad with a .544 on-base percentage.

Thayer was consistent for the Sea Kings, who finished 25-5 and won

17 in a row to end the season. His play at shortstop was something to

marvel at, CdM Coach John Emme said. Thayer led the Sea Kings with 77

defensive assists.

“He’s the best defensive player I have ever been around,” said

Emme, who just finished his seventh year with the Sea Kings, who won

their second CIF title in five years. “He is unbelievable. I have no

doubt he has a future in this game, even beyond college. He has gifts

that you can’t teach.”

Thayer will try out for the soccer team at NYU next year. The

university only offers a club team for baseball and Thayer is still

deciding whether to compete. He loves both soccer and baseball.

In the winter, he earned second-team All-CIF Division II honors.

He helped lead the CdM boys soccer team to a Pacific Coast League

championship and an appearance in the CIF Division II semifinals.

Thayer competed in cross country in the fall.

At NYU, where his older sister, Jaclyn, plays soccer, he will most

likely concentrate on his major and play soccer, although baseball

will always be in his heart. He said, someday, he will write a novel.

Maybe he will write about his life and times at Corona del Mar, the

spring of 2004, when he and his close friends, many of them seniors,

won the CIF Division IV title.

Thayer’s baseball story took life when the senior acquired

confidence, which came from the acknowledgment this would be his

final baseball prep season.

“This year, I just became more confident,” he said. “I didn’t have

anyone or anything looming over me. I felt confident based on what

was around me.”

Thayer, the Daily Pilot Athlete of the Week, said his improvement

this season had mostly to do with the work he put in ever since he

played Little League baseball.

“I would just go out with my dad [Scott] all through my life and

take ground balls from him,” Thayer said. “Weekends, weekdays, taking

ground balls.”

When Thayer took the field at Dodger Stadium, he seemingly went

back to those times with his father, so as to calm him from the

pressure that comes with playing a CIF championship game on a Major

League baseball field.

“It was a whole new experience,” Thayer said of playing at Dodger

Stadium. “The field is in top condition. When you walk on Dodger

Stadium, the field is nicer than ours. And that’s hard to do, because

our field is really nice. Everything is perfect. The thought of being

able to play in front of that many people ... It was just an amazing

feeling.”

Thayer was hit by the pitch on his first at-bat in the second

inning. He said that helped ease his nerves. With the Sea Kings

leading, 2-1, in the fourth, Thayer provided CdM a cushion with an

RBI single.

He had two assists and no errors on defense. Playing well on

defense also helped his cause offensively.

“Both [hitting and playing defense] went together,” Thayer said.

“When I’m playing defense, I’m more focused on the game. If I didn’t

play defense, I would lack at hitting.”

When Thayer plays defense, he is very noticeable. In the game

against Northwood, he left his feet to snag a line drive to end the

first inning, when the Timberwovles had a runner on third.

“He’s got the best hands I have ever seen,” Emme said. “It’s

unbelievable what he does out there.”