The562’s season previews for the 2022-23 school year are sponsored by Vertical Raise, the official team fundraising partner of The562.
The562’s coverage of Vikings athletics is sponsored in part by Long Beach City College.
Long Beach City College was just one run shy of advancing out of last year’s Regionals. The Vikings finished tied atop the South Coast Conference standings in 2022, posting a solid 19-5 mark in conference games with a 29-14 overall record.
But that strong regular season run hit an unfortunate roadblock in the postseason against College of the Desert. After winning their playoff opener, the Vikings dropped back-to-back games, the last of which was a 10-9 loss in extra innings to end their season.
Now in his 30th season as manager, Casey Crook has similar expectations for this year’s group as they look to make a deeper run into May.
“I expect us to be right in the hunt, competing for a conference championship again,” said Crook. “We’ve just gotta be looking to make a better run in the playoffs.”
The Vikings will have a lot to replace from last year’s squad, including South Coast Conference Player of the Year, Matthew Pinal, who was a key two-way contributor in 2022. There will be some changes on the mound, as Crook will need to rework the rotation a bit.
Sophomore Evan Vazquez will be a key returner on the mound and at second base, gaining valuable experience from his freshman season. He hit .294 over 40 games and was also the team’s top pitcher with 13 starts, 71.1 innings and a 4.79 ERA.
He’s already posted a 1.90 ERA across his first four starts and should anchor a Vikings pitching staff that has a different style than in year’s past. Vazquez, along with fellow returners Marcellus Henry and lefty Jake Habelitz, will need to rely on pitchability and finesse rather than pure stuff.
“We don’t have as much velocity as we’ve had in the past, but Vasquez, Habelitz and Henry are all older guys and they’re all pitching considerably better than they did last year,” Crook said going into the season. “And then we do have a good group of freshmen pitchers that came in; they don’t throw 90, but they’ve got good arms and we’ve got some guys that can pitch a little bit for sure.”
Some of those freshman arms who’ve logged significant innings so far this season include: Max Sasaki, Liam Taylor, Brian Pham, Luke Pollard, and others.
Crook said this year’s offense might also look a little bit different, without as much pop throughout the lineup. That could make the Vikings a lot more fun to watch on the basepaths, as they look to leverage their overall quickness.
“Overall, this is one of the fastest teams I’ve ever had,” said Crook. “I don’t think we have as much power maybe as we’ve had in the past. We had a run of some guys that were hitting double-digit home runs, I don’t know that we’re gonna get that this year, but it’s one of the fastest teams I’ve ever had.”
One of the bats that’s been providing the power is returning sophomore Raul Garcia, who is already committed to play at Cal State Dominguez Hills next season. The right fielder was second on the team with 37 RBIs a season ago, hitting .302 as a freshman. Crook had high expectations for Garcia coming into the season, and he’s already matched last year’s home run total with four through just 43 at-bats.
The other corner outfielder is freshman Danny Rodriguez, who leads the team in the early part of the season with his .471 on-base percentage and 10 walks. He’s also got a team-high five stolen bases already and should be an important table-setter for the Vikings offense with his elite speed.
Crook is expecting a big year from third baseman Justin Santoyo, who got playing time as a freshman and will have a bigger role to play as a sophomore.
“Santoyo is really a pretty good athlete,” Crook said. “He plays third base, he’s got a good arm and he’s got left-handed power. I think he’s ready to put it all together this year.”
Vazquez is an experienced returner at second base (when he isn’t pitching) and the Vikings have a valuable piece behind the plate in sophomore catcher Malik Clayton. He hit .340 in 31 games as a freshman and is a smart and talented player captaining the defense. Crook says he’ll put his faith in Clayton to call the games for his pitchers when he’s in the lineup, showing just how much confidence the coach has in his primary backstop.
Freshman Olin Snakenborg has a namesake made for a Viking and will be the starting shortstop this season. Sophomore Will Schwab will play a lot of first base while also sharing some time with freshman Ryan Geck from Millikan.
Geck is one of four former Millikan Rams–and eight Moore League alumni overall–on the Vikings roster this season, and he’ll bounce around in a utility role with a coveted power bat. Fellow Moore League product Xander McLaurin, who was a standout at Wilson High, has stepped in to play centerfield for LBCC this year.
The Vikings are still in their preseason schedule but will need to hit conference play running as they host rivals Mt. SAC for the South Coast Conference opener on Feb. 28. That’s the first of a crucial three-game set against the Mounties.
2023 LBCC Starting Lineup
C – Malik Clayton (So.)
1B – Will Schwab (So.) / Ryan Geck (Fr.)
2B – Evan Vazquez (So.)
SS – Olin Snakenborg (Fr.)
3B – Justin Santoyo (So.)
LF – Danny Rodriguez (Fr.)
CF – Xander McLaurin (Fr.)
RF – Raul Garcia (So.)
DH – Ryan Geck (Fr.) / Will Schwab (So.)
SP – Evan Vazquez (So.) / Jake Habelitz (So.) / Marcellus Henry (So.)
