Santa Barbara High baseball was represented by senior second baseman Kai Uchio, left, and senior third baseman Frankie Gamberdella. (Barry Punzal / Noozhawk photo)
Toby Dunlap of Westmont might be the first collegiate athlete to win the shot put while wearing baseball stirrups.
Westmont baseball coach Robert Ruiz at Monday’s Santa Barbara Athletic Round Table press luncheon told the story of his pitcher being called away on Saturday by track & field coach Russell Smelley to compete in the shot put and discus in a dual meet against Biola.
“He literally threw the shot put in his baseball stirrups,” Ruiz said. “I told him don’t come back to the dugout unless you qualify for nationals.”
Dunlap, who wore a Westmont track team singlet under his baseball jersey, qualified with a first-place throw in the shot put and took second in the discus. He then pitched a couple of innings in the second game of the Warriors’ GSAC doubleheader sweep against The Master’s.
“This is his first year ever competing in track & field,” Ruiz said. “He’s really strong and he got hurt, so he couldn’t pitch as much. So we thought maybe he’d be pretty good throwing the shot put. Apparently, he’s pretty good at it.
“We’re going to be looking for a track guy to come pitch for us next year.”
Bryce Morison probably felt like he was running on a track during Westmont’s four-game series sweep against The Master’s over the weekend as he circled the bases four times in the series on home runs.
“The week before he hit three triples and broke the single-season triples record at Westmont,” Ruiz said of the Santa Barbara High alum’s recent power surge.
“Bryce wasn’t a power hitter at Santa Barbara High and really not in the last three years at Westmont. His senior year he’s taken off. He invested in himself and has improved a ton. It’s been fun to see that,” said Ruiz.
The sweep over The Master’s provided a huge lift for the Warriors after two rough weeks.
“We had four of our top players go down with injuries and lost a couple of tough series,” said Ruiz.
Three of those players are back in the lineup.
“There are some miraculous stories going on in our program, with some guys that have been hurt and continue to play for our team,” he said. “The things they’ve been able to do is incredible. I’ve never seen anything like it on a baseball field.”
Santa Barbara High’s boys volleyball team also had a big weekend as it won its Karch Kiraly Tournament of Champions for the first time since 2005.
“I’m still smiling after our victories against Palisades in the semifinals (in a sweep) and Loyola in the finals (in four sets),” said coach Chad Arneson.
Here’s a rundown of what the coaches said about the athletes they brought to the press luncheon:
Santa Barbara High Boys Volleyball
Arneson on junior middle Kylan O’Connor: “He ended up having four key blocks against Loyola. He did really well in the middle.”
On setter Henry Haber: “He’s a very smart, bright kid. He has 4.89 gpa. Henry did a great job. He was selected all tourney. He’s getting better each day and it’s great to see.”
San Marcos Boys Volleyball
Coach Roger Kuntz on sophomore Jake Ewart: “Jake is our JV setter and opposite. We’re really excited about our future with Jake. He can play both of those positions for us and he plays them well.”
On sophomore libero Ben Newton: “He’s been down on JVs and just owning it. The JVs haven’t lost a match forever and it’s largely because of him.”
On sophomore outside hitter Josh Willbanks: “He’s one of those coach’s projects. When he jumps, he just keeps going up. He’s got that second and third level he goes to and he’s trying to figure it out. He had a lot of growth in the last few days and we’re really excited about his future as outside hitter and opposite.”
Santa Barbara High Baseball
Coach Steve Schuck on senior third baseman Frankie Gamberdella: “He started slow this year, stuck with it, kept grinding and now in the last month and a half he’s been one of our hottest hitters. Defensively, he has been flawless.”
On senior second baseman Kai Uchio: “He’s been an absolute rock over there; he’s been our safety blanket and he does everything for the team. We’re hoping he gets back by Thursday (from a leg injury).”
San Marcos Baseball
Coach Jacob Pepper on senior Josh Swanson: “Josh suffered through two ACL injuries, taking him out of baseball for about 2 1/2 years. He really bounced back strong this year. Some of the things that standout about him are his determination and his attitude in how he plays the game. It’s really nice to have players who take it so seriously, stay in the moment and really do whatever it takes and keep that energy going.”
On Alec Cavazos, senior outfielder: “He’s a guy who plays his role, does what he’s asked to do and is always at practice doing all the little things to help the team be in the best position to win games. He’s got a lot of humor in him and is a fun guy to be around. Some of the comedy that comes out of him is going to be stand-up and some point. I swear he’s going to be on Comedy Central doing those things.”
Santa Barbara High Girls Lacrosse
Coach Elayne Blessing on junior Jackie Estrada: “She’s the kind of player every coach dreams to have on their team. She’s respectful, always wants to better her game, is constantly asking me questions. She loves lacrosse as much as me or even more.”
On senior Serenity Davis: She kind of was in the background early in the year and just naturally stepped up as a leader, and she’s a captain. She always has a happy attitude which really makes it really easy for players to approach her. She’s also our leading scorer this year. We call her the ‘Sneaky Sneak’ because, when you least expect it, she sneaks up around the crease roll and gets that assist or a beautiful shot.”
Dos Pueblos Softball
Coach Mike Gerken on freshman second baseman Jess Reveles: “There was a hole at second base and we didn’t know who was going to play there. We lost a Division 1 shortstop last year. Sierra (Laughner) stepped into that role. How were we going to fill that second base role? Well, Goleta Valley Junior High sent us a girl. She’s done a great job and has been quite an addition to the team. The girls just love her, and she’s got greatest walk-up song ever right now (“Baby Shark”).”
On catcher Mykenzie Ramirez: “We got two catchers who can be first team all leaguers and MyKenzie is one of those. At the beginning of the season, she really sparked our hitting. Mykenzie has come up really big for us throughout the year.”
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