Coast Union baseball is leading Coast Valley League. Here’s how it can keep first place

The Coast Union High School baseball team has won seven of its last nine games, including a 13-6 win over Coastal Christian on April 6, and is in first place in the Coast Valley League.

The Broncos are bound and determined not to repeat the final results of last year’s first-place finish.

The team hopes to win the League again, but it does not want to share first place with Santa Maria’s Valley Christian Academy (VCA) as it did in 2022.

When there is a tie between two first-place teams, and they have split the two-game series, California Interscholastic Federation rules dictate that the team winning the second of the two games gets a home playoff game. Last year, that was VCA.

The team that won the first of the two between the teams – the Broncos, in this case – is awarded a playoff game too. However, that team has to travel and likely be scheduled to play a bigger school.

Last year, Coast Union, which has 150 students, had to travel more than 500 miles round-trip to play Baldwin Park, which has 1,720 students. The Broncos were blown out by 20 runs.

The coaches remarked afterward that it was a good learning situation, but a 250-mile trip home after being dominated by a bigger school is not what high school players look forward to.

That’s why it is so important to beat VCA twice.

Coast won the first game, 8-7, at VCA on March 28. The two teams will tangle again later this month at Coast Union.

Meanwhile, the Broncos are working their way to a possible CVL title after beating CVL foe Coastal Christian twice – 6-0 on April 5 at Pismo Beach and 13-6 at home on April 6.

In that 13-6 victory, senior shortstop Caiden Kennedy led the way with four singles and five stolen bases.

Geo Garcia slugged a booming triple in the first inning to drive in two runs.

Garcia also hit a long sacrifice fly which scored a run and he stole a base.

Jovan Merlos, Robert Saunders and Dane Volz each chipped in with singles.

Saunders pitched six innings, striking out eight Conquerors, while Kennedy came in to pitch the seventh inning.

The next home game for Coast Union is Tuesday, April 25, against Shandon. The 3:30 p.m. game will be broadcast on BOB FM (105.3).

On Thursday, April 27, Coast Union hosts archrival VCA, a 3:30 p.m. game broadcast on BOB FM.

That game will be pivotal in determining what team wins the CVL – and what team gets a home playoff game.

Coming into this week the Broncos are 3-0 in the CVL, one game ahead of VCA (3-1).

This story was originally published April 10, 2023 at 12:48 PM.