Diamond helps O.C. player in rough times
Austin Saenz always wanted to play baseball. Now, there are days when he needs to play.
The diamond has been a rock of sanctuary for Saenz, a senior right fielder for Mission Viejo. Even when this season brought on its most pressure, during these playoffs including Mission Viejo's CIF-Southern Section Division 1 semifinal 11-7 victory Tuesday at home, the baseball field was a place that provided relief.
Saenz's girlfriend, Mission Viejo senior Alexis Dela Cruz, has Ewing's sarcoma. A bone cancer was found near her clavicle, a common location of the rare disease for which she was diagnosed in February. She just concluded her sixth round of chemotherapy, undergoes some scans this week, has surgery scheduled for next week and more chemo to come.
As soon as Saenz found out about Dela Cruz's condition, he had his head shaved as a show of support for her. And as a show of support for both of them, some Mission Viejo teammates also had their heads shaved.
"We have her initials on our caps," Saenz said, "and during our pregame meetings, we all pray for her."
The games, and the practices, have been great escapes for Saenz, who is having a great season. He went into Tuesday's semifinal against Santa Barbara batting .494 with three home runs and 25 RBIs.
Baseball was not much of a comfort in early March. Mission Viejo went into the season as Orange County's No. 1-ranked team, and the Diablos appeared in a couple of national rankings, too. They disappeared from the national lists and sunk quickly on the county chart, too, when the Diablos lost their first two games of the season, to Capistrano Valley and Mater Dei in the season-opening Newport Elks Tournament.
Mission Viejo went 2-3 in the Elks tournament. The Diablos, new to the Sea View League this season, were the Sea View coaches' preseason pick to win the league championship, but Mission Viejo lost to Aliso Niguel in the league opener. A mid-April chance at some redemption against county-ranked El Toro fell apart, as the Diablos were swept by El Toro in a doubleheader.
Mission Viejo had long been in the South Coast League, a Division 1 league. When 10 south-county schools teamed up to form the Coast View Conference, in which the 10 schools would be placed in either the conference's top league, the South Coast League, or in the Sea View League, per given sport, Mission Viejo baseball was placed in the Sea View League – which was about the worst thing that could happen to Mission Viejo's mind set going into the 2011 season.
"I think a lot of us though going in, 'Oh, we're now in a lower division, it should be a breeze to the legue title,'" Saenz said. "Then the first couple of weeks were just an eye-opener for most of us."
Saenz's play at Mission Viejo opened the eyes of plenty of college baseball programs. He signed a letter of intent with Cal State Fullerton in November, but had committed, in his heart, to the Titans long before.
"I was the Cal State Fullerton bat boy, from when I was 8 to 13," Saenz said. "I went with them to the College World Series three times, including when they won it in 2004. Fullerton's always been my No. 1, so as soon as they offered the scholarship, I jumped right on it."
His father Tom Saenz, a Pacifica alum, pitched for Cal State Fullerton from 1981-83, too.
College baseball seems a long way off. These playoff games, and Alexis, have kept him occupied.
"I've spent a lot of time at the hospital with her," Saenz said. "I'm just trying to balance everything."
The baseball field sure has provided a welcomed environment for that.
Taking a look around Orange County high school sports:
•The Orange County All-Star Baseball Game is next Tuesday at 6 p.m. at Glover Stadium in Anaheim. The game is for graduating senior players. A tax-deductible donation of $5 is admission to the game, which is organized and managed for charity by the Kiwanis Club of Greater Anaheim.
•The Ryan Lemmon Showcase for senior baseball players from the Century, Empire, Freeway, Pacific Coast, Sea View, South Coast, Sunset and Trinity leagues is June 10 and 11 at Windrow Park in Irvine. The leagues play each other, like the Century League vs. the Trinity League is one game, and so on. For information, go to ryanlemmonbaseball.com.
•The Orange County Coaches All-Star Softball Games are next Tuesday at Deanna Manning Stadium in Irvine. There are two games, 5 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., involving seniors from a mixture of county leagues. Between games, there will be a home-run contest, and given the improvements in power hitting in county softball, that is going to be a fun contest.
•The Southern California Interscholastic Football Coaches Association has organized an all-star team to play against an Arizona all-star team June 25 in Surprise, Az. County players in the game: Bryan Keller, Mission Viejo, WR; Dallas Kessman, Mission Viejo, RB; Humana Sasi, Tustin, DL; John Taverez, Mater Dei, DB; and Josh Webb, Garden Grove, DB. Webb, named county player of the year by Southern California media members last week at the Brea Lions' recognition dinner for the county all-star game's players, should have his position listed as "GHTB" – Give Him The Ball!
•Boys volleyball concluded this past weekend with the SoCal Regionals championships, in which Corona del Mar and Laguna Beach won regionals championships. Before there can be a state tournament in boys volleyball, there must be a NorCal Regionals, which could be created within the next few years.
•The Dave Mohs All-Star Games for boys and girls volleyball is Friday at Newport Harbor. The girls play at 6 p.m., the boys at 7 p.m.
•The top five finishers in each event at last week's CIF-SS Masters track and field meet advanced to this week's CIF State Championships, which are at Buchanan High in Clovis, Friday and Saturday.
•Admission is free to the CIF-SS boys team tennis championships Wednesday at the Claremont Club. Tennis and golf are the only CIF-SS championship events at which admission is free.
Contact the writer: sfryer@ocregister.com
