SBLive's All-San Diego Section high school baseball team: Kevin Takeuchi is 2023 Player of the Year
With the 2023 California high school baseball season in the books, it’s time to hand out some awards.
After covering dozens of games and talking to coaches from all over the San Diego Section this spring, here are SBLive's 2023 All-San Diego Section high school baseball teams. The Section-wide teams features 40 players - 23 position players and 17 pitchers. The team was selected by SBLive reporter Bodie DeSilva.
PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Kevin Takeuchi - Rancho Bernardo senior 3B
Takeuchi checked all the boxes offensively this season, finishing his final high school season with a .520 batting average and a San Diego Section leading 13 home runs. 28 of his 52 hits went for extra-bases and his 20 walks earned him a .603 on-base percentage. His 41 runs batted in were more than his combined total from his first two varsity seasons.
Takeuchi, a USC-signee, hit for the cycle in the first game of the season against Hart and closed out his season by hitting in 15 straight games.
PITCHER OF THE YEAR
Destin Allen-Fox - Santana senior LHP
Allen-Fox tripled his innings on the mound from his junior season while leading the Sultans to their first CIF title since 1994. He struck out 94 batters over his 14 appearances, posting double digit strikeout totals in wins against Rancho Bernardo, Helix and Grossmont. Allen-Fox allowed more than one earned run once over his 14 outings, a 5-3 loss to La Costa Canyon in his second start of the season.
Allen-Fox finished his senior season with an 11-1 record, an ERA of 0.60 and a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 94/24.
ALL-SAN DIEGO SECTION FIRST TEAM
PITCHERS
Brady Dockan – Rancho Bernardo – Junior
Dockan was amongst San Diego's most improved pitchers this season. The Cal State Fullerton commit pitched five more innings than he did as a sophomore but lowered his ERA from 2.84 to 1.91 and struck out 31 more batters than a year ago. He walked just nine batters all season while helping the Broncos into both the San Diego Section semifinals and the Southern California regional semifinals.
Peyton Rodgers – Torrey Pines – Junior
Rodgers had a 1.39 ERA this season, striking out 57 batters in 50.1 innings while walking only four batters all year. Playing centerfield when not on the mound, the San Diego State commit led the Falcons with a .430 on-base percentage and four home runs.
Jake Davis – Eastlake – Junior
Davis carried the Titans rotation this season, tossing a complete game in each of his final five appearances. He finished the season 9-0 with a 1.39 ERA and struck out 53 batters in 70.1 innings.
Brenden Lewis – Granite Hills – Sophomore
Lewis made a big jump forward as a pitcher during his sophomore season. He nearly doubled his innings from a year ago, finishing at 50.1. He was 4-0 with an ERA of 0.83 and struck out 63 batters. At the plate, Lewis hit .284 with two home runs, four doubles and stole six bases.
Jose Mendoza – Montgomery – Senior
Mendoza finished his Montgomery career with a 13-3 record and a 0.96 ERA over 109.1 varsity innings. This season he struck out 56 batters over 65 innings and also boasted a .495 on-base percentage at the plate.
Ryan Kroepel – Poway – Senior
Kroepel surpassed the 100 career game mark for the Titans late in the season. The Arizona State-signee had a .514 on-base percentage as well as two home runs, five triples and six doubles for Poway. In 11 appearances on the mound, he went 7-2 with a 1.59 ERA, striking out 70 batters.
Caden Pearlman - La Costa Canyon - Senior
Pearlman was one of San Diego's top breakout players this season. He threw 60 innings for the Mavericks, finishing with 71 strikeouts and a 1.98 ERA. The recent Cal Poly commit had a stretch of games in April in which he tossed a one-hitter against Santana, a no-hitter against Poway and a two-hitter against Carlsbad.
CATCHERS
Nico Libed – Eastlake – Senior
Libed had another big season for the Titans, finishing with a .370 batting average and .481 on-base percentage. The USD-signee had four home runs and four doubles and 18 stolen bases.
Kalen Applefield – La Costa Canyon – Junior
Applefield hit .333 in his first season with the Mavericks and had a staggering .552 on-base percentage after drawing 31 walks. The Cal commit had four home runs, six doubles and a triple.
INFIELDERS
Daniel Mora – Eastlake – Senior
Mora hit over .370 for the third straight season, finishing his career with 116 hits. He had 10 doubles, four triples, two home runs and was second in the section with 44 stolen bases. Mora walked 21 times and struck out just eight times in 147 plate appearances.
Gabe Camacho – La Costa Canyon – Senior
Camacho finished his career at La Costa Canyon as one of the section's most decorated players in recent memory, winning two San Diego Section Open Division titles and two Southern California regional titles. He hit .346 this season with 15 doubles, a triple and two home runs. The Pacific-signee struck out just five times in 129 plate appearances and had a 1.74 ERA over 48.1 innings on the mound.
MJ Sweeney – St. Augustine – Senior
Sweeney improved in each of his three varsity seasons, finishing with a .505 on-base percentage as a senior. The Texas-signee has six home runs, seven doubles, four triples and drove in a team-leading 35 runs.
Luke Caruso – Sage Creek – Senior
Caruso hit .413 and had a .522 on-base percentage for the Bobcats. He had 13 doubles, two triples, two home runs and tossed a complete game shutout in the San Diego Section Division 2 championship game.
Addison Klepsch – Del Norte – Junior
Klepsch hit .365 and had a .504 on-base percentage in his first season with the Nighthawks after transferring in from Poway. The Arizona State commit had 11 doubles, five home runs, two triples and stole 23 bases in 25 attempts.
OUTFIELDERS
James Theodore – La Costa Canyon – Senior
Theodore increased his average from .274 as a junior to .423 this season. He had six doubles, two triples, a home run, stole nine bases and was as good defensively as any centerfielder in the section.
Jack Haferkamp – Santa Fe Christian – Junior
Haferkamp hit .493 and had a .614 on-base percentage this season while cutting his strikeouts in half from last year. He had six home runs, six doubles and stole 20 bases for the second straight season.
Jake Jackson – Madison – Senior
The San Diego Section's top three-sport athlete, Jackson was named Western League Player of the Year this season. The San Diego State-signee had a .426 on-base percentage to go along with seven doubles, three triples, a home run and 17 stolen bases.
Camden Burdick – Carlsbad – Senior
Burdick patrolled centerfield and hit .363 for the Lancers this season. The Cal State Fullerton-signee had four home runs, four doubles, two triples and stole 19 bases.
ALL-SAN DIEGO SECTION SECOND TEAM
PITCHERS
Tyler Arnold – Rancho Bernardo – Junior
Arnold posted nearly identical pitching numbers this season as he did as a sophomore. In 53.1 innings, Arnold finished 7-1 with a 1.71 ERA and 45 strikeouts. He also made big strides as a hitter, finishing with 10 doubles and six home runs.
Ian Fisher – Carlsbad – Sophomore
Fisher played a big role in Carlsbad's 13-0 start to the season, finishing with 70.1 innings on the year. The UCLA commit went 7-2 with a 1.39 ERA and struck out 81 batters. His best performance of the season was a complete game, three-hit shutout against La Costa Canyon.
Max Bayles – Cathedral Catholic – Senior
Bayles had a breakout start to the season that led to him committing to Santa Clara in April. In 11 starts for the Dons, Bayles struck out 72 batters and had a 1.29 ERA over 54.1 innings.
Ashton McCurty – Christian – Junior
McCurty went 7-1 on the mound for the Patriots for the second straight season, lowering his ERA from 1.54 to 1.02 this season. He struck out 61 batters over 62 innings.
Talin Gardini – Patrick Henry – Junior
Gardini, one of Southern California's top uncommitted juniors, showed off his two-way ability for the third straight season. On the mound, he struck out 71 batters in 42.2 innings and had a 1.64 ERA. At the plate, he had a .491 on-base percentage while hitting four home runs and four doubles.
River Scott – Rancho Buena Vista – Senior
Scott struck out 93 batters this season, finishing with 175 over the past two years. The Hawaii-signee went 5-3 this season and had an ERA of 1.22.
Joey Wittig – Maranatha Christian – Senior
Wittig pitched 64 innings this season, surpassing 150 career innings in his four-year varsity career. He finished with a 7-3 record and a 1.75 ERA this season while striking out 94 batters.
Tanyon Smith – Fallbrook – Senior
Smith tossed 60.1 innings for Fallbrook this season, striking out 52 batters while finishing with a 1.74 ERA. He also hit .395 with two home runs, three triples and seven doubles while leading the Warriors to their first CIF baseball title in school history.
Porter Rovin – Sage Creek – Junior
Rovin pitched 18.2 varsity innings as a sophomore and increased that total to 79.2 this past season. In 16 appearances, the Loyola Marymount commit went 9-3 with a 1.58 ERA and struck out 89 batters.
Carson Reese – Del Norte – Senior
Reese tied for second in the San Diego Section this season with 96 strikeouts. In 63.2 innings, he finished with a 1.76 ERA and posted double digit strikeouts in six of his starts.
CATCHERS
Khalyl Perez – Montgomery – Junior
Perez made big strides at the plate this season, finishing with a .329 average and .419 on-base percentage. He had four home runs, three doubles and drove in a team-leading 26 runs.
Tanner Carranza – Brawley – Senior
Carranza was the Imperial Valley's top player this season, hitting .486 with a .642 on-base percentage. The New Mexico State-signee had nine doubles, four triples, three home runs, stole 17 bases and was among the section leaders with 26 walks.
Van Coughlin – La Jolla Country Day – Senior
Coughlin raised his average nearly 200 points from a season ago and cut his strikeouts in half. He helped lead the Torreys into the Open Division playoffs by hitting .390 with seven home runs and nine doubles.
INFIELDERS
Jett Kenady – Carlsbad – Sophomore
Kenady, who committed to Cal midway through the season, hit .327 for the Lancers. He finished the year with seven home runs, seven doubles and six stolen bases.
Jack Circuit – La Jolla Country Day – Junior
In his first full varsity season with the Torreys, Circuit his .380 and hit eight home runs. He also had a .504 on-base percentage, nine doubles and stole 10 bases.
Isaiah Lane – Eastlake – Senior
Lane walked more than he struck out for the second straight season, finishing with a .464 on-base percentage. He had a home run, three triples, nine doubles and drove in 33 runs for the Open Division runner-up Titans.
Camden Sos – Granite Hills – Senior
Sos, a TCU-signee, improved his offensive numbers for the third straight season. He hit .378 with a home run, a triple and five doubles. He had an on-base percentage of .452 and struck out just five times in 84 plate appearances.
Nico Newhan – Maranatha Christian – Senior
Newhan hit .440 this season with eight home runs, closing out his career with 25 home runs. In four varsity seasons with the Eagles, the Arizona-signee played in 100 games and had 141 hits.
OUTFIELDERS
Andrew Becker – Canyon Crest – Junior
Becker provided a bright spot for the Ravens this season, hitting .512 while walking more than he struck out. He had eight triples, seven doubles, four home runs and stole 16 bases.
Devon King – Mar Vista – Senior
King hit .440 this season, his third straight year with a batting average of .435 or higher. King had five home runs, eight doubles, two triples and struck out 35 batters in his 19 innings on the mound.
