Santa Margarita players celebrate their 11-2 win over Mater Dei in a Trinity League game that clinched the league title for the Eagles for the first time in school history on Friday, April 21, 2023. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer)
Santa Margarita players celebrate their 11-2 win over Mater Dei in a Trinity League game that clinched the league title for the Eagles for the first time in school history on Friday, April 21, 2023. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer)
Santa Margarita’s Blake Wilson is congratulated by fellow players and ball boys after rounding the bases following a home run during a Trinity League game against Mater Dei on Friday, April 21, 2023. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer)
Santa Margarita’s Hayden George pitches during an 11-2 win over Mater Dei in a Trinity League game between the two teams, clinching the league title for the Eagles in for the first time in school history, on Friday, April 21, 2023. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer)
Santa Margarita’s Luke Johnson hits the ball during an 11-2 win over Mater Dei in a Trinity League game on Friday, April 21, 2023. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer)
Santa Margarita’s Luke Lavin slides into home plate to score during an 11-2 win over Mater Dei in a Trinity League game between the two teams, clinching the league title for the Eagles in for the first time in school history, on Friday, April 21, 2023. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer)
iMater Dei’s Brandon Thomas pitches during a Trinity League game against Santa Margarita on Friday, April 21, 2023. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer)
Mater Dei’s Landon Gordon pitches during a Trinity League game against Santa Margarita on Friday, April 21, 2023. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer)
Santa Margarita players celebrate their 11-2 win over Mater Dei in a Trinity League game that clinched the league title for the Eagles for the first time in school history on Friday, April 21, 2023. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer)
Mater Dei’s Landon Gordon pitches during a Trinity League game against Santa Margarita on Friday, April 21, 2023. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer)
Mater Dei’s Derek Gonzales hits the ball during a Trinity League game at Santa Margarita High School on Friday, April 21, 2023. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer)
Santa Margarita pinch runner Jack Suinth slides safely into third base during a Trinity League game against Mater Dei on Friday, April 21, 2023. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer)
Santa Margarita’s Ian Filipcik hits the ball during an 11-2 win over Mater Dei in a Trinity League game on Friday, April 21, 2023. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer)
Santa Margarita’s Logan Del Groot dives safely back to first base during a Trinity League game against Mater Dei on Friday, April 21, 2023. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer)
Mater Dei’s Zac Brown pitches during a Trinity League game against Santa Margarita on Friday, April 21, 2023. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer)
Santa Margarita’s Hayden George pitches during an 11-2 win over Mater Dei in a Trinity League game between the two teams, clinching the league title for the Eagles in for the first time in school history, on Friday, April 21, 2023. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer)
Santa Margarita baseball coach Chris Malec talks to his player, Logan De Groot, on third base during a Trinity League home game against Mater Dei on Friday, April 21, 2023. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer)
Santa Margarita baseball coach Chris Malec watches a play unfold from the third baseline during a Trinity League home game against Mater Dei on Friday, April 21, 2023. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer)
RANCHO SANTA MARGARITA – Santa Margarita had not won a baseball league championship since before the players on this year’s team were born.
The Eagles changed that Friday, clinching the Trinity League title outright with an 11-2 win over Mater Dei at Santa Margarita High School.
It is Santa Margarita’s first league championship since it shared the Serra League title with Mater Dei in 2004. The Eagles’ previous outright league championship was in 1998 when they took the Sea View League title.
Santa Margarita is 19-5 overall and 11-1 in the Trinity League. It will will play its final three league games, against St. John Bosco, next week, the final week of the regular season.
Mater Dei is in a three-way tie for second place with JSerra and Orange Lutheran at 7-5 in league.
Mater Dei (14-10-1) plays longtime rival Servite (3-9) three times next week. JSerra and Orange Lutheran play each other three times next week.
Santa Margarita senior second baseman Blake Wilson drove in four runs Friday. Wilson, who signed with Washington, hit two doubles and a three-run home run, his third homer of the year.
Senior catcher Luke Lavin, a Stanford signee, hit a two-run home run in Santa Margarita’s five-run second inning, his team-leading fourth homer, and he scored three runs.
Ohio State-bound senior shortstop Zach Fjelstad homered and had two RBIs. In the sixth inning, he made the defensive play of the game, snagging Brody Connors’ hard ground ball in the shortstop-third base hole, then firing across the diamond for the out.
Junior right fielder Logan de Groot hit a two-RBI triple.
Eagles sophomore right-hander Hayden George pitched a complete game. George allowed two earned runs in the fifth inning. He gave up four hits.
After George got the game’s final out on a strikeout, his fourth, the Eagles’ dugout emptied for a celebration.
Santa Margarita coach Chris Malec, who is in his sixth season as coach and who played baseball at the school, said senior leadership is a large reason the Eagles are 11-1 in a league that has three teams that are in the CIF Southern Section Division 1 Top 10 poll – No. 3 Santa Margarita, No. 4 JSerra and No. 8 Orange Lutheran. Mater Dei is No. 3 in Division 2.
“We’ve got 18 seniors who’ve been working for four years to be able to create this moment,” Malec said. “It’s a testament to the group we have, the work they’ve put in, how hard they’ve worked on their camaraderie and how they’ve handled adversity in these difficult Trinity League games. It certainly hasn’t been an easy road and we’re proud of this.”
The CIF Southern Section playoff brackets will be released May 1. The playoffs begin with wild card-round games, if necessary, on May 2 and 3. First-round games are May 4 and 5.
