In the 20th century, San Marino was known as a powerhouse for baseball, winning multiple CIF Championships with very talented and competitive rosters year after year. Teams from schools such as South Pasadena and La Canada feared and respected Titan baseball and their culture. However, over time, teams started becoming less competitive, and Titan baseball was not as consistently dominant as it was before, but that would soon change with the new and improved coaching staff. Coach Franklin, Varsity Head Coach, and Wesley Frias, Assistant Varsity Coach, helped reshape the team, and created a new culture of Titan baseball. Unfortunately, in Franklin’s first year as head coach, 2021-2022, the team would finish last place in league, winning a mere two games across the course of Rio Hondo league play. This struggle not only fueled the underclassmen in the baseball program, but also the coaches. Coach Frias would often tell his players that they needed to work harder than every team in their league if they wanted to have a successful season and how they can’t expect to be good unless they put in the effort. Wes once told players, “Practicing at the school isn’t enough, you also have to practice at home if you want to be the best. Only practicing at the school will get you a C, which is not very good, but putting the extra work at home will get you A.” Coach Frias was more determined than ever to get the team ready for the next season. Because the team simply worked harder than every other team, the 2022-2023 roster was able to have a incredible run making it all the way to semifinals in CIF, the furthest the Titans have made it in over fifteen years. The team finished with a record of 20 wins and 7 losses, and won first place in the Rio Hondo League. The 2023 team successfully put San Marino back on the map. Teams now wanted to defeat San Marino more than ever, knowing that they would not be easy to beat. Now with only nine days until the 2023-2024 season, new rosters started to finalize. In the 2024 roster, six of them were varsity veterans including ace pitcher, Tomas Bilvado, 11, Coleman Morning, 12, who led the team in batting average and hits, and Ryan Park, the unofficial captain of the team. When Park was ask what he thought was the main reason the team was able to win league last year, he responded, “Our team had great chemistry. We were able to build upon each other’s energy, leading to big rallies, great team spirit, and fun times.”
All throughout the summer, fall, and winter, players practiced hard, trying to earn a spot on Varsity. Practices were held Monday to Friday, from 3:15pm to 6:15pm, with games every Saturday. The Titans adjusted and improved their practice schedules based on what worked and didn’t work the earlier years. In addition, new JV head coach Mike Patterson was added to the coaching staff. Coach Mike has decades worth of baseball experience and knowledge, as well as stint in professional ball, further boosting the player’s skills and baseball IQ. Having a taste of playoff baseball, these players worked even harder than last year, knowing that they would not be as victorious if they didn’t practice hard. Baseball is often described as being “90% mental and 10% physical.” When Morning was asked if he agreed or disagreed, he stated, “Agree. You are your own biggest opposition, and once you clear that obstacle, the rest of the game is like a walk in the park. Coach often tells us we’re not playing against the other team, we’re playing against the game of baseball.”
Saying there are high hopes for this years team is an understatement. In James Escarcega, Sport Reporter’s twitter post, “SGV/Whittier Prep Sports Zone: BASEBALL PREVIEW: San Marino, La Habra,” he stated, “It doesn’t take a genius to see that this team should be the team to beat in the Rio Hondo League.” The team was also recently bumped up from division 6 to division 4, proving that San Marino Baseball is back and ready to complete once again. Although the 2024 seasons seems to be bright, there is just one problem. The team has not been able to find a secondary pitcher to compliment Bilvado. With little time left, the team is scurrying to find out who will fill that much needed spot. Caleb Newton, 11, JJ Wilson, 11, Brandon Strauss, 12, and JT Lu-Morris, 10, are all competing for this important spot. Without a doubt, this team is poised to make another incredible run, fully engrained in the new culture that Coach Franklin and Frias brought to the Titan baseball program. The principles and ideologies taught today will be forever engraved in San Marino Titan Baseball for years to come, and the 2024 Titan baseball team will aim to engrave themselves in the deep history of baseball in San Marino.
