Hawks’ Perry: First win is No. 5 Westmont

By Nick Pellegrino
Updated: April 2, 2022

2022 SAN DIEGO CHRISTIAN BASEBALL

By Nick Pellegrino
ECS staff writer

FULLERTON — Gavin Perry owns an excellent high school pitching resume, but many dismiss it because he participated at a CIF Division V school.

Pitching for The Rock Academy last season, Perry — with apologies to Mount Miguel strikeout ace Thomas Ringer — led the San Diego Section in strikeouts. In fact, Perry is one of the few to ever record more than 100 K’s in two straight seasons.

Still, many scouts yawned because of the lack of talent among The Rock’s competition. So he elected to take an offer from San Diego Christian College.

With a little seasoning, Perry is starting to gain more time on the mound, logging just 11.1 innings entering the weekend — mostly all in March after sitting in the bullpen during February.

However, after getting the call from the pen on Saturday (Apr. 2), Perry will not forget this particular weekend.

Perry tossed two solid innings in relief, then the Hawks erupted with their single-biggest inning with the bats at the same time with an 8-run explosion.

The result was Perry’s first collegiate victory after San Diego Christian topped 5th-ranked Westmont College, 10-7, to salvage one contest in a 4-game set in Golden State Athletic Conference action held at historic Amerige Park.

SDCC head coach Brian Schroeder knows all too well about the dynamics of being a strikeout ace, yet gaining little fanfare.

“I lived the life of a guy at a small school who was often dismissed because of the level of play,” said Schroeder,wh established a CIFSDS record for strikeouts at Christian High. “It’s fun to watch Gavin grow up in font of us.

Schroeder also set the section mak for career victories (34), a mark which still stands two decades later.

“He throws the ball hard is really competes, so we put him into a tight game, throwing the ball into the zone.

Last season, Perry led the local prpes with 126 strikeouts, seven more than the Matadors’ Ringer and Cody Delvecchio of Mission Hills. Now with the Hawks, he continued the climb for his long-term goal to pitch in the majors; his 6-foot-4 frame definitely qualifies him.

“No, it didn’t bother me because that’s not something you except when you pitch for a small-school, Division 5 program like The Rock,” said Perry. “I had a plan to go to a Juco (a community college) and try to get noticed through that if it didn’t happen in high school.”

“Luckily,San Diego Christian found me and I’m happy with where I am right now.”

According to Perry, the game situation called foe him to pitch rather than one of his teammates in the bullpen.

“‘I think that I was used at the right time today<‘ he added. “I’m happy with the opportunity to go out in a close game and keep it close.”

Perry recognized the upward status of the Hawks since Schroeder took over as both head coach and director of athletics.

“My mindset is to continue to grow as a pitcher,” Perry noted. “Ryan Colegate, the pitching coach at SDCC, has been working with me a lot on the transition from low-level high school baseball to being a college pitcher.”

“My future is at SDCC. We are building a winning culture here that I want to be apart of. I would love to get my degree with them and have a future in baseball continuing after college as well.”

Trailing 5-1, the big rally started small on a bases-loaded walk to Johnny Radomskiy.

Later, Tre Pankratz lined a , 2-run sngle, then a series of RBI singles by Alec Arnone, Aaron Hoch gave the Hawks the lead.

Finally, the small ball was replaced on a 3-run homer from Ryan Lystlund gave SDCC the lead at 8-5.

San Diego Christian (10-32 overall, 6-16 GSAC) will next play consecutive double-headers at The Master’s University net weekend.

After dropping its first road game of the season, Westmont (35-6, 23-5 GSAC) won the nightcap 11-1.

Notes: Mount Miguel’s Ringer was the regular season strikeout king, but the Matadors missed the playoffs. Perry passed him with 22 straikouts in two postseason pitchng appearances, including 17 against Pacific Ridge. y Delvecchio was farther behidn, as the Grizzlies partook in five CIF contests.