The San Diego Section’s second annual high school all-star game took place June 5 at Petco Park following the San Diego Padres’ regularly scheduled Major League Baseball game against the Philadelphia Phillies.
The event, held in conjunction with the Padres, included a pregame home run derby and nine-inning game featuring an East versus West format.
Rosters for the High School All-Star Night event showcased the top 48 players — 24 per team — in San Diego County as selected by the baseball coaches’ advisory committee and select media.
A pair of high achieving players from the county’s back country got a chance to showcase their talent for the East all-star team: Granite Hills High School junior T.K. Parker and Mountain Empire High School senior Trevor Elliott.
Parker, an Alpine resident, drove in one run in the bottom of the seventh inning as the East scored two runs to bounce back from a 5-1 deficit in an eventual 7-3 loss to the West team.
Elliott pitched the eighth inning, allowing a two-run home run to Cathedral Catholic junior Zavien Watson, who was named the game’s MVP award.
The chance to play in a Major League Baseball stadium was obviously a moment to savor for both players.
“It was very fun,” Parker said. “It was a once in a lifetime opportunity; I just wanted to swing with it. Hopefully, I can be back next year.”
Elliott established himself as one of the section’s top hitters and prep pitchers during the 2019 season with a 0.39 earned-run average and 168 strikeouts in 71 innings. At the plate he hit a prodigious .564 with 20 RBI and three home runs.
He struck out 19 batters to set a school record in a 6-1 Citrus League win over host Ocean View Christian Academy on May 9. He finished his high school career with 458 strikeouts — second most in section history.
Elliott and Parker were both named to the All-CIF Second Team.
Granite Hills advanced as far as the Division I semifinal play¬offs, losing to Grossmont Conference rival Grossmont, 7-5, while Mountain Empire finished 1-2 in the Division V bracket, losing 3-2 to eventual division champion Morse.
Batter up
A total of 10 players represented East County on the East team. The group fared well both at the plate and on the mound despite coming up on the short end of the score.
Juniors Joseph Ingrassia and Kyle Casper represented San Diego Section Division III champion Valhalla.
Ingrassia pitched a score¬less third inning while Casper reached base on an infield single in the sixth inning and drew a walk in the eighth inning.
Ingrassia (5-2 with a 0.95 ERA) pitched his second career no-hitter earlier this sea¬son while hitting .354 with 19 RBI for the Grossmont Valley League champion Norsemen (25-8).
Casper hit .369 for Valhalla during the season with 18 RBI and two home runs.
Helix, a semifinalist in this year’s Open Division playoffs, contributed three players to the East roster: senior Eric Smelko and juniors Jordan Thompson and Alonzo Richardson.
Thompson reached base three times via two singles and a walk and scored one run while Richardson set down the order in the top of the ninth inning as the final East pitcher.
Steele Canyon senior Billy Tellous, the Grossmont Valley Player of the Year who will continue his baseball career at San Jose State University, had two hits – a single in the second inning and a leadoff double in the fifth inning. He also participated in the home run derby.
