Nicolosi’s East County Athletes of the Week
- Updated: May 21, 2018
7005 Navajo Road – SD
East County Athlete of the Week
2018 BASEBALL/SOFTBALL
NINTH WEEK APRIL MAY 14TH – MAY 19TH
BRANDON PETERSON – HELIX
Peterson, a senior headed for San Jose State, drove in three runs against Grossmont, and went 4-for-4 against Granite Hills, as Helix won the Grossmont Hills League by two games over its closest rivals. Peterson also drew a bases-loaded walk to win a suspended game against Santana, as Helix closed the season with a three-win week.
Bailey Olaveson – El Capitan
Batted .571 as she went 4 for 7 in the Vaqueros two playoff games in Division III. Against Southwest El Centro she went 3 for 3 including base hits in crucial situations to give the Vaqueros scoring opportunities, and against the Serra Conquistadors she had a double and scored a run in the victory to keep El Capitan’s playoff run alive.
EIGHTH WEEK APRIL MAY 7TH – MAY 12TH
TREVOR HAZELHURST – GRANITE HILLS
The Granite Hills senior allowed just three hits in a complete-game victory and hit his third home run of the season as Granite Hills took the rubber game in their season series with the Hillers, 3-2, on Thursday. Hazelhurst struck out seven, retiring the side in order in the third, fourth, sixth and seventh inning.
On Friday, Hazelhurst hit two home runs – Nos. 4 and 5 on the season – and had five RBI on Friday as the Eagles defeated Santana, 11-5, as the Eagles moved into a second-place tie in the Grossmont Hills League.
VICTORIA VILLEGAS – VALHALLA
The senior this past week helped the Norsemen cap an undefeated league crown as she went 2 for 4 including a two-run double against the Monte Vista Monarchs. Against the Monarchs, Villegas scored 2 runs and drove in 3 runs total. To cap off the week in the regular season finale and also on Senior Day she was one of the big reasons why the Norsemen outslugged the Helix Highlanders 15-14. Against the Highlanders, Villegas went 3 for 5 including driving in 3 runs and also scoring 3 runs. Her solo homer in the bottom of the second helped spark the Norsemen comeback. On the week, Villegas batted .556 as she went 5 for 9 while driving in 7 RBIs, scored 5 runs and a double.
EIGHTH WEEK APRIL APRIL 30TH – MAY 5TH
JOSEPH INGRASSIA – VALHALLA
Ingrassia, a sophomore, pitched six innings of two-hit ball and struck out 11, allowing no walks, in an 8-0 win over Valley League challenger Monte Vista. Against the Monarchs earlier in the week on Tuesday, he drove in the go-ahead run in the bottom of the fifth, making it 5-4, as Valhalla won, 7-4.
SAMARIA ROOPE – GROSSMONT
The junior standout went 2-0 in the circle this past week as she shut down both the Sultans and the Vaqueros. Against the Sultans in league play, she went 7 innings while striking out 4 and only giving up 4 hits and against the El Capitan Vaqueros she went 6 innings and only gave up 3 hits while striking out 4. Not only did she take the circle but also helped her cause against the Vaqueros as she went 2 for 2 while scoring two runs and driving in two runs which included a solo home run.
SEVENTH WEEK APRIL 23RD – APRIL 28TH
TREVOR SMALLWOOD – FOOTHILLS CHRISTIAN
Smallwood, a senior, pitched a four-hit complete-game shutout, striking out 10 and walking one, and the Knights moved into first place in the Ocean League on Thursday with a 3-0 win over Tri-City Chrsitan. He also had an RBI single. On Tuesday, he had two hits and drove in two runs in the 6-4 win over the Eagles.
HALEY JOHNSON – GRANITE HILLS
The sophomore really stepped her game up this past week as she crushed the competition as she helped the Eagles go 5-0 this past week as the Eagles have now won 12 games in a row and are ranked #5 in the county. The week started off with Johnson going 3 for 3 and driving in 3 runs and hammering 2 doubles in the come from behind 9-7 league win against Grossmont. A couple days later against High Tech San Diego, she went 3 for 5, a double, scored a run, belted a two-run jack and drove in 4 RBI’s in the 10-0 victory. To finish the week off, in the last day of the Hilltop tournament, Johnson went 4 for 8, 2 runs, 4 RBI and 2 round trippers. Against Steele Canyon in the Championship game, Johnson belted a two-run homer as she drove in 3 runs. For her efforts, she was named to the Hilltop Tournament All-Tournament team.
Overall for the week, Johnson batted .625 going 10 for 15 with 3 2B’s while scoring 3 runs, she also drove in 11 runs and jacked 3 homers.
SIXTH WEEK APRIL APRIL 16TH – APRIL 21ST
BLAKE PEYTON – EL CAPITAN VAQUEROS
The left-hander pitched 6 2/3 innings of shutout ball to lead El Capitan to a 2-0 win over Santana in the first of two games between the rivals during the week. He allowed three hits and struck out 10.
Two days later, the University of Arizona-bound senior hit a three-run home run and scored three runs in the Vaqueros’ 8-2 Grossmont Hills League win over Santana on Thursday.
STACI CHAMBERS – GRANITE HILLS EAGLES
In a week the Eagles played four games, Staci Chambers a sophomore had a hand in all of them. She not only had a hand in them in the circle but also at the plate with her bat. Against West Hills, she went 2-3 with a run scored and also belted a three-run homer and also doubled. Pitching-wise against the Wolf Pack she went 5 innings for the victory in which she only gave up a run which was earned on 3 hits while walking one and striking out six. In the second league game against arch-rival Santana, she jacked a 2-run blast and scored a run. Chambers came in for relief and garnered the victory as she went 5 innings, giving up 2 runs of which one was earned on 5 hits while only walking one and striking out five.
The league wins were big but Chambers would also finish out the Falcon Fiesta with two more victories. Against Escondido in the semifinals, she went 1-3 but in the circle tossed a complete game 7 innings while giving up 2 runs on 3 hits while walking 3 and fanning 10 to put the Eagles in the Championship contest. In the Falcon Fiesta finals against Mission Hills, Chambers went 1-2 with an RBI and again went 7 innings fort he complete game victory in which she gave up a run which was earned on three hits while walking five and striking out five.
Chambers was named the Pitcher of the Falcon Fiesta Tournament for her efforts.
Overall for the week she went 5 for 9 for a .556 average, scored 2 runs while driving in 6 with a double and 2 homers. In the circle she posted a 4-0 record with 24 innings pitched in which she gave up 6 runs of those only 3 were earned which calculates to a .87 ERA and she struck out 25 batters.
FIFTH WEEK APRIL APRIL 9TH – APRIL 14TH
IVAN PLAZOLA – MONTE VISTA MONARCHS
Plazola, a senior, helped lead the Monarchs to a three-game sweep. The left-handed pitcher allowed three hits and one walk over four innings, striking out two, to win against Mount Miguel. Two days later, in game one of a doubleheader versus West Hills, the captain went 4-for-4 to help overcome a 3-0 deficit, then he came on in relief to throw the final 2 1/3 scoreless innings, allowing one hit and striking out two to pick up the win, his East County-leading fifth of the season. In the nightcap, he had two hits, including a two-run double in a 4-0 win.
CATIE DOBBS – GRANITE HILLS EAGLES
The junior helped the Eagles claim a 3-0 record including a Hills League battle against Steele Canyon. In the first game, she took the circle and tossed a complete game 5-inning No-Hitter in which she struck out 10 batters and also went 1 for 2 at the plate in the 11-0 victory. In the game against the Rancho Buena Vista Longhorns, Dobbs cranked a 2-run homer in the top of the sixth inning which helped the Eagles beat the Longhorns 6-0 who had come into the game highly favored and ranked. Finally, in the first Hills League contest against the Cougars, Dobbs took the circle and overwhelmed them with a complete-game 7-inning 1-hit shutout. On the day she also struck out 12.
Overall she went 2-0 in the circle while pitching 12 innings of work while giving up zero runs and striking out 22 batters. With the two shutouts, Dobbs has lowered her ERA to .80 and now has 79 K’s in 43 1/3 innings.
FOURTH WEEK APRIL 2ND – APRIL 7TH
TRENT NIELSEN – CHRISTIAN PATRIOTS
Nielsen, a freshman, hit a grand slam in the bottom of the seventh inning, lifting the Patriots to a 10-8 victory over Valhalla in the Grossmont-Metro-City Tournament Division 2 championship game. He added a two-run double in the third to finish with six RBI.
KIMMY BOND – GROSSMONT FOOTHILLERS
The freshman was one of the key components over the weekend for the Foothillers in their Semi-Final and Championship victories to claim the 2018 Jaguar Classic Championship.
In the semi-final victory over the Ramona Bulldogs, Bond went 2-for-4 while driving in a run and also scoring two runs and in the Championship game against the San Pasqual Golden Eagles she went 3-for-4 with a double and scoring twice.
THIRD WEEK MARCH 19TH – MAR 24TH
JACK HYDE – GROSSMONT
Hyde, a junior, pitched a no-hitter against nationally-ranked Bishop Gorman at the 67th Lions Tournament. He struck out seven and walked one. Facing just two over the minimum, he threw 85 pitches, 58 for strikeouts. Hyde lowered his ERA to 1.84.
SHANNON MCMAHON – CHRISTIAN
The Senior this past week was one of the reasons why the Patriots did well in the Las Vegas Spring Jamboree as she went 9 for 17 while scoring 4 runs and driving in 7 RBI’s including the game-winner against San Benito in which she went 3 for 5 with a run, she also in the game against Etiwanda who was ranked #9 in the Inland Empire at the time went 2 for 3 while scoring a run and driving in 3 RBI’s in the big 7-6 win.
SECOND WEEK MARCH 12TH – MAR 17TH
LUKE RYNKOFS – CHRISTIAN
Rynkofs pitched a no-hitter on Monday against Mater Dei Catholic, as the Patriots won, 7-0. Rynkofs faced four over the minimum, as he threw 96 pitches, including 56 for strikes
NICOLE HERNANDEZ – HELIX
In the Highlanders contest against the Olympian Eagles in a 12-3 victory, the freshman went 4-for-5 hitting .800 which included her first 2 career home runs at the varsity level. One of the home runs was a three-run blast in the top of the third inning. She also scored twice and drove in 6 RBI as well as had a double.
FIRST WEEK MAR 6TH – 10TH
ERICK SMELKO – HELIX
Smelko, a junior, homered in the Highlanders’ season-opener as part of a three-RBI day, then drove in three runs in the Scotties’ second game of the season, scoring five runs over three games in the process, as Helix got off to a 3-0 start.
BIANCA MORALES – STEELE CANYON
The sophomore helped propel the Cougars in their Cougar Classic tournament run as she went 6-for-7 for a .857 clip including 2 home runs against Escondido and also drove in 5 runs that game. In the contest against the Brawley Wildcats, she doubled and tripled and scored a run and drove in a run. The Cougars went 3-0 for the week.
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