Cambrian Park Wins It All!
CPLL All Star Team Takes 10U State Championship
Rocklin, Calif. (July 25, 2019) – The 10 and 9 year-old All Star team from Cambrian Park Little League won the Northern California State Championship today, beating McKinleyville by a score of 7 to 1. The win makes CPLL the top team among all little leagues in Northern California for 2019, and is the highest level any team in this age category can advance to under Little League® Baseball rules.
The championship game started out as a pitchers’ duel, with CPLL trailing by a run until the 3rd inning before taking a 2 to 1 lead. They would never surrender it after, adding 5 more runs in the 4th inning and holding McKinleyville defensively. Starting pitcher for CPLL Peyton Chase went 4.1 innings before handing the ball over to his brother, Ethan, in relief to close out the win. CPLL held their opponent to six hits.
Following the game, an emotional team manager and CPLL president Jeff Price said the championship “means everything. We set out on a goal and it was through hard work, team work and everything that we were able to achieve almost the unbelievable. I love all these boys like they’re my own kids.”
Winning the title is the equivalent of a state championship under Little League® Baseball’s national structure. California and Texas are unique among all 50 states for Little League® Baseball. Because of their higher numbers of leagues and competition-together with larger territories, California and Texas are the only states to name dual state champions. (A North and South winner for California, and East and West winners for Texas).
In fact, there are more Little League® Baseball programs in California than in any other state in the country. With today’s victory, CPLL becomes the top All Star program among more than 300 different leagues in Northern California.
The Journey
CPLL had a 14 and 1 record across three playoff rounds. The team’s remarkable postseason run began in mid-June at the District 12 level against a field of 10 teams, followed by a five-team Section 5 finals, and culminating in the State Championship Tournament featuring the best seven teams from Fresno to Eureka.
CPLL had a relentless offensive attack that combined high on-base percentages, power slugging, and aggressive base running. As a team CPLL had a .476 batting average. Fifty-five percent of CPLL plate appearances resulted in the batter getting either a hit, walk, or hit by pitch. Nine players had run totals of 10 or more, and four different hitters achieved double-digit RBI totals.
The team also delivered several solid defensive and pitching performances, including five shutout victories and giving up an average of just four hits per game. Ten different players pitched for CPLL over the course of the playoffs. The total run differential throughout the playoffs was +140 and the average run differential was +9.
About the Team
The championship roster featured 13 players selected predominantly from seven CPLL regular season AAA teams, as well as two Majors teams.
The 201910U team:
- Tyler Bennett (no. 1)
- Ethan Chase (no. 27)
- Peyton Chase (no. 24)
- Joaquin Guerra (no. 3)
- Owen Handforth (no. 7)
- Jayden Hathaway (no. 12)
- Damian Hernandez (no. 42)
- Alex Hopwood (no. 9)
- Kelen Johnson (no. 21)
- Chase Johnston (no. 5)
- Marcus Price (no. 25)
- Ryan Raggio (no. 20)
- Trent Rocha (no. 22)
- Manager Jeff Price
- Coach Nate Chase
- Coach Matt Handforth
