Lemmerman tabbed as Co-MVP

Corona del Mar High senior shortstop Jake Lemmerman, headed for Duke, received the Co-Player of the Year award in the Pacific Coast League by league baseball coaches.

Lemmerman won the prize for the first time in his four-year varsity career. He shares it with junior pitcher John Lamb, who led Laguna Hills to the Pacific Coast League crown.

Lemmerman guided the Sea Kings (19-9, 8-4 second place in league) throughout. He hit a school-best 10 home runs, scored 33 runs and walked 15 times to go with a .425 batting average, 37 RBIs and six doubles, the last three statistics ranked second on the team.

Joining Lemmerman were first-teamers in senior outfielder/pitcher Austin Elliott and sophomore pitcher Danny Moskovits. Senior pitcher/center fielder Vinnie St. John, bound for USC, was a second-team pick for the second straight year.

Elliott, a second straight first-team selection, batted behind Lemmerman for much of the year, giving him several opportunities to drive in runs. The future Orange Coast College player came through in the clutch several times, leading CdM with a .443 average, 33 RBIs, eight doubles and three triples. His four home runs ranked second.

Elliott boasted the pitching staff’s best record (5-1), lowest earned-run average (1.94), and most shutouts (two). Moskovits was the Sea Kings’ ace. The right-hander went (5-3) with a 2.97 ERA. He led the team in innings pitched (61 1/3 ), starts (11) and complete games (5). He hit .393 with six RBIs in 28 at-bats.

St. John went 3-4 as a pitcher, and his innings (45 2/3 ) and starts (10) ranked second on the staff. As a leadoff hitter, he batted .306, scored 23 runs, drove in 15 runs, stole 11 of 11 bases, had three triples, two doubles and one home run.

— David Carrillo Peñaloza