Diego Velazquez
Crespi, Sophomore
This spring, perhaps no player in the area impacted winning more than Diego Velazquez.
The sophomore hit, pitched and fielded when called on. He helped Crespi win its first CIF Southern Section title since 2009, capturing the Division 2 title by erasing a three-run deficit in the bottom of the seventh inning to beat South Hills 6-5 on May 20 at Blair Field in Long Beach.
“He's done just about everything for us this season,” Crespi coach Mike Glendenning said of Velazquez.
Velazquez was the leadoff hitter in the final and delivered an RBI single to start things in the dramatic seventh inning before Ethan Kodama's two-run hit tied the score — and Chris Arce later scampered home on a South Hills error to win the game.
“I want to do anything that helps put my team in the best position to win,” Velazquez said.
Crespi finished the season 23-8-3 overall and 11-7-3 in the Mission League (third place). Velazquez hit .354 with 35 hits, 15 RBIs, eight doubles, two triples and two home runs. He scored 28 runs, drew 21 walks, had an OPS of 1.027 and stole 18 bases. He led his team in hits, doubles, triples, homers, walks and stolen bases.
The USC commit was stellar on the mound, too. That's where Velazquez set himself apart from other players in the area when it came to the impact he had on his team. He was 5-0 in 11 appearances with an ERA of 1.39 and struck out a team-high 47 batters in 50 1/3 innings. He earned wins over Birmingham, Chaminade, Loyola, Harvard-Westlake and Simi Valley.
Velaszquez, who's a lanky 6-foot2, played the role of designated hitter quite a bit this season. But when he played in the field, if he wasn't pitching he was in the middle infield. He played a lot of second base while senior Arce played shortstop. Velazquez had a 91% fielding percentage, helped turn three double plays and recorded 55 putouts in 64 chances.
“It's possible he's our starting shortstop next year,” Glendenning said. “We'll see.”