 | | | From left: Austin Rei, Josh Cushing, James Marvel and Cole Rider Photo A. Scheck
| | | | | | Campolindo High School has had its fair share of success the past couple of years and baseball is on the list of teams that truly make the Cougars a powerhouse in high school sports.
The two-time defending NCS Champions have begun their current season atop the DFAL standings with a 3-0 record, 10-1-1 overall, demonstrating extraordinary poise and experience, in large part because the players know each other so well.
"We've kind of been with the same guys the last two or three years - some of us four years - and this year is showing that chemistry can pay off," said senior pitcher James Marvel, the reigning league MVP.
All of the team's starters are returning varsity players. Twelve freshmen have played on varsity over the last four years.
"For all the hard work they've put in here [at Campolindo], they were pretty good when they got here," said head coach Max Luckhurst. "It was a learning curve to play varsity baseball, but they all played at a pretty light level coming into high school."
Of the 19 players on this year's team, only four are seniors and will move on to college after this season. While those four players will be missed, the team's core won't change, meaning a more mature Cougars baseball team in the future.
"The ones that are coming back will have more experience, and the younger guys are getting experience, getting to be around older players to learn from," said Luckhurst. "The experience from playing some really good teams is putting them in a position to contribute next year."
As for the four players that are moving on, they have exciting college careers ahead of them. Pitcher and first basemen Marvel is headed to Duke, outfielder Cole Rider is headed to Johns Hopkins, while shortstop Josh Cushing and catcher Austin Rei are slated to attend the University of Washington.
Juniors on the team that have signed letters of intent include Brett Stephens (UCLA), Trent Shelton (Oregon State), and Robbie Tenerowicz (Cal).
"It's just a cool experience to have your dream of first playing high school, then college, baseball come true," said Marvel.
"It's always your dream to play some of the best competition in the nation, so to get the chance to play at a Pac-12 college is really exciting," added Rei, who said he knew he'd be attending Washington the second he stepped on campus.
Rei and Cushing, both four-year players under Luckhurst, will carry their friendship and familiarity with one another from Moraga all the way up the coast to Seattle.
"I know his strengths, I know his weaknesses, he knows my strengths, he knows my weaknesses," said Rei. "It's going to be nice because right away you have someone to talk to. There's always going to be a buddy there for me."
While there is a lot to look forward to in the future, the players will look to close out their time as Cougars in winning fashion.
We walked in to the season with one goal, to win our last game, that being the NCS championship," said Cushing. "We're hoping to close it out that way."
Campo finished off second in the DFAL standings, rival Acalanes, 12-1 before the break. They return to action on April 17 when they host third-place Dougherty Valley at 4 p.m.
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Lamorinda Weekly, Moraga CA