After a bumpy start, the Point Loma High baseball team has put together a three-game winning streak during current pre-season tournament play.
While Pointer batters are hitting a meager .206, solid pitching has carried the team to a 3-1 record in the Bill Whittaker Classic event involving teams from throughout San Diego County.
Victories have been credited to junior Cole van den Helder, and seniors Clay Palmer and Jayson Pappas. Opponents are batting only .091, .130 and .182 respectively against the trio, who have yet to give up an earned run.
Palmer, the only southpaw in the group, has also proved extremely accurate on the mound, issuing only one walk while striking out eight.
Hard-luck junior pitcher Seth Urbon, while taking the team’s loss in a season-opening 6-0 loss to University City on the Pointers’ new David Wells Field turf surface, has issued only two walks while whiffing nine batters. Following that loss, the Pointers have become road warriors, winning at San Marcos (1-0), Chula Vista (10-3) and Francis Parker (2-1).
At the plate, the Pointer did erupt for 11 hits in their lopsided victory over Chula Vista, but have struggled to score in other contests, averaging one run per game in the other three.
The Pointers’ hitting woes go back several years as current juniors and seniors have worked with a different head coach during each season of their prep careers.
Before former major-leaguer and Pointer alum David Wells took the reins, the Pointers have bid farewell to both Jesse Nunez in 2013 and alum Joe Radovich in 2014.
Those plate problems, however, don’t apply to senior Cole Lemmel, who easily leads the team with a .417 batting average and .500 on base percentage.
Lemmel’s numbers include one of the team’s two triples and two of the team’s five stolen bases.
Most Pointer fielders have yet to record an error, with senior first baseman Lawrence Perez’s 25 chances topping all others.
The team is awaiting the return of senior left-handed pitcher Sean Robinson, who is nearing the end of rehabilitation after arm surgery last season. Robinson expects to begin throwing very soon.
Current and future tournaments for the Pointers include the annual City Conference Tournament involving schools within the San Diego city area and the Lions Tournament, the oldest and largest prep baseball event in the U.S. that includes many divisions and teams from throughout the western U.S. and Canada.
The Pointers are assigned to Division 6A in the 136-team Lions event.
Western League play begins April 13 as the Pointers travel to take on Mission Bay in a 3:30 start. Home games are played on David Wells Field at Dana Middle School. City Conference Tournament: March 21: vs. @ La Jolla, 10 March 23: vs. Patrick Henry, 3:30
March 25: vs. @ Scripps Ranch, 3:30
March 27: vs. Cathedral, 3:30
April 6: vs. @ St. Augustine, 3:30
April 8: vs. Mira Mesa, 3:30
April 11: Championship Game TBA Lions Tournament: March 30: vs. Bullard (Fresno), 3
March 31: vs. El Camino, 3
April 1: vs. @ Del Norte, 3
April 2: Finals, TBA