Point Loma High’s baseball team has posted an 8-5 record going into its Western League season opener yesterday (April 13) at Madison.
The Warhawks (9-3 in league, 19-12 overall) are defending league champions, while the Pointers (7-5, 18-14) finished third in 2015 behind La Jolla.
Under first-year head coach David Wells, the Pointers made a thrilling playoff run last year that included two nail-biting wins to eliminate El Capitan before surrendering to eventual Div. II champion San Ysidro.
This year’s team is hitting at a solid .316 pace, while the pitching staff’s earned run average sits at 2.78.
Last month, Wells and his current squad won the championship at the Pirate Classic tournament, hosted by Oceanside, winning a tense final game against Great Oak (Temecula) 6-5 in eight innings.
In that game, juniors Aidan Yackly, Frank Rogozienski and Mathew Amberg each collected two hits to pace an 11-hit Pointer attack that included a triple by senior Spencer Gedestad.
Runs batted in were credited to Yackly, Gedestad, Amberg, freshman Anthony Hall and seniors Seth Urbon and Brady Young.
Junior Dan Berry was the winning pitcher as Wells used six different arms during the game. Pointer pitchers had control issues, walking 10 batters while striking out eight. 
Looking ahead to the playoffs, the Pointers begin the league season tied with Francis Parker for the third-best current record among 19 CIF Div. II schools, falling behind only Santana and Mira Mesa.
The biggest offensive explosion for the Pointers came in a 19-0 blitz of Mt. Miguel in which the team pounded 18 hits led by Gedestad, who collected five hits in six at-bats, including a double, while scoring four runs. 
He was joined by junior teammate Nolan Chianello and Rogozienski, who each drove in three runs. Junior Santiago Gomez, sophomore Jack Early and Young each knocked in a pair to go with sophomore Mitchell Sardo and Yackly, who each had one.
In the season’s first 13 games, Hall leads all hitters with a .441 batting average, followed by Chianello (.417), Gedestad (.405) and Urbon (.383).
Leading the team in doubles are Urbon and Rogozienski (4), senior Philip Huber and Gedestad (3) and Young (2). Urbon, Huber and Gedestad each have one triple while Young and Urbon have each slugged a home run.
On the base paths, Amberg’s six stolen bases lead the team.
Among pitchers, senior Trevor Allen’s two wins top the staff. Last year’s ace, University of Oregon-bound senior Cole van den Helder, is sporting a stingy 1.72 earned run average and holding opposing hitters to a frustrating .147 batting average.
The Pointers play their home games at beautiful David Wells Field, where a new scoreboard has been installed this season. The field is located on the campus of Dana Middle School, 1775 Chatsworth Blvd., with the entrance on Macaulay Street. Admission to all regular season games is free. REMAINING SCHEDULE April 15, University City* Home April 22, Mission Bay* Home April 29, Madison* Home May 4, Madison* Away May 6, University City* Away May 7, Bonita Vista Home May 9, University City* Home May 11, La Jolla* Home May 13, La Jolla* Away May 18, Mission Bay* Home May 19, Otay Ranch Away – All games begin at 3:30 p.m. * Western League game