Press Box: Domingo Ayala a big hit at Beckman

Beckman's baseball team had a surprise visitor for its final game of the summer.

Domingo Ayala, the humorous baseball instructor who has been a hit on YouTube and is known for his entertaining baseball videos, showed up in Irvine Tuesday. He was introduced by Beckman baseball coach Kevin Lavalle as the third contestant in a home run hitting contest prior to an intra-squad scrimmage.

Ayala, who says "baseball is my life," raced in from left field, then watched as Beckman's Garret Brown and Spencer Ludin took their cuts.

"This is how we end our summer," Lavalle said of the inter-squad game. "I let the senior returning kids kind of captain it. I pick the teams but they run it. They call the offense. A month ago, we started about thinking how we could put an exclamation point on this.

"My assistant coach said, 'let's get Domingo Ayala out here.' We contacted his people and we made it happen today and we added a home run derby. He's such a good player that we wanted to see him hit. It's a fun way to end our summer."

A few parents kept the appearance a secret. None of the players knew about his surprise visit by Ayala, who has been making a swing through county high baseball programs in recent months. Baseball players know him by his humorous Domingo Beisbol Academy videos.

"We kept it a surprise as best we possibly could," Lavalle said.

While Brown and Ludin were taking their cuts, Ayala provided commentary on a microphone, noting that one of the balls hit was worth half a point because it fell short of a home run.

Then, he took his cuts and hit a couple home runs off Lavalle, who was doing the pitching.

Ayala was well aware that Lavalle's team had won the CIF Division 3 title in June at Dodger Stadium, the first for the program.

Among his comments to the players:

---"You guys got to dog-pile, right? You played with a lot of scouts in the stands at Dodger Stadium?"

---"You guys set yourself at a bar and if you want to make it to the bar again, you got to set yourself to the higher bar, because other teams are going to try and reach the bar. You're only as strong as your weakest link. You guys ever heard of that before?"

---"Just because you won the championship doesn't mean you're going to get there again. You got to work hard."

---"It's up to you guys, and maybe me if the coach can find a spot for me. I'm only 17, if you guys need a shortstop."

Players also got a chance to ask questions.

One player asked Ayala what his eyes, covered by sun glasses, looked like.

"They look like normal eyes," he joked. "What do you look like with glasses on? Could I see? If you grow a mustache, it's big-time."

Ayala talked more about the Beckman program in an interview after signing autographed pictures for the players.

"It was pretty impressive, because this is a championship team and it's good to be around the quality of player because the quality of player I am is a big-time player, so it's good to be around a lot of good talent," he said.

His advice for Beckman as it tries to repeat as CIF champions:

"It's tough, in this area, there is a lot of good baseball talent. That's why I came here from the Dominican. But I think they have to work hard and not be happy and be settled with last year and just keep moving forward."

The Beckman players then tried to do that with their intra-squad scrimmage, having some fun while remembering what Ayala had said.

"It was nice seeing a local celebrity," said Ludin, who will be a senior in the fall. "He represents the good times and all the fun and the good memories we can make as a team and the fun you can have on the field."

Other Press Box columns:

---Reflecting on the death of Woodbridge volleyball player Blake Mills

---Kaprielian takes Beckman baseball to the top

---NBA player Austin Daye returning to Irvine for camp

---Tesoro's first lacrosse All-American ready for next challenge