HIGHSCHOOLBASEBALL Dream Team

Rick Devereux

If the proverb is correct in saying, “You are a poor specimen if you

can’t stand the pressure of adversity,” then Corona del Mar High

pitcher Blake Contant must be a quality specimen.

Contant, a left-hander on his way to the University of Arizona as

a preferred walk-on for the baseball team, not only withstood the

pressure of big games, he excelled.

Contant calmly hurled a complete-game, three-hitter in the CIF

Southern Section Division IV baseball championship, helping lead the

Sea Kings to a 3-1 victory over Tesoro at Dodger Stadium June 5. His

performance under pressure also helped the Sea Kings finish

undefeated against 17 Pacific Coast League opponents, including the

playoffs.

In the championship game, Contant had one stretch where he retired

19 of 21 batters for his fourth win in the five-game playoffs. The

one game which he did not win, a 6-4 victory over Apple Valley in the

second round, Contant earned the save. Overall, in the playoffs

Contant threw 16 innings, gave up 15 hits and registered 15

strikeouts.

Contant ended the season 12-2 with a 1.76 ERA over 94 1/3 innings

to help CdM win 23 of its last 24 games. He was named first-team

All-CIF Southern Section Division IV and Co-Pitcher of the year in

the PCL.

“He has completely mastered using both sides of the plate,” CdM

Coach John Emme said of his ace, who tops the Daily Pilot’s 14-player

All-Newport-Mesa Dream Team as Player of the Year. “He is a true

craftsman on the mound. Blake rarely misses.”

Joining Contant are Nik Palchikoff, Jeritt Thayer, Josh Bradbury,

Barrett Sprowl, Tyler Lance and Wess Presson from Corona del Mar,

Costa Mesa’s Justin Peterson, Newport Harbor’s Joey Cantarella and

Brandon Jasper, as well as Sage Hill School’s Matt Loper, Jordan

Salinger and Tim Wilkins.

Macklin, headed to USC next year, led Corona del Mar with 65

strikeouts and nine wins. His 3.02 ERA was the second-lowest for the

Sea Kings this year and his five home runs were tied for second to

help lead the squad to 17 consecutive wins to end the season.

He was honored as a PCL Co-Pitcher of the Year with Contant and

was a first-team All-CIF selection. He was also on the Dream Team

last year.

Bradbury, a three-time Dream Team selection and last year’s Player

of the Year and PCL Most Valuable Player, led the team with 11 home

runs. He finished with 24 RBIs and a .376 batting average. Of his 33

hits this season, 18 were for extra bases.

Bradbury’s 11 home runs put him in second for most in a season.

His 21 varsity dingers are three shy of the career mark. Last year

Bradbury was a shortstop and third baseman, but shoulder tendinitis

limited him to the designated hitter role this year.

He will continue playing at UNLV next year and was a first-team

All-CIF Division IV selection.

Sprowl was named CIF Division IV Player of the Year and PCL MVP.

Sprowl, a second-team PCL selection as a junior, led the team in hits

(53), doubles (15) and batting average (.500). He was second on the

squad in on-base percentage (.583) and slugging percentage (.806),

and tied for second in RBIs (25). He was on the Dream Team last year

and plans to try out for the USC baseball squad, competing at first

base.

Palchikoff paced the Sea Kings with 31 RBIs and was tied for

second with five home runs playing left field. He earned first-team

all-league honors as a senior and has narrowed down his college of

choice to San Diego State, UCLA, Cal, UC Davis or the University of

Arizona. He was on the Dream Team last year.

Thayer led the Sea Kings with 77 defensive assists and a .544

on-base percentage. He was second on the team with a .463 batting

average. The senior shortstop earned first-team, all-league laurels.

He will play soccer at NYU next year.

Lance received second-team All-PCL recognition as the Sea Kings’

junior third baseman. He was tied on the team with 24 RBIs and

finished fourth with a .417 batting average. He finished with a

team-leading ratio of 24 RBIs in 60 at-bats (40%).

Presson earned first-team, all-league laurels as a junior

right-fielder. His eight stolen bases were tops for CdM. Presson was

tied for second on the team with 25 RBIs and third with 29 runs

scored and 32 hits.

Peterson, a left-hander who plans to continue playing baseball at

Orange Coast College and then hopes to move on to Cal State

Fullerton, had a 1.00 ERA for Costa Mesa. He recorded 85 strikeouts

in 76 2/3 innings and compiled a 7-4 record with three saves for the

Mustangs. His ERA in league was 1.29.

Peterson also produced at the plate with a .342 batting average.

He had 15 runs and eight RBIs. This is his third year on the Dream

Team.

Jasper led Newport Harbor with 14 RBIs. He had a .327 batting

average with four home runs. He was chosen by the Milwaukee Brewers

with the fifth pick in the 43rd round, 1,274th overall.

Jasper, a 6-foot shortstop who also pitched for the Sailors, has

settled on a draft-and-follow agreement and plans to play at Golden

West College next year.

Cantarella, a pitcher, was a first-team All-Sea View League

honoree for the last two years. He led the Sailors with 66 innings

pitched and 55 strikeouts and was second on the team with eight

doubles.

“He has matured tremendously and he has worked hard in the past

two years,” Newport Coach Joel Desguin said. “I could put him at any

position and I will feel comfortable with that.”

Cantarella was on the Dream Team last year and will pitch for

Orange Coast College next year.

Wilkins was selected to the first-team All-Academy League the past

two years and has been named to the Dream Team for three straight

years. He led the Lightning with a 7-2 record on the mound and a

team-low 1.05 ERA in a team-high 65 innings pitched to help Sage

finish 11-4 in league for second place.

Wilkins also hit .397 for Sage Hill and led the team with 10

doubles on the year. He will play for Emory University in Atlanta

next year.

Salinger was second on the team with a .441 batting average and

scored a team-high 31 runs to help lead Sage Hill to a CIF Division V

playoff berth. His 35 hits also paced the team. He was a first-team,

all-league honoree and will play at Colorado College in Colorado

Springs.

Loper, who just completed his junior year, led Sage Hill with a

.441 batting average. His 29 RBIs led the team and helped the

Lightning finish 14-7 overall. His 205 batters-faced and 43.3 innings

pitched were second on the team, and his 2.91 ERA helped him garner

first-team all-league honors.