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BASEBALL: QUITE A TOUR FOR THE GRENADA STAR
It finally hit Parker Warner when he saw his Senior Day poster.
The five-foot-tall banner featured two images side by side.
On the right was an elementary school photo of Warner in his Little League uniform. On the left is a photo of Warner from this season in his black and gold Granada jersey.
As the senior walked off the field after Granada’s final home game of the regular season on Thursday, he quickly realized how much time had passed since he first wore Granada’s colors four years ago .
“It feels like yesterday when I was a freshman and watching the seniors being celebrated on Senior Day,” Warner said. “But being here with all my friends that I played Little League with and seeing everyone participate in the game and be successful, it was a really cool moment for all of us.”
Warner, a Stanford commit, had his own struggles as a freshman. As a minor league player trying to stay in the series, Warner was split between JV and varsity his freshman year at the Livermore school.
But since then, he has become the undisputed leader of the Matadors. His 1.39 ERA and 49 strikeouts will put him in strong consideration to be the East Bay Athletic League Player of the Year.
“Parker has been an exemplary example of what we expect from our baseball players,” Granada coach Corrigan Willis said. “It’s fun to see a guy who does everything right in the classroom, in the community and on the baseball field receive accolades.”
Granada and Warner aren’t done yet.
The Matadors, who clinched the league title in the regular season, are aiming high. They hope to close out the season by winning the EBAL Tournament, North Coast Section and NorCal Regional Championships.
“We set goals for ourselves at the beginning of the year and we were never going to go undefeated or anything like that,” Warner said. “But we have a lot of talent. But I really knew that if we played the way we’re supposed to play, we’d have a lot of confidence heading into the playoffs.
-Nathan Canilao
SOFTBALL: INJURED WOLICZKO FINALLY TAKES A BREAK
McKenna Woliczko is as busy as a high school athlete can be, going from being a nationally recruited basketball player in the winter to a blue-chip softball star in the spring.
Add school and social life to her athletic responsibilities and you have a young woman who always has something to do.
“I definitely had to learn how to manage my time,” Woliczko said. “You can’t procrastinate.”
This busy schedule continued unabated until a slide at second base against St. Ignatius on April 17 resulted in a severe knee bruise and a few weeks of inaction. For the first time in years – if ever – Woliczko had to slow down.
She hates it.
“It sucks,” Woliczko said. “I want to play with my team.”
The good news is that Woliczko avoided any serious tears or sprains and should be back on the softball field next week. The sophomore could be seen playing catch with his teammates between innings of a game this week against Willow Glen.
After the softball season, it will be the turn of AAU basketball.
In other words, Woliczko will get back to being her busy self.
—Joseph Dycus
BASEBALL: A’S BLCKBURN HONORED BY HERITAGE
Paul Blackburn, surrounded by friends and family at Heritage in Brentwood, hoisted his framed number 24 at the end of Wednesday’s pre-match ceremony. On the A’s pitcher’s day off, his high school alma mater retired his number before a rivalry game with crosstown Liberty.
“I haven’t been back here in a while, so to be able to come back here and bring up these memories, it’s more than I could have expected,” Blackburn said.
He didn’t have to think long before coming up with his favorite memory as a player at Brentwood Public School.
“I really remember my no-hitter against Deer Valley, because one of my best friends played for Deer Valley,” Blackburn said, referring to his eight-strikeout performance against Blake McAuley’s Wolverines on May 1, 2012.
Blackburn went 24-8 as a prep star, with a 1.04 ERA. A two-way player, Blackburn hit .347 as a senior in 2012. A few months later, the Chicago Cubs selected the ace from Heritage with their first-round pick.
He has spent his entire major league career (2017-present) with the A’s, making the All-Star team in 2022 and getting off to a 2-1 start this season, the A’s last in the region of Blackburn’s Bay.
“I grew up going to games at the Coliseum and seeing some really good teams,” Blackburn said. “I remember when there was an all-you-can-eat section in the third deck behind home plate, where a lot of us went when we were in high school. It’s bittersweet about this move.
—Joseph Dycus
SOFTBALL: NO CRISIS IN SOPHOMORE FOR WILLOW GLEN STAR
Willow Glen’s Alanna Clincy had a freshman season in which she went from unknown newcomer to ace of the NorCal Division II champions.
She was even better this season as a sophomore, striking out 146 in 85 innings for a team aiming for more postseason success.
After relying on her heater last year, Clincy added devastating attacks to her arsenal.
“I’m trying to work more off the field, because that’s how you should compete against good teams,” Clincy said. “You don’t want to give them anything on the plate.”
That fastball is still very effective, as is his bat. She posted a .508 average with two home runs and 25 RBIs.
—Joseph Dycus
SOFTBALL: THE PRESENTATION OF A YOUNG LEADER ITSELF
Even though she’s only a sophomore, Julia Simón is already one of the best young players in the West Catholic Athletic League.
The pitching catcher leads her team in batting average (.469), on-base percentage (.542), hits (23), RBIs (20), slugging percentage (.795) and slugging safe extra-base (11).
Simón attributes his dominant year to a change in approach from his first season.
“I was a big home run hitter last year,” she said. “But this year I took more hits and did my job at the plate. I focused on moving a runner into scoring position because we don’t have the biggest hitters on our team. So I just play small ball, get on base and do my job.
Although he is not yet halfway through high school, Simón has already taken on the role of leader of the team.
“It was easier this year because I was named co-captain,” Simón said. “I communicate very well with my coaches about the needs of everyone on my team. Just having that comfort level has also helped me be a leader on the field.
Even though Presentation (5-13, 1-6) is still an improving team, the core players are mainly made up of underclassmen. The Panthers will only graduate three seniors this year, meaning this group will have experience next season.
“I’ve seen a lot of our freshmen really grow since the start of the year,” Simón said. “At Presentation, we’re not the biggest team, but there are so many girls who have so much potential. I really hope we can all grow in the seasons to come.
-Nathan Canilao
California Daily Newspapers
