MENIFEE — Making it to the playoffs was a challenge St. Monica’s baseball team was up to. Getting past Heritage’s Deven Owens was a totally different matter.
Owens proved to be too much as he tossed a rare postseason no-hitter against St. Monica in the first round of the California Interscholastic Federation Southern Section Division 5 playoffs on Tuesday. The 4-0 defeat not only ended the Mariners’ season, but also the player-coach relationship between St. Monica Head Coach Jack White and his son Danny, the team’s center fielder.
“I really think I had a good career,” Danny White said. “I loved having my dad as coach.”
While the Mariners failed to advance out of the first round for the second straight year, the younger White said that he was satisfied by what his team accomplished during his time on campus. The team finished in second in the Camino Real League this year and took home the league crown the year before.
“We had a good run,” Danny White said.
While the sentimental part of losing his son to graduation was a load to bear, Coach White couldn’t get over how well Owens pitched.
“He pretty much dominated us,” he said. “This is the kind of pitching we don’t normally face. That’s what distinguishes that team from us.”
St. Monica finishes the season 15-11 overall and 9-6 in league.
Heritage advances to face Gabrielino in the second round next week.